Canada: Renovation Begins in Cambridge, Ontario to Turn Historic Post Office Building Into Digital Library Branch

From 570News.com:

The official groundbreaking of the new digital Idea Exchange branch took place in Cambridge Monday morning.

From The Record:

The city-owned Galt post office, ready to be stripped down and gussied up in a $13.5-million transfusion and transformation, is now the professional drawing room for the Toronto architectural firm Ilic works for.
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Now, the goal is to have the old post office/library transcend time as the nation’s first totally digital library. A “maker lab” on the top level is to feature 3D printers and high-tech doodads. A kids’ discovery level, a reading room/restaurant level serviced by Cambridge-based Monigram Coffee Roasters and a basement space for teens will also featured.

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That’s the past-meets-future sales pitch, if you buy into this pricey accessory — originally envisioned on a lesser scale with half the budget — to the nearby Queen’s Square main library branch.

“I think that’s part of the charm of the building,” said Helen Kelly, chief executive of Cambridge’s library entity, called the Idea Exchange.

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