New Westminster library prepares to celebrate 150th birthday

The City of Vancouver is only 129 years old.

So it really says something when a library in the region can proudly declare that it's about to celebrate its 150th birthday.

On Saturday (August 15) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the New Westminster Public Library (716 6th Avenue) will offer cake along with crafts, face-painting, Mad Hatter hat–making, and other activities to commemorate its 150th year.

It's the oldest public library in B.C. after being established with the support of the colonial government in 1865.

It first opened in the former Mint building. In 1890, this decrepit structure was demolished to make room for a three-storey stone and brick library building, which opened in 1892 on on Columbia Street.

In those days, Columbia was known as the "Golden Mile", but a massive fire in 1898 destroyed the library.

A new library was created in 1905 with the help of a $15,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The library moved into its current location in 1958 and in 2013, a branch opened in the Queensborough Community Centre.

To show how far the library has come since its earliest days, organizers have dubbed the 150th-birthday celebration "Tech Day".

Libraries around the region have been embracing the digital world and in New Westminster, visitors on Saturday will see displays of ebooks, gaming, tech toys, and a 3-D printer.