Yellowknife (Apr 08/05) - Yellowknife Library has some new friends who want to make it something more than a place to warehouse books.

Kevin Kennedy, an organizer of Friends of the Library, said the group wants to make it a "vibrant part of the community that has the support of the public."

The newly-formed group wants a new home for the library, "something much, much better with a really vibrant location," Kennedy said.

It would be a place for community events, meetings and "all kinds of other resources for people in our community to further their intellectual and cultural development," Kennedy said.

Discussions about the future of the vacant Gerry Murphy arena site and the need for an arts and cultural centre in the city, make it important for the library's supporters to speak up for the institution, he said.

"I think the library is something that most people in the community support, including people on council, so that is where the opportunity is," he said. "There are not too many people who are going to say,' I'm against having a library or learning.'"

Mayor Gord Van Tighem attended this week's founding meeting of the Friends of the Library and suggested they look at ways of linking in more directly with the community services department of the city.

But he noted that a recent study of the library's needs found that the present location "has a useful life, based on our current population projections of 20 years. That's the official stance right now."

But the library will be included in discussions on the future of land around City Hall and the Multiplex, Van Tighem said.