A redesigned space for canada’s largest collection of dance documents

The Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent-Warren has just reopened to the public after a renovation designed to highlight the collection. The library is now better lit, more user-friendly and larger than before. Not only does the new space include more shelving, it features all-new sections for displaying engravings, doing group work and for welcoming children.

The new archival department is set up for the acquisition and processing of new materials and is equipped with the best possible conservation and consultation conditions for the precious documents.

“After several decades in cramped quarters, we are proud to have a new showcase for the collections that Vincent Warren so patiently and lovingly assembled,” said head librarian Marie-Josée Lecours.

The unique character of the Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent-Warren has earned it an entry in the reference work Bibliothèques québécoises remarquables, edited by Claude Corbo and recently published by Del Busso.

The project was part of the broader renovation of the first floor of the Maison de la danse du Québec Ludmilla-Chriaeff. “This project gave us the opportunity to demonstrate the building’s great architectural potential. The structure has a soul, and it evokes a major part of L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec’ history,” said the institution’s executive director, Alix Laurent. The project was executed by Rayside Labossière, a Montreal-based firm known for its original, relevant and sustainable architecture and design work.