[1] The four-storey, 17,600-square-metre (189,000 sq ft)[2] library boasts a local history room, public art, information displays, a grand staircase, as well as access to the Winnipeg Walkway system.

[3][4] A plan was put in place to relocate the main branch on Graham Avenue between Smith and Donald Streets, on the site of Columbus Hall (Aragon Building) where Bell Drugs, Rainbow Dance Gardens, and J's Discotheque were located.

[7] While the original cost of the project—including the library and underground parking—was estimated at $8,478,462, that figure had risen to $9 million by the end,[8] for which the province chipped in $900,000.

[12] The Centennial Library was officially opened to the public on 16 May 1977,[3] four months later than originally calculated, due to a construction strike and winter work conditions.

Councillor Al Ducharme (ICEC - St. Vital) greeted members of the public and borrowed the first book at the new library.

The rebuilt plaza has an artificial wetland aerated by a pair of windmills, a wooden walkway built out of sustainably-farmed wood, birch trees planted in deep pots, two new pieces of public art, and low fences and a raised floor.

Measures were taken, where weapons and liquor were held by a private security firm and could be collected after the library visitor had left.

The library reported in early September 2019 that the new security measures had the intended effect of decreasing the numbers of aggressive patrons who bring in weapons and/or alcohol.

[31][32] In February 2020, musician John K. Samson wrote and released "Millennium for All", a song supporting the activist campaign against the security restrictions.