-by John Gillis
The community of Mabou and Dalbrae Academy now has a new public library.
The Alexander Doyle Public Library is an exciting new partnership between Eastern Counties Regional Library and the Strait Regional School Board (SRSB).
The concept has been in the works for nearly two years now but it gained momentum in recent months through meetings with senior levels of the SRSB.
Laura Emery is chief librarian and CEO of Eastern Counties Regional Library.
“There always seemed to be a really passionate readership up here in the Mabou area and circulation indicated that but also the types of things people were reading. They were very devoted to the mobile service so it had been a concern to me that we otherwise would not be able to provide the same children’s programming that we were providing elsewhere so we believe it will be so much better to have a space. I attended a council meeting and I remember The Oran put some of my thoughts out there. There was a lot of community interest and there was a library sub-committee formed. That committee did a lot of work and it just kept coming back to the fact that Dalbrae was the logical place to be and there was also an opportunity there because the library assistant was retiring,” Emery told The Oran.
Emery says she looks forward to the new library offering innovative technology programming for students as well as a community garden.
“We’re hoping too that some local businesses may come on board in terms of support,” said Emery.
Emery says the biggest indicator of a child’s success is their reading ability and she says the biggest challenge for ECRL is operational money for open hours.
“We have an excellent partnership with the SRSB. It’s strategic and logical to pool our resources to bring the best to our children,” she added.
Emery says ECRL has offered innovative services to communities, including being the first library in the provincial system to purchase a 3-D printer, the first to offer community gardening and she says it is likely the first library anywhere (Margaree) to have an outdoor baking oven.
ECRL has also recently added downloadable magazines, audio e-books and soon will be offering Ancestry.com free at the library. ECRL already has a partnership with Gaelic Affairs and they will be offering Gaelic classes at the new Mabou library.
Emery says ECRL has the books and the capacity and is now proud to have a great person in its new library assistant, Jen Vivian. Vivian is originally from Newfoundland and has recently moved to the Lake Ainslie area.
“I was really happy that the position of library assistant came up. I’m really passionate about community spaces, I love books, and I’ve been reading to children ever since I can remember. I think the library is such a great resource to bring communities together so I hope everyone will come down and check us out,” said Vivian.
Vivian says she’s looking forward to hearing what people in the Mabou area want in their library through a community consultation session that was planned for yesterday (Tuesday) evening in the library.
“There’s so much potential in this space we just need to make sure that the work we’re putting in is what the community wants so that it becomes a community engaged space,” Vivian added.
The community library committee deserves credit for all the work it has done to get an ECRL location in Mabou.
The committee is currently a sub-committee of the Mabou Development Association but at some point members say it may evolve into a Friends of the Library committee model. Thom Oommen of Centerville is chair of the committee.
“We’ll be looking for ways that the community can contribute to the library and to get good ideas so we’re looking forward to the community consultation. As I’m here today holding two children, I often think of how nice it is to have this space where you can drop in with your family, especially in winter when it’s nice to get out. It’s a great space with bright light and tremendous potential,” said Oommen.
In the meantime, Oommen says the library could use a couch, comfortable chairs, plants, floor lamps, table lamps, rugs, mats, children’s toys, children’s furniture, board games, craft and art display supplies, volunteers and monetary donations.
A community consultation for Alexander Doyle Public Library in Mabou was postponed from February 9th until Tuesday, February 16th due to weather conditions. Please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.
Mabou’s current library hours are: Monday 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed for lunch 1:00 p.m. to1:30 p.m.; Tuesday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., closed for lunch 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed for lunch 1:00 to1:30 p.m.
