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Sidewalk Celebration for Port Elgin Library Centennial Saturday, October 25, 2008
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Port Elgin's Carnegie Library will be one hundred years old. To mark this occasion, the Port Elgin Friends of the Library will host a sidewalk celebration in front of the building, from10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Built with funds from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, the Library stands on the site of the old Royal Hotel. This Public Library replaced a Mechanics Institute which occupied part of the old Town Hall, but loaned books only to adults. The Library building has always belonged to the town with the Library Board as a tenant. Since 1967, it has been part of the Bruce County Public Library system. Designated a Heritage Building in the early 1990s, the structure has a classic look that is being preserved during the 2008 reconstruction. The new addition, designed to provide better accessibility and more space for both patrons and materials, will open in early 2009. "Although we don't know the exact timing of the grand re-opening ceremony, we do know the date of the original opening, so that's what we're celebrating now," say the Friends group. Organized in 2006, they have held author visits, book sales, and other events to raise funds for their library branch. The Friends invite more volunteers to join as the expanded library offers even more ways to be involved. On the sidewalk, visitors can enjoy birthday cake, courtesy of the Friends and, for a donation, sign a giant birthday card and tie a ribbon bow to the contractor's fence. The Friends will also sell a unique gift: a limited number of century-old bricks from the original west wall, plaqued with the dates 1908-2008 and presented in fabric bags, will sell for $100.00 each.
13/01/2009 04:24 PM |
Everyone is welcome to attend this event and wish our Library "Happy 100th birthday...and many more" Background One of 111 Carnegie-funded libraries built in Ontario, the Port Elgin Public Library began offering books and magazines for circulation and reference in October 1908 in the upper level of the building. Before extensive libraries in schools, many students used the reference section for homework. A children's corner was refurbished and used for story-times in the 1970s. Later, books and other materials for young readers moved to the entire lower room. In recent years, talking books, videos, fishing tackle, and pedometers have been added to the list of borrowable items. Public access computers bring many people to the library. The Library building has seen many uses over its century. Municipal councils of both Port Elgin and the Township of Saugeen met in the lower level. Men enlisted there to serve with the 160th Bruce Battalion in the First World War, and the memorials to those who fell were located on the grounds in 1924. In 1937, Bruce County Council held a three-day session at the Library. Community groups from Junior Farmers and Junior Institutes to Senior Citizens used the space. IODE-sponsored well-baby clinics and local hearings about restructuring took place there. Readers and writers have used the space for their interests and gatherings; works of local artists have decorated its walls. The new addition will allow even more uses of the facility, making it a downtown community hub
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