Battle of the Dojos Personalized learning

Your library then and now
It all started in 1914…
By Pam Brown
With all the talk about the new library these days have
you ever wondered how Powell River’s library began?
It all started with a subscription library in Townsite in 1914.
This was Powell River’s first library. Stephen Leacock was
Canada’s best known humorist then, and his book, Sunshine
Sketches of a Little Town was certainly on those vintage library
shelves.
EARLY SERVICE: Powell River's library in the Townsite. Photo dates
back to about 1930.
Photo courtesy Powell River Historical Museum
By 1942, Canadian writers Earle Birney (Stephen Leacock
Medal for Humour) and Dorothy Livesay (Governor General’s
Award) were the literary stars. You could have found their
books at the new Westview Library run by the Westview Parent
Teacher Association volunteers.
1952 found many a reader curled up with hot new title,
The Old Man and the Sea or with a brand new children’s
book, Charlotte’s Web. Over the next few years you had lots
of choices if you wanted to borrow them from the library as
a third volunteer library started in Cranberry and one more
popped up in 1959 — The Wildwood Heights Public Library.
Now there were four libraries in Powell River. And by the way,
about those two books — you can still borrow them from the
library today.
These four community libraries were great places to
go — they reflected the personalities of their neighbourhoods.
And just as now, you could borrow a book and meet a neighbour
for a chat at the same time. Eventually, the four libraries
got together and formed the Powell River District Public
Library Association (1973). The Westview Library, by then
using rooms in the MacGregor Building (City Hall), became
the predominant library and by the early 1980’s the Townsite,
Cranberry and Wildwood libraries all closed their doors.
A big change happened to the library in 2003 when it became
a municipal library and shortly afterwards in 2004, the
City and the Regional District negotiated an agreement to provide
library service to most Regional District residents. City
ownership of the library meant that the City had (and continues
to have) a legal responsibility to provide you with public
library service. In 2006 the name changed from the Powell
River District Public Library to be simply, the Powell River
Public Library.
Today’s library is very different from those early ones. For
a start, some of the library now comes to you. Programs like
Books on Wheels, Read to Seniors or the Travelling Storytime
move around Powell River creating library service without
walls. A new Books by Mail service posts books to you if you
can’t come to the library. The popular Memoir Writing for Seniors
courses and annual storytelling events happen all over
the community. You can consult the catalogue, order up interlibrary
loans and renew books all from your home computer.
Today’s technology permeates the way we offer programs
Next time you are in safeway, visit the
pharmacy to check out upcoming
health promotions and our new
Healthy Lifestyles Cards.
Any questions? see me first.
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