Shellbrook Library Celebrates 60th

Written by the Shellbrook Chronicle
Volume 101 - Shellbrook, Saskatchewan Friday, March 30, 2012 - No. 13

Board members, past and present employees, dignitaries, library users and the Shellbrook Elementary School Grade 2 class turned to to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Shellbrook Library Monday, March 26.

Local library Board Chair, Deb Mervold emceed the event which opened with speeches from Shellbrook Mayor George Tomporowski, board member and RM Councilor Doug Oleksyn, former Board Chair Bishop Tom Morgan and Wapiti Executive Committee Member Gerwing.

Library Vice-Chair Elna Fish also presented a comprehensive history of the library in Shellbrook.

Throughout the years, the library has been housed in many locations -- eight to be exact.

In 1952, Shellbrook joined the North Central Saskatchewan Regional Library after the Home and School Association raised the $225 start up fee.

The first branch was located in Halliwell's Hardware with J.C. Heatherington volunteering as librarian.

The official grand opening took place in the Legion hall, march 26, 1952.

From there, the library moved into the town rest room, west of the Elks' Theatre and then later into a small room inside the theatre. It then found temporary home in Dorothy's Floral Shop in 1960 and then moved into Norman Smith's Furniture Store where it stayed from 1961-1977. When that business was sold, the library remained until its next move into the basement of the Shellbrook Credit Union.

It was during this time that the Library's longest serving librarian Hazel Barkway served her tenure.

A permanent home for the library was construed at the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue East in 1984. The new facility was far more accessible than the previous location and traffic increased.

"We were limited with space at the Credit Union and of course when we moved into the new building we got more shelving and so headquarters gave us a whole bunch new books," said Barkway, who was librarian from 1979 to 1994.

During her time one of the first stops for new residents in town was the library.

However, with the growth of technology the library's needs outgrew the facility and it was determined that one more move was in order.

In 1996, the library moved into its current home in the Provincial Building on Railway Avenue West.

Over the past sixty years 12 librarians, both volunteer and paid employees, have assisted with library patrons needs.

Mayor George Tomporowski quoted Dr. Seuss' "Oh the places you'll go" to get his point across about the importance of reading and libraries themselves.

"The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn the more places you'll go."

"The more knowledge we have the more empowered we are," said Tomporowski.

Through the years the library has expanded from 250 items to nearly 7,000 volumes plus access to a province wide network of libraries through the Saskatchewan Information and library Services network. The library also includes computer services that were completely unheard of when the library first opened its doors.

In 1975, the North Central Regional Library celebrated a quarter century in existence and changed its name to Wapiti. In 1978 Shellbrook won the Wallis Wapiti Award for the most improved branch and in 1999 was the recipient of the Wapiti Regional Library Award in recognition of its many accomplishments.

Through the years the new facility has aslo doubled as a showcase for local artisans as well as the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) travelling art exhibits while local painters have also used the space to ply their craft.