New branch provides possibilities for new programs

 In Community

by Mary Boyd and Connie Leishman
Before the end of the winter, Clearview Township will take possession of the new Stayner Branch.
Library CEO Jennifer La Chapelle and her staff are ready to dig into the task of moving the current collection over to this exciting new building.
Imagine the following in the new beautiful 6800 square-foot open space replacing the old 2400 square feet of smaller rooms cobbled together:
• A building designed by Luc Bouliane, who won the Young Architect of the Year award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) in 2018 for his body of work including the design of this building;
• An internet café to connect to the wireless internet with your own devices in addition to use of the library’s computers and programs to support your interests;
• A cinema licence and space to show movies;
• Saturday Family Drop-In with crafts and fun activities in space;
• Toddler-parent pre-school programs for ages 2 ½ to 5 in a children’s area;
• Reading Buddy puppet/book kits to sign out;
• After School Club for Grades 2 through 6 and Homework Club for Grades 6 and up;
• Adult craft and book clubs.
And all of this with new accessible shelving and furniture, wonderful natural light to enhance the indoor lighting and convenient parking in a safe and well-lit lot.
The staff is excited at all of the possibilities for additional programs; already there are partnerships beginning with other groups, including the Canada Revenue Agency’s Community Volunteer Income Tax program to help people with their income tax returns, and Georgian College volunteering to help students 19 or older working to get their GED or to improve their academics at college. We are lucky to have the additional space of the boardroom and community center hall to increase our programs.
We thank all who have responded to our mail out campaign and remind all that donations are still welcome. We would also like to publicly thank our numerous and varied donors to date. We have had only one hitch – one of our donors who was eligible for a tax receipt and thank you note provided an incorrect mailing address and his thank you note and charitable donation receipt was returned to us. So please provide us with a correct mailing address if you would like a tax receipt and personal thank you card.
When we put up our thermometer in the near future, we hope to be more than halfway to our target. At $120,000 already donated, we are very close to that mark. Our group of volunteer fundraisers has worked tirelessly on this first phase of our campaign. Stay tuned for the details of Phase 2, which is intended to take us over the top.
So here we are at the end of two things: the construction of our new library facility, and the decade of work to keep things running in the current building as the town of Stayner and surrounding area outgrew it.
And here we are at the start of two things: the opening of our new library building, and the unfolding and development of an exciting new hub for all of Clearview. We thank all who have invested their time, talents, passion, and funds to make this a reality. We encourage all to visit and make use of all that this library will offer. The opening date will be announced shortly, as well as the grand opening.
If you have a dream for the original library building, contact the Township of Clearview to get details about the process for the sale of the building.

Mary Boyd and Connie Leishman are members of the Clearview Library board.

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