GAINSBOROUGH - After 56 years, the Gainsborough Public Library has shut its doors, and on April 1 the community got together to say farewell with a chili cookoff and book sale at the Happy Hours Club.
The library was first opened and operated solely by volunteer librarians and assistants, offering books donated by local patrons. Then on Dec. 14, 1967, it became the 25th library to join the Southeast Regional Library, a system that was still in its infancy.
The Gainsborough library won multiple branch awards throughout the years, namely in 1996 in recognition of commitment and efforts towards offering effective library service to the whole community.
Regional branch manager James Richards shared that the main reason for the closure was due to declining use, but explained how library services were still going to have moderate capabilities.
Members can order books and materials online for pickup at the Gainsborough town office, he said. The town office is also where books can be returned.
Marjorie Johnson, who had been the town librarian for 20 years, said she had heard of its closing via social media.
“It was jarring to find out about,” she said.
Johnson recalled that around 15 years ago when there was talk of the branch closing, over a100 people showed up to protest to save their beloved institution. The children in the community wrote letters to the branch office as well.
“Headquarters was so impressed they kept us open,” she said.
This previous victory was appreciated, but is now overshadowed by the current closure.
Johnson’s favourite events, looking back, were The Princess Tea and Mighty Trucks. Both events were held annually and focused on the children, but always had parents, grandparents and special invitees for the seniors in the area. The events were so successful and well received that they both ran for a decade.
At the Princess Tea, girls up to 12 would dress up as royalty and have their individual pictures taken. Everyone participated in high tea, each girl sat with their own fine bone china teacup, and ate prepared finger food. The girls would show off their outfits at the seniors’ home and invite those that were able to join.
At Mighty Trucks, boys, parents and men from the health centre would be taken out to Shaw Earth Moving to see all the large and varied running machinery. They were able to ask questions and ride in the big dump trucks. Each child would be given a plastic yellow hardhat with their name on the front, and a brown-bag lunch complete with baloney sandwich.
“We were really wanting them to feel a part of it,” Johnson said.
The library, through the years, was a centre for local life. The building held many meetings for groups and it facilitated supervised and mailed-in exams for students. The public computers at the library were a much-needed resource for children.
Every two weeks, librarians would take books from their extensive selection of large print to the Evergreen Lodge for all the seniors. When the town school closed, the library became the new archived and treasured home for all the school trophies.
At the chili cookoff, there was a jovial but underlining sadness at the loss. Looking through the many photo albums of pictured events and advertisements held by the library through the decades, it showed the smiles of many whose lives were enriched through the hard work and dedication of the librarians, volunteers and staff. It was fitting that the end came with good talk, full stomachs and uplifted spirits, as it often provided those things before.
