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Library Renewal plan close to reality -- at last!

Rossland Telegraph
By Rossland Telegraph
January 10th, 2018

Rossland’s public library provides exceptional service for its size. Aside from loaning out books and movies, making computers available for research and other work, and providing friendly assistance, our library offers after-school drop-in programs, hosts a book club on the last Thursday of each month, offers the popular “Books & Babies” program, provides space for the “Lost Sheep Knitters” on Thursday mornings; it has a meeting room that can be booked for free by not-for-profit groups; and for members of the public who need it, the library has one of Rossland’s “Eazy Peezy” washrooms. New Rosslanders as well as long-established locals may find the library’s website helpful.

Our little library has a dedicated and visionary board and staff, and they want to bring the library to a new level of excellence.  They have a plan.

They’ve had the plan for quite a while, but have lacked the funding to implement it.  While grant money supported other important projects, such as our treasured Miners Union Hall, our (partially) revitalized Museum and Discovery Centre, and the outdoor wonders of the Rossland Range Recreation Site, outside funding for the library seemed to languish. But now real progress on the library renewal plan is in sight.

Just before the holidays, the Rossland Public Library received an extra special present in the form of a successful Gaming Capital Project Grant application, which brings the library close enough to its fundraising goal to tender the renewal project for construction early this year. Please note that more funding is needed; for readers who have any dollars to contribute, tax receipts are available.

The Library renewal will reconfigure the interior space to include a larger children’s area, a small meeting/study room, more window seating and increased access to technology.

The renewal project will be primarily funded through grants from Columbia Basin Trust and Community Gaming, donations from Kootenay Savings Credit Union, Nelson & District Credit Union, RSS class of 2002, Teck Metals, and individual patrons. The library is very grateful to the community for supporting chili, cookies, and book sales in addition to the bottle depot and general donations made at the farmer’s market and other places around town.

Special thanks also go to library and city staff – Beverly Rintoul, Kathy Moore, Andy Morel and Bryan Teasdale – for supporting this vision. Board members, both past and present, have worked hard to secure funding and certain board members deserve special recognition for their perseverance with grant applications – Christa Ford, Lauren Roach and Yolanda Ridge.  

Readers who want to find out more about the renewal can stop by the library to see the new floor plan. There’s still time to get involved in this exciting project!

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