MANITOUWADGE — Good news has arrived for anyone in Manitouwadge who was afraid they might have to deal with overdue book fees in December or January.
Thanks to funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the public library in Manitouwadge is set for a makeover.
Last week, a post on the Manitouwadge Public Library’s Facebook page announced that the library would be undergoing renovations and will be closed until further notice.
Manitouwadge Public Library’s chief executive officer and head librarian Tammy Langevin said that these renovations are a “long time coming” and that the whole process has been a “coordinated effort” between the township council, current and previous library staff, and residents in the community.
She spoke passionately about what the future holds for the library.
“We are talking about relocating some of our space, changing things around, replacing flooring, removing the carpet, getting new vinyl floors,” Langevin said. “We actually purchased new shelving [and] materials… we’re going to be painting…”
Additionally, the circulation desk will be undergoing a “pivot” and replacement to be more front-and-centre, and an office and several walls will be demolished to open up more space.
“We have had such an increase in library programming attendance and we really want to continue to cater to the community of Manitouwadge … our community is the backbone of the library.”
Langevin noted that the library offers programs all throughout the year and has become an increasingly popular spot for children, teenagers, and adults alike to spend their time.
“We have our adult programming providing craft nights, adult [Dungeons and Dragons], creative digital series, the Cricut design series… we have our book club, tech workshops to help with our elderly and not-so tech savvy patrons that come in and are looking for some great advice on how to use their cellular services or even the computers,” Langevin said.
“Our teen and youth program has shot-up in attendance which has been absolutely unfathomable for a community of our size. We provide quality programming in [Dungeons and Dragons] for the children, new campaigns every week, we have continuing campaigns also that actually [crossover] into the adult [Dungeons and Dragons], we have writing club, 3D printing available through our Maker’s Space, trivia nights, live interactive games… tech programming with our cubelets, creative writing online as well…”
And for children ages zero to eight – whom Langevin referred to as their “little learners” – the library hosts story time, Tots Crafts and Creations with parents, and gross motor indoor play sessions in the auditorium at the Manitouwadge Community Centre.
With all of the hard work that the staff have been putting in at the library, the response has been overwhelming in the best way possible.
“Because of the increase in programming, the flow of our library was just not working for us,” Langevin said. “Being able to reorganize and redistribute our collections, we can really make our space have better flow for our programming.”
Langevin continued, pointing out that one of their biggest, well-attended programs is their TD Summer Reading Club when they often see up to 45 children in the library at once.
The TD Summer Reading Club is a nationwide, bilingual initiative that began in 1996, spotlighting Canadian authors, illustrators, and stories while getting kids excited about reading.
More than 2,200 public libraries across Canada participate every summer.
Between that program and everything else that the Manitouwadge Public Library has to offer, it became apparent to library staff, board members, and members of the township council that more space was needed to accommodate the volume of people accessing the Manitouwadge Public Library’s materials and services.
Langevin said that even as recently as last week they were seeing around 75 to 100 books checked out every day.
“On average we have at least 25 people in the library, not counting staff and regular patrons,” Langevin said. “This is just through our children’s programming. So the space needed to be redistributed to really be able to have that space be more accommodating for both our regular patrons who are coming in and out of the library, checking out books, looking for book requests, things of that nature, and then our programmers who are facilitating the programming for the TD Summer Reading over the summer – being able to have a space that really works with this huge influx of people.”
Digging a little more into the specifics of what residents can expect, Langevin mentioned that one of her ideas is to bring the Maker Space – which is outfitted with a 3D printer, Cricut, and button-maker – to the second floor of the library.
“It has been tucked away in a back room,” Langevin said, “and people weren’t feeling as though it was available to them at any point… we really wanted to bring it out of the back room… and really put it on prominent display, as it is such a useful and creative space that is available to anyone in Manitouwadge… the possibilities are absolutely endless.”
While putting the Maker Space on the second floor might make it less readily accessible to patrons with mobility challenges, Langevin assured that it is “mobile enough” she can bring it down for people who need to use it on the main floor.
She stressed accessibility as a major focus of the renovations taking place.
Councillor Braden Kotyk, who is also a member of the public library board, echoed Langevin’s sentiment.
“With the increased demand from people for programming, we need a lot more space in there and we need more organization,” Kotyk said. “The goal of the renovation is to tear down some of the old walls that are just blocking up space… but we’re also expanding the infrastructure in general so that people have more space to move around.”
On top of the Trillium grant funding the renovation project, the library also received a grant through the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to install a wheelchair-accessible door.
The township of Manitouwadge applied for the AODA funding on behalf of the library.
“This is huge for us – to be more accessible, in that sense,” Langevin said.
She said that although it is not in the cards for this renovation, a lift system or elevator of some kind is the next improvement she’d like to see made to the library in an effort to keep it open to everyone.
In the meantime, the plan is to use this current renovation as an opportunity to prepare for that future.
“Our upstairs shelving is going to be spaced so it’s accessible and our downstairs will also be spaced to be fully accessible for when that time comes,” Langevin said. “We want to make sure we do what we can.”
With such a deep connection to the community, the Manitouwadge Public Library is an important piece of educational and recreational infrastructure that ties residents together in a safe, fun, and free environment, making it a natural first choice in what is set to be a series of renovations that the township plans to make to their community centre buildings.
Having lived in Manitouwadge for 37 years, Langevin said that the library has “always been a part of [her] life.”
“A place where you can come in with zero judgements, you are not considered a loiterer if you’re sitting here, there’s things to do, and it was always so welcoming for me growing up here,” Langevin said. “This was my safe haven, so I’m really glad that we get to continue providing that for our community.”
She also made sure to mention that she is grateful to Manitouwadge’s chief administrative officer Florence MacLean for spear-heading the project – and to Public Works director Tyler Brewster who Langevin referred to as the “boots on the ground” and who will be looking after the relocation of library materials to a safe storage facility.
With over 17,000 books and other library materials to pack into around 750 boxes, Langevin and her library team are currently working at a steady pace to get everything stored away before contractors begin their work on Dec. 14.
The Manitouwadge Public Library will still offer some remote programming by partnering with the township to operate out of the clubhouse at the Manitouwadge Golf Course.
The work is estimated to last about seven weeks, with contractors eyeing completion in February.