CBRM needs new library

There is an old African saying that goes like this: “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.”

That’s because we are all walking libraries.

But we also have libraries that we visit, many of which struggle for various reasons to remain current. These we must embrace and cherish. One of them is our beloved James McConnell Memorial Library in Sydney.

I would like to piggyback here on the African aphorism mentioned above by saying that “when a public library is old and arthritic, when it runs out of space and resources, when it has no place to display prominently its special collections and its programs, and when it has no flexibility to develop newer ways of serving the public, then it shouldn’t be burned; it should be gracefully retired in favour of a better model.”

That’s the status of the McConnell Library in CBRM, a geographical area which has the second largest concentration of people outside of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is, therefore, high time that all levels of government – municipal, provincial and federal – band together to fund a state-of-the-art library for this area. We pay taxes on all three levels and we deserve a fair return on our investment.

Consider, for example, that our Cape Breton taxes contributed to the building in Halifax of one of the finest libraries in North America (as well as the construction of a convention centre and skating oval) because we believe that we have an obligation to enhance our province’s resources. Well, its Cape Breton’s turn to take its rightful place in the sun now.

We need a library in Sydney that serves the whole of our island. It’s doable.

I agree with the notion that a library is the hub of a community because the library has the answers to most questions about history, genealogy, local culture and the larger world. Libraries are outward looking. Libraries equal literacy. Libraries are sacred spaces because they enhance mind and spirit. Libraries are transformational. They have the means to affect a revolution of the heart, to awaken one’s desire to know.

In this community, we are a long way from 1960 when the McConnell Library opened and even from 1987 when it was renovated. We now need and deserve a library twice the size of the one we have and we need it in a favourable location (say, on the waterfront) with ample parking. We could even put parts of the Beaton Institute’s collection in it.

I could quote lots of statistics about the McConnell including how it has 12 branches, two bookmobiles, special collections, special activities and communal events. Everyone in Cape Breton knows these things. What they need to realize is that we, in this beautiful place, must continue to sustain and build upon the wonderful culture we have here and that is where a new library becomes the focal point of the larger community.

We must get behind the committee which is working hard to make the case that when one region of our province enhances its knowledge and expands its understanding that has to benefit all of us.

LeRoy Peach Port Morien