10 ways you can celebrate the library
On Aug. 14, 1919, after nine years of work building community support, the Lethbridge Public Library opened its doors to the residents of our city. Originally located in two rooms at the YMCA, located on the northeast corner of 10 Street and 4 Avenue South, the library served our community from that location until Jan. 23, 1922, when it relocated to 3 Avenue South, where the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG) now stands. The renovated Carnegie Library still makes up the west wing of the building and houses SAAG’s Upper Gallery.
The building was home to a children’s library, an adult library and a lecture room. It was constructed at a cost of $26,996. However, increased patronage and a growing population began to exhibit a need for a larger library space, and in 1974 the library opened at its current downtown location on 5 Avenue and 9 Street South, with a 20,000-square-foot extension added in 1992. Bookmobile services were added in 1985, and The Crossings Branch opened in West Lethbridge in 2010.
This year as we celebrate 100 years of serving our community, we invite you to join us for our celebration activities that will be occurring throughout the year. “Celebrating 100 years in the community is an incredibly important milestone for the Lethbridge Public Library,” states Lethbridge Public Library CEO Terra Plato. “Public libraries are key to healthy communities, as we ensure that everyone has equitable access to learning and leisure. This year we are excited to be able to share what we have with even more of the community, so I would like to challenge anyone who hasn’t visited the library to do so this year, or come back if you haven’t been in a while.”
Some ways you can get started celebrating your Lethbridge Public Library include:
• Get a Library card. There is no fee for a Lethbridge Public Library Membership throughout 2019.
• Take in a public lecture. Gwynne Dyer will be joining us on Jan. 24 for his lecture, “The Climate Horizon.”
• Visit us for our art collection. Jan. 23–April 13 we will be exhibiting selected artwork from our art collection in the Theatre Gallery’s art gallery.
• Learn more about the history of the Lethbridge Public Library. Check out our exhibit at the Galt Museum & Archives running Feb. 16–June 2, and learn more about how we connect our community.
• Learn 100 Blackfoot words through story. Through our new Indigenous story series, you can learn more about traditional Blackfoot storytelling, language, and culture.
• Participate in one of our Adult, Teen, or Children’s activities. Storytime, book clubs, educational programs, special film presentations, musical performances … the list goes on! There’s so much more than books at your Lethbridge Public Library.
• Join us for one of our many film series: Tuesday Night Movies, Friday Night Films, TGIF Family Movie Time, Saturday Family Movies, the New Media Film Series in partnership with the University of Lethbridge, and watch for our upcoming Lethbridge International Film Festival, Pride on the Big Screen, and Lethbridge Public Library Foreign Film Festival.
• Borrow from our Sports Library or Lethbridge Presents program and get out and get active! Catch a game or try out a new activity with our variety of sports equipment and games, and tickets and passes to local venues and events.
• Tell us why you love your Lethbridge Public Library! Submit your favourite Library memories all year long, and tell us what you envision for the Library of the future. Send your story to indie@lethlib.ca.
• Mark your calendars now! We will be hosting our 100th Anniversary Birthday Party on Aug. 17, and look forward to seeing you there.
Celebrate 100 years of the Lethbridge Public Library with these events and more throughout 2019. Visit lethlib.ca for more information on these and all of the library’s 100th Anniversary activities and events.