Newfoundland and Labrador Collection & Services

Laying the Foundation: 

Harold Newell was appointed as the first librarian, later director. Agnes O'Dea, the public library's first professional librarian and Marjorie Mews were hired in 1935, rounding out the senior management staff. These three people along with staff members Nancy Fennell and May Wylan, were responsible for carrying out the policies of the Provincial Board and for preparing the Gosling Memorial Library for its grand opening and its role as a library for St. John's and also a central library for the rest of the province. The library was housed in the Museum building- the same site that had been the home for one of its predecessors, the Atheneum. 

The Bulk of he 1,800 book collection in the Gosling Memorial Library, named to honour W.G. Gosling, businessman, author and one time mayor of St. John's, had been donated by Armine Gosling from her late husband's private collection. The rest of the collection was made up of books purchased by the Provincial Board, books from the Legislative Library which had served as a library for the public before its closure at the suspension of responsible government and gifts from Harold Harmsworth (Lord Rothermere). 

On January 9, as one of his last official acts as Governor, Sir David Murray Anderson officiated at the opening of the Gosling Memorial Library. He and his wife became the first persons to register as users andto borrow books. In the first 18 days of operation, 2,872 more borrowers were registered and 7,433 books were loaned. In the first six months this number would rise to 5,533 registrants and 50,021 loans to both adults and children for, in May, the library had opened a section for children. 

Building Up - And Out

Although the Gosling Memorial Library was located in St. John's, the Provincial Board understood from the outset that library service to the outports was part of its responsibilities. It also knew that it would not be easy to provide that service. The geography of Newfoundland and Labrador presented a major obstacle. The Amulree Report estimated the population of the island as 259,000 of which 40,000 were in St. John's and the remainder distributed among some 1,300 settlements spread, for the most part, over the 9,600 (6,000 miles) of coast with populations ranging from 5 to 5,000. The population of Labrador was estimated 5,300 people. The province, island and Labrador, covered an area of 393,680 square kilometers (152,000 square miles), nearly three times the size of England, with many of the communities not accessible by road. In November 1935, before the opening of the Gosling Memorial Library, the Provincial Board's budget committee considered how this service could be provided across the province. Some service was available in the outports, through the Travelling Library, and various companies had set up libraries in towns where they had major industrial enterprises. 

The Travelling Library had been established in 1926 by the Bureau of Education. Individuals, usually clergy, teachers, and business leaders, in isolated communities would write to the staff requesting books either by title or by subject. The staff would pack up the books in crates which would travel by coastal boats, such as the S. S. Sagona, to a port where they could be picked up and transported to a building within the community, usually the school. Libraries of books were also placed on 15 coastal steamers- sort of a floating mobile unit- to provide service to communities which were inaccessible by road. In May 1936 the management of the travelling Library was turned over to the Provincial Board. The Carnegie Corporation of New York, which had provided $5,000 for the original Travelling Library, provided an additional $3,000 to aid the service. The Corporation would continue to financially support this and other services in future years. The Travelling Library would remain in operation until the 1950s when it became part of the regional library system, leaving many Newfoundlanders with fond memories of the "grey boxes" which were part of that system but did continue for a short time under another program. 

However, as well received as these services were, there was the constant struggle for funding. From 1935 to 1938, the Provincial Board made a series of proposals to the Government in which they outlined plans for extending library services to some of the larger towns, but to no avail. These were the years of the Great Depression and money was scarce, especially for a service which was not considered essential. The initial grant to the Provincial Board, meagre by any standard, was reduced from $16,539.65 to $11,000.00. in the second year of the Provincial Board's existence. By 1938 it was estimated that it would take $10,000 annually to operate libraries in 20 of the largest communities in the province, this in addition to the monies needed to operate the rest of the provincial service. 

Catalina Sets the Example

ln 1938 Catalina became the first community outside of St. John's to receive a grant from the Provincial Board to operate a public library. Joseph E. Clouter, a former resident of Catalina, had moved to Boston but continued to visit his hometown. On these visits he was distressed to note the lack of libraries and took it upon himself to collect 5,000 books which he sent to Catalina. These books were used to stock the initial library and to provide collections which could be deposited in 11 neighbouring communities. Clouter also took the initiative in setting up a local library board, providing a building and appointing a librarian. The Joseph E. Clouter Public Library opened its doors in 1937, serving not only Catalina and Port Union, but also 11 smaller communities in the area. The following year the Catalina library received an operating grant of $200 plus $30 to cover the expenses of sending the local librarian to St. John's for training. This library, in a new location and building, is still in existence today and stands as more than a tribute to a native son, for it also provided the example of local initiative and volunteerism which marked the establishment of future libraries.

With Missionary Zeal

From 1938 to 1949, 24 libraries were established and two others, already in existence, has become a part of the service. Each of these libraries was founded as a response to local needs and was a result of local initiative. The libraries opened in unused stores, court rooms, parish falls, rental spaces, and empty rooms of houses. They were initially financed through bake and jumble sales, movie nights, donation jars in public spaces, letter campaigns to present and former residents and to businesses. Housewives, businessmen, labourers and fishermen were the driving force behind these libraries. It was never easy but, for those involved, it seemed to be something that had to be done. Years later Jessie Mifflen, a member of the library staff from 1950 to her retirement in 1972, and supervisor of regional libraries for many years, would remember these days in a story about one of her visits to an outport community. 

It was Mifflen's job to visit communities and discuss the possibility of establishing a local library. Public meetings were rare in most of these communities and were usually called by a clergyman or a politician, and almost never by a woman. At one such meeting an elderly man had dropped in to see what was happening. Being somewhat hard of hearing he had missed many of the points of Mifflen's talk. However, being a church going man, he had understood the passion with which the message was delivered. Wanting to know more about her and her mission he asked the most logical of questions, ``Be you a library missionary, Miss?"

Implementing the First Regional Library Plan

ln 1942 the plan to expand the public library system which had been on the books since 1938 was finally set into operation. Larger centres with libraries, designated as "regional," would provide books to schools in the area. Libraries in the smaller settlements were termed "branch" libraries. Branch libraries had their book stock supplemented from the closest regional library. Twenty five of the larger towns were selected, the scheme was approved by the Commission of Government and the Carnegie Corporation of New York granted the sum of $10,000 for the purchase of books.

In May 1943 the Grand Bank library opened in the Western Marine Insurance Building as a regional library. By November 1947, 50,000 books had circulated and the library's 1,000 borrowers literally cleaned out the shelves during the twenty hours a week that it was open. Twillingate, Bonavista, Pouch Cove, and Wesleyville also saw libraries open in their communities. Twillingate had a branch at Durrell and five deposit stations (small collections of books housed in non library locations), serving a population of approximately 4000 people in 15 communities. Twillingate's first librarian, Mabel Anstey, had returned home after working as a model in New York City. This model-librarian stayed only eight months. Was it the allure of brighter lights that called her away or maybe the fact that she could earn more than the $120 a year the library job paid? When someone in Wesleyville said that they were going to the bank for a book, it didn't even raise an eyebrow because the library was in a building formerly occupied by the Bank of Nova Scotia, but purchased by the library. The Wesleyville library would, in the mid 1990s, merge with the Badger's Quay library. This library, now the New-Wes-Valley library, is currently housed in the Lester Pearson High School. It is an excellent example of how libraries have managed to provide continuing service by responding to changing demographics and by forming valued partnerships.

Meeting the Growing Need for Libraries

One of the most difficult problems facing the boards of these regional and branch libraries was how to provide suitable premises. The Provincial Board attempted to meet this need with a Library Building Scheme under which regional boards would provide sites with half the cost of erecting and furnishing the buildings while the Provincial Board would provide plans, half the cost of the building and furnishings and the technical advice needed to build and run the library.  The annual operation of the library would be covered by a grant from the Provincial Board. The Harbour Grace library started out in a room in the Roman Catholic Hall which they were granted rent free by his Excellency Bishop O'Neill of Harbour Grace. Almost immediately, they began raising funds for the construction of a building to serve as library and war memorial. Most of the funds for the project were raised during the first three days of the Harbour Grace Fair in October 1947. The new library was constructed in 1951.

Likewise, Bay Roberts started modestly but soon began canvassing for funds to purchase a building which would be renovated to house the library with the Provincial Board paying 50 percent of the cost. Brigus opened in the Jubilee Club which had been purchased by the local board and renovated. 

The Post War Years, 1948-1956

In the post World War II years there were many reminders of Newfoundland's participation in that war both on the battlefield and on the home front. The war years were remembered, especially in St. John's, not only for the blackouts but also for the influx of service personnel from the British, Canadian, and American forces. Where there were libraries, such as the Gosling Memorial Library, thousands of uniformed personnel took advantage of the opportunity to become registered borrowers. One Canadian serviceman stationed in St. John's decided to study journalism and spent a good deal of his free time using the resources of the library. Before he could complete his studies, he was posted to Port-aux-Basques which didn't have a library. He explained the problem of his interrupted studies to the provincial director, Harold Newell, who arranged for the serviceman to choose some books which were placed in a box bound for Port-aux-Basques. This story was covered in the American magazine Library Journal where it was cited as a "fine gesture, worthy of high praise, [and] indicative of the manner in which the library is continually serving the people in the community [of servicemen]."

Where  libraries didn't exist for the military to use, the need was met my collections in temporary locations. Such was the case in Botwood where the Newfoundland government, in collaboration with the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company, and the British Ministry  of War Transport, constructed the Seaman's Institute as a place for merchant mariners to relax and enjoy, among other pastimes, reading. After the war, this building was purchased to be used as a public library.

Support for libraries which increased during the war years seemed to continue in post war years. Libraries founded during this period were often dedicated to the memory of those who had lost their lives in the first and/or second world war; such was the case in Grand Bank, Harbour Grace, Clarenville and Greenspond. 

The First Five-Year Plan

The provincial board's first Five Year Plan in 1947 envisioned a broad scheme of a complete library service for the whole country. However, this would not happen in the first plan, or for years to come. When Hedley King, the first supervisor of regional libraries, resigned in 1949, development suffered a set-back. King had been supervisor since 1942 and had been the moving force in laying the foundation for the regional system and guiding it through its formative years. Jessie Mifflen was appointed to replace King in June 1950, but she did not assume the position until June 1951 after graduating from library school. One of the most significant events of Mifflen's first few years was the inauguration, in 1952-53, of a service for schools within a fifty mile radius of St. John's. Future years would see the public library withdraw from schools; and later still, return again to form school/public libraries which still exist today in 32 locations.

In 1950 director Newell knew better than anyone the frustration of not being able to provide the library service envisioned by the provincial board; but he was confident that a firm foundation had been laid for a reasonably adequate library service for the whole province.

The Library Comes of Age, 1957

In 1957 the public library celebrated its 22nd birthday - it had come of age. In addition to the Gosling Memorial Library which still served as the headquarters for the provincial system, there were 25 regional/local libraries, 19 associated libraries (assumed to be volunteer libraries supported in some way by the provincial system), and 150 deposit stations (locations housing small book collections). More than half of the staff in the regional and branch libraries had received library training, all had access to professional advice and many had visited by a supervising librarian. The year 1957 would also mark the opening of the fiftieth library outside of St. John's at tilt Cove. Unfortunately this library had a short life span closing about 5 years later following the closure of the mining operation and the subsequent departure of the majority of the population.

Through the combined services of the libraries and deposit stations, 400 towns and villages were receiving library services in one form or another. The book collection had grown from fewer than 20,000 volumes, with a borrowing rate of about 53,000 a year in 1936 to a book stock of over 230,000 and a borrowing rate of 500,000 annually in 1957.

In an article for the popular Family Herald and Weekly Star Anthony Green Ayre wrote about how important the Gosling Memorial Library and the Travelling Library were to the agricultural community. The "well used look" of the books in the agricultural section of the Gosling Memorial Library was an encouraging signal that Newfoundland farmers were actively educating themselves. The Travelling Library was of particular value to employees of the Demonstration Farm as well as students who were taking the farming courses.

The next few years would see much change within the system, Newell, who had guided the library service since its inception, announced his retirement plan in 1958. He was replaced by Eric Moon who was appointed Director of Public Library Services. Moon was not destined to stay in this position long, but his brief stay was filled with the vision of streamlined and modernized system. He recommended greatly increased grants, a centralized cataloguing service, a separate regional library headquarters, mobile library service, greater co-operation between the public and university libraries, and a provincial reference service. When Moon left the position in 1959, the vision remained and many of his recommendations did, eventually, come to fruition. Moon was here long enough to see Stephenville open its library in the small building from which it would serve the community until 1971 when it moved to the Kindale Building. 

The Library Expands Beyond Books

Moon was replaced by Michael Donovan who remained as director until his death in 1966. It was during Donovan's tenure that the library system expanded to include a film service. With the co-operation of the St. John's Film Council, the National Film Board, and the provincial Department of Education, the collection was housed in St. John's, but served outside the city. Although these films were primarily intended for use by teachers, the collection was also used for public entertainment in communities. Travelling projectionists would set up their equipment in schools, churches, or other public places and families would come to watch films as diverse as the locally produced Silent Menace, about tuberculosis, or a film on agriculture, or one of Lee Wulff's films about Newfoundland, and, on the lighter side, cartoons and sing-alongs.

Michael Donovan's years as provincial librarian were plagued by a lack of funds which not only prevented any major growth, but barely allowed the system to hold its own. The budget for 1961-62 was $177,500, which was more than $100,000 less than the estimates submitted to the Government by the provincial board. Even in the face of these budgetary problems, the desire for libraries was still to be found at the grass root. On the island portion of the province some people had the courage to look to the future and the 1960s saw libraries opened in communities including, Bell Island, Marystown, Baie Verte, Harbour Breton and Glovertown. Labrador, where the only access to service was through the Travelling Library, got its first library when the Happy Valley Library opened in 1957.

The second Labrador library opened in Labrador City in 1962 thanks to the initiative of the Carol Ladies Community Club. The 30-40 members of the club met once a month to listen to a guest lecturer, work on arts and crafts projects and, because there was neither a library nor a book store in town, to exchange books and magazines. The book exchange was so popular that the Club members decided to start a library and applied to the provincial board. The library's first quarters were two small rooms in the Town Hall. They managed to stock the library through donations from residents and service clubs. The library grew with the addition of sections for children's materials and French language books. In these early days, Labrador City was a pioneer town with a great number of single men and married men whose families had not yet come to the town. Recognizing this as a special user group, the library launched a paperback exchange. The men could carry these books in their lunchboxes -easier than carrying a hardback book and not a problem if some mustard got spilled on the cover. Apparently some of the books were of a risque nature and kept under the counter. But, the men were never too shy to ask for the "bad books."

A third Labrador library opened in Wabush in 1964 and a fourth opened in Churchill Falls in 1969. The Wabush and Churchill libraries received substantial financial assistance from the companies operating in the towns. As the Labrador City library grew, it also received financial assistance from the Iron Ore Company of Canada and the town. Over the years the amount of funding provided by companies, in support of public libraries, has diminished and in most cases disappeared. This has been detrimental to library services and operations in some cases but the efforts of these companies to establish and support libraries during their developmental years should be commended. Without the initiative and support of the major companies it is likely that some of these libraries would never have been established.

Expansion of St. John's Public Libraries

For years the provincial board had petitioned the St. John's city council, unsuccessfully, to provide financial support consistent with what other similar sized municipalities extended to their libraries. In 1965, the St. John's branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women took up the cause of city library users and presented a brief to council outlining the need for the extension of library services. Council responded positively and provided an initial grant of $24,000 to the provincial board to establish two children's libraries and to buy books for them. Council also pledged the sum of $20,000 annually for the operation of these libraries, each of which would have 3,000 books suitable for children up to grade nine. The branches, now known as the Marjorie Mews Library and the Michael Donovan Library, opened in 1966 and continue to operate today serving children, adults and seniors but city support for these libraries over the years has been inconsistent.

The Centennial - A Year of Celebration for Public Libraries

The year 1966 was a year of planning for the future, a year of aggressive lobbying by the provincial board and a year of hope. The country was preparing for a 12 month celebration of its centennial in 1967 and the federal government was accepting proposals for projects which would enhance the lives of all Canadians. Canada's centennial came at just the right time for promoters of educational, social, and cultural causes. The change in the social environment, along with government grants, benefited organizations, such as public libraries, which served all people.

Seizing the moment, the provincial board dreamed large in its April 1966 brief to the province's Royal Commission on Education and Youth. Recommendations in the brief included dividing the province into six regions: the Avalon Peninsula, the West and Northwest Coast, Central Newfoundland, the South Coast, the Northeast Coast, and Labrador. It recommended that each region be served by a central library with a mobile library service to reach communities which were not large enough to have a library facility. Included in the recommendations were: an increase in the grant to $2 per capita from 50¢ in order to bring the grant up to suggested national standards; special funding to increase the materials stock and; an increase in the number of professional librarians to oversee the operation of the service. While some of these recommendations would be implemented soon after, it would take most of the 1970s before the majority of the recommendations were addressed.

During the year leading up to Canada's centennial, it was announced that 19 libraries had been approved as part of centennial projects. Fifteen of these would be new to the system with the other four being new buildings for existing libraries. While other libraries had existed in Gander over the years, operated by the PICAF and by the provincial board, a new Gander Public Library was the first to open under the centennial scheme in 1967.

Another of the libraries was to be housed in the new arts and culture centre being built in St. John's. The public area of the facility, where the city library and the provincial reference service would be located, was capable of holding 100,000 books. This library was later named the A.C. Hunter Library in honour of the provincial board's first chairperson. The centre would also house, until July 2001, the provincial headquarters which included provincial offices of Regional Services, Finance, Human Resources, Technical Services and later Information Technology.

The provincial board's annual report for 1967/68 proclaims the year to have been one of great expansion with the opening of eight libraries, the largest number ever in one single year, including: Badger's Quay, Bishop's
Falls, Cape St. George, Change Islands, Cormack, Daniel's Harbour, La Scie, and St. George's - and the Corner Brook library relocated to the newly constructed Sir Richard Squires Building. The establishment of the first library in St. George's was a significant accomplishment for the community and an example of the importance placed on library services. Its continued existence, however, is a tribute to the tenacity of the volunteers who served on the successive library boards and kept the library operating under difficult circumstances. In 1944, St George's set up a library in a small area of the courtroom; however, with no one to oversee the library it didn't last long. Their next attempt, in 1946, saw the collection housed in the old convent. By 1948 the town was confident that its library was there to stay and they applied for, and received a charter from the provincial board, but their moving days were not yet over. The next move was to a house across from the convent.

When the house deteriorated to such a state as to make it unusable, they moved to the old parish hall, then to Dunn's store. The store building was sold in 1961 forcing a move, this time to the home of Margaret Power. The books were only to be stored there, but Ms. Power made her living room available as a reading room. Needless to say, this constant moving was unsettling -and tiring -and a permanent home needed to be found for the St. George's library. After moving twice more, the library ended its nomadic existence when it set down roots in the town office/library complex which had been financed through a Centennial grant. It still operates today from this same location.

Seven other buildings were completed, but could not be opened as there were no funds to stock them. While the opening of these libraries was funded federally or locally, it fell upon the provincial board to assume the responsibility for operating them. Unfortunately, the provincial board didn't have sufficient funds to stock these libraries never mind operate them. In fact, the library system was so far below the standards set by the Canadian Library Association that it would need another 50,000 books just to meet the minimum standard of two books per capita. At this point, there were 54 libraries in the province, yet only about half of the province's population had access to libraries. With a significant increase in the government grant, resulting in a rise in the stock of library materials, hope for the future carried libraries into the 1970's.

Living with Success

The first region was not established until 1970; but, the first mobile library took to the roads in October 1968 with service to St. John's East, the Southern Shore, and Conception Bay South. Stocked with 2,000 books, plus magazines, this library on wheels served 36 communities within a radius of 72 kilometres (45 miles) of St. John's. It was such a success that over 9,000 books were circulated in its first three week stint. In 1970, a second mobile service was implemented on the west coast thanks to the generous donation of $5,000 by the Corner Brook Rotary Club.

The Western Star paid tribute to Nina Fosnaes, the mobile librarian, and driver William Pardy, whose normal day saw them starting out at 8:30 a.m. on their bumpy ride over unpaved roads. The reporter could only wonder at how Pardy managed to "manoeuvre the 36 foot bus around impossible looking corners and scale inclines that would make a sure-tooted goat whine." But manage he did, and the service was successful enough to warrant an additional mobile unit which operated out of Port-aux-Basques. Mobile service would be expanded to other areas of the province, including a special stop at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's. No degree of warm reception by the communities which it served could overcome the obstacles that the service had to face - the vagaries of Newfoundland winters, or worse still spring with hubcap deep mud roads, and operating mobile units which were not designed for the stress of long hauls on unpaved roads. The service continued, in some form or another, until March 1983.

The Booming 1970s

The 1960s had been a time of mixed messages for the people who supported libraries. One message was that libraries were important enough to be built. The other message was that they were not an essential service when it came to maintenance. Capital funding, a onetime gesture, had been widely available while operating funding did not always keep pace. The year 1970, however, ushered in an era of optimism and growth.

Just before Centennial year the province had experienced the celebration of an event which would forever change how people, and their institutions, interacted. In 1965 the slogan, "Finish the drive in `65" was on the lips of Newfoundlanders who were looking forward to the completion of the 905 kilometre (689 miles) stretch of the Trans Canada Highway (TCH) linking Port-aux- Basques to St. John's and ending dependence on coastal steamers. Although not on the TCH, the library on Fogo Island is an interesting example of how changes in transportation can affect library service.

Fogo Island is reasonably small -34 kilometres (21 miles) long and 23 kilometres (14.5 miles) wide. However, before the introduction of vehicles to the island, travel from community to community was limited to foot, punt, or horse and each community was quite self-contained. Fogo Island has had a public library since the 1930s. Situated in Fogo, it was a great asset to that town, but not of much use to the rest of the island. An extension of the library was offered through sending boxes of books to other towns. These boxes were carried, often on horseback, by people who were travelling to one of the towns on the island. This system was eliminated when vehicles came to the island and people were more apt to go to Fogo and visit the library in person. In 1972 the library was relocated to the new high school in the centre of the Island and became the Fogo Island Public Library.

In areas where the TCH connected communities, people were better able to access an existing library near their home. However, this still left a large portion of the province without easy access to a library building. The Books by Mail program was inaugurated in 1975 to address some of the problems created by the province's geography. It was designed to bring library services to communities in the province that could only be reached by coastal boat and other small rural areas. Catalogues, not unlike the familiar Sears catalogue, describing about 1,000 books were distributed to households in 100 communities in central Newfoundland, Labrador, and the Northern Peninsula. The library patron filled out a card, sent it to the service headquarters in Grand Falls, received the book by mail along with a return envelope - all postage free. In its first three months, 8,133 requests were received. When the regional libraries for these areas came on stream and the movement of library materials improved, the service changed, but it continued to be offered to persons who lived more than 24 kilometres (15 miles) from a public library. This services still exists today. 

The first regional library was set up in Corner Brook in 1970 to serve the Western part of the island. Before this time, the so-called regional libraries had really been independent libraries with no means of exchanging books between them and virtually no supervision as there was only one person to supervise all of the libraries outside of St. John's. A proper regional system would change this and greatly enhance service. The Western Region served the West Coast from Bonne Bay to Rose Blanche with a population of between 85,000 and 95,000, and the largest concentration in Corner Brook. There were eight libraries already established with plans for two more. The second regional library headquarters, Central Region, with 18 libraries, was opened in Grand Falls in 1971. It covered the areas of Bay d'Espoir, Notre Dame Bay and White Bay. The regions of Gander (headquarters in Gander), and Avalon, (headquarters in St. John's), were established in 1978 and 1979 respectively. The rest of the province continued to be supervised by a regional supervisor in St. John's until the establishment of Bonavista-Burin region in 1981 and the Labrador-Northern Region in 1985.

Other recommendations made in the 1966 brief to the province's Royal Commission on Education and Youth, were also implemented in the 1970s. There were 10 professional librarians on staff rather than just three and most local librarians were now earning minimum wage. In 1970-71, the budget was increased to $610,000, approximately double what it had been in 1965-66. By 1971-72, the provincial grant was $1,063,000 or $2 per capita. The book budget, now increased by 25 percent, helped further enhance service to the existing 71 libraries -17 more than in 1966. Funding from groups such as Kinsmen Clubs and federal government programs, such as the Opportunities for Youth (OFY), also fueled the library fires.

Unfortunately, not everything was rosy during the 70s. The end of some federal-provincial programs, the resettlement of some 250 communities and the relocation of over 27,000 people had an impact on library services. Bar Haven, Placentia Bay was one community whose library was impacted by these changes. The year 1966 was Newfoundland's Come Home Year; it was also a year that saw the people of Placentia Bay leave the little coves and inlets to resettle in larger growth centres. When the people of Bar Haven moved their houses to Southern Harbour, they also took with them the small structure which had served as their public library. The relocated building would continue to serve as their public library until it was closed in 1972, at which time the library was relocated to the school. At least six libraries closed during these years, not because of a lack of interest on behalf of the people but because the library operations were no longer viable once community resettlement occurred.

The 1970s would bring personnel changes to the system as well. Colin Clarke, who had taken over as director in 1968, managed to enjoy the expansion of the library service, but stayed only until November 1971. Pearce Penney, who would guide the service for the next 22 years, followed Clarke in June 1972. That same year, Jessie Mifflen, who has been called the mater familias of the Newfoundland and Labrador public library system, retired after 26 years, just before the completion of a plan which had been the objective of every provincial board since 1936 -regionalization of the service.

Belt Tightening in the 1980s

The growth pattern of the 1970s continued in the first few years of the 1980s. Increases in the operating and capital budgets allowed the library system to implement plans for the Burin-Bonavista region in 1981, the Labrador and Northern region in 1985, and to hold its own in other areas of service which now included 104 libraries. With the implementation of these regions, the era of the grey boxes officially ended. The first years of the decade also witnessed province wide changes in providing reference or information service.

ln addition to the materials - books, recordings, and videos - which one can take home from a library, there are also resources which remain in the library so that they are readily accessible to all users. These resources, the reference materials, constitute an important part of the library's mandate to provide access to information. They are used by students completing research projects, people doing genealogy research and by young people, adults and seniors who are attempting to increase their knowledge. The reference collection also includes the core of materials about Newfoundland and Labrador, requests for which come from the province, other provinces and territories or anywhere around the world.

The reference collection has existed since the beginning of the public library system in 1936; however, until 1959, it was a part of the St. John's library. This status did not prevent staff from responding to requests from outside the city and the importance of the service was finally recognized in 1959 when it became, the Provincial Reference Library. In the early 1980s, a survey of the reference library generated several recommendations to improve service to people of the province. As much as possible these recommendations were implemented.

In November 1982, a budget already tightly stretched by the demands of rapid expansion was further stressed when the government, itself hard pressed by adverse economic times, asked government agencies to make further spending cuts. In the library this meant cutbacks in hours of service, significant reduction in the purchase of books and periodicals and band aid treatments for leaking roofs and failing furnaces. Attempts to increase salaries for staff in local libraries and plans for automating various operations, including cataloguing and circulation, also had to be put on hold.

During this decade the public library system observed its 50th anniversary - its golden anniversary. In recognition of the formation of the committee which oversaw the birth of the service, the provincial board chose to celebrate during 1984-85. In reflection, the people of the province could look back on 50 years of continuing efforts to provide them with public library services. Starting virtually from scratch, there were now 106 libraries, an operating budget of $4,100,000, a materials stock of 953,492 items, circulation of 2,054,385, and 98,232 registered borrowers.

Anni Horribles - 1990s

By 1990, all of Canada was feeling pressure from the persistent inflation of the 1970s and 1980s which had pushed the consumer price index (Cpl) to a level nearly four times as high as in 1970. The economic situation was desperate for most libraries across Canada. Words such as "restraint" and "layoff" were on the tip of every tongue in Canada. Libraries across the country which had been operating at a trimmed-to-the-bone level for years now found themselves digging into the bone. ln Newfoundland and Labrador, it wasn't just the libraries which were feeling the pinch.

All provincial departments were finding themselves facing economic difficulties which, in some instances, were worsened by debts which had been accumulated over the years. The public library system found itself in this unfortunate situation. It had an accumulated debt of $800,000 which it tried to address through various cost cutting measures. The provincial board decided to address the problem as equitably as possible by closing the entire library system, libraries and support services, for two weeks during the year. The weeks, one in September and one in December 1992, were chosen to have the least impact on users while saving the required money and still drawing public attention to the issue. The public outcry protesting these closings prompted the government to call for a review of public library operations with Philip Saunders, retired vice president of Roynat, as chairman of the appointed commission.

The debt was eventually absorbed by government, and the report which followed the completion of the review included a number of recommendations to ensure a similar situation would not occur again. The review came at a time when Pearce Penney was retiring as director and, in April 1993, he was temporarily replaced by Donna Brewer, a civil servant from Treasury Board, who Stayed until August 1993. In September of that year, David Gale became the executive director of the provincial public library system. Gale set overcoming rural isolation as a major goal, stating that the aim of the provincial board was to "equip these libraries in such a manner that, if you're in Twillingate or Fogo or St. Anthony, you've got access to pretty much as wide a range of information as in St. John's, or for that matter, Halifax or Toronto." He left in 1997 to accept a position with government and Judy (Escott) Anderson filled the position in an acting capacity until 2000 when David Norman was hired.

In the 1990s there were a number of cost cutting measures implemented by the provincial board in an attempt to reduce operations by approximately $500,000, the public libraries share of the funding cuts across government. These measijres included the reorganization of the regions and departments by merging the Provincial Reference and Resource Library with the City of St. John's libraries to form trie Provincial Resource Division. The regions were similarly reconfigured with the resLilt that the six regions became three, not including St. John's. In an effort to preserve service to their communities, while reducing the costs of operation, some communities would merge their libraries: Grand Falls/Windsor; Freshwater/Placentia, Badger's Quay/Wesleyville, Dover/Hare Bay, Port au Port West/Port au Port East, Upper Island Cove/Spaniard's Bay/Bay Roberts. As a result of additional budget reductions, the Gosling and the Goulds' branches closed their doors on June 21, 1996. In a number of communities the libraries moved into schools to form public/school libraries as another cost saving initiative. The 1990's, in general, was not a positive time for public libraries.

Period of Restraint still has some Bright Spots

As had happened so often in the past, the fiscal restraint was met by a reduction of hours in some libraries, a freeze on staff hiring and repairs to buildings, and a decrease in the purchase of library materials. Within these constraints, the libraries of the province continued to provide as much service as was possible using traditional ways and by initiating new methods and partnerships. Provincial (government and board) funding of $300,000 was available which allowed libraries to introduce computerization. The Community Access Program (CAP), a program of the federal government's lndustry Canada, provided funding to electronically link all rural Canadian communities. It was used to introduce computers in some 26 libraries at the cost of $800,000. Local library boards assisted in expanding the computerization process with local fund-raising. Conception Bay South raised $16,000, Clarenville, $12,000, Corner Brook, $30,000, Mount Pearl, $30,000, to name a few. The results were impressive and indicative of how much grass roots support there was for libraries.

In an effort to develop greater computer access, the provincial board applied for money under the Gates Library Initiative in 1998. Later that year, the provincial board received $1 million from the initiative which it used to provide funding for 90 internet workstations in 67 libraries. This funding, and ongoing initiatives of the provincial government, recognized the important role that public libraries play in people's education and recreation. The libraries were seen as a destination where people could go to acquire knowledge and to search for jobs in the growing information economy using the newly acquired computer technology.

The impact of the 1996-97 budget reduction was still being felt years later. The number of branches decreased from 106 to 96. The number of unionized staff had been reduced and professional positions had been left unfilled. As stressful as these facts were, they were minor compared with the state of the materials collection. Over the years, not just in the 1990s, the library collection had suffered from insufficient funding and had reached a point where many long-time patrons were no longer frequenting the library. In 2000 the provincial government made an effort to address this situation when it gave the provincial board $1 million for book purchases. This funding, which was permanently added to the board's base budget in 2002, resulted in a badly needed infusion of library materials into a system whose collection could be characterized, at best, as dated.

A New Century - A New Beginning

Soon after the appointment of David Norman to the position of executive director in 2000, the provincial board received notice that the organization would be part of a government regionalization initiative. Norman chose not to relocate and accepted a position with government but not before preparing the organization for relocation of its headquarters to Stephenville. Shawn Tetford was hired as Norman's replacement and tasked with overseeing the relocation. He and the other members of the new team would help prepare public libraries for the first decade of the new century and beyond.

The relocation of the library headquarters presented both challenges and opportunities for the organization. Unfortunately, some headquarters' staff members were unable to relocate causing a substantial turnover in personnel. The replacement employees, building on the foundation laid by their predecessors, have been instrumental in moving the organization in a positive direction. Since moving to Stephenville, the public library system has enjoyed a welcome period of stability. A minimal change of personnel in management positions, coupled with the support of the provincial board and the government's willingness to maximize the potential of the public library system, have positioned the organization well as it prepares for the future.

One of the first tasks of the new administration was to establish strategic and operational plans. These plans, the first for the organization, were in line with government's new direction and addressed issues of communication, information technology infrastructure, automation, public relations and hours of operation. Recent initiatives undertaken by the organization included: significant facility and equipment upgrades; a new library for Comer Brook; additional hours for libraries; expanded library materials, including electronic resources; implementation of a new library management system; increased automation of library sites; a new early literacy program; introduction of staff and board training programs; an operational review of St. John's libraries; a new library card, logo and promotional materials; implementation of a public relations program, and more.

These initiatives were largely made possible by additional funding from the provincial and federal governments, supportive partners, implementation of cost saving measures within the organization, and the dedicated efforts of existing staff. The result is a system with new life and hope. While there is still room for improvement, the organization has a solid foundation on which to build and a plan for the future. From its inception in 1936, the public library system of Newfoundland and Labrador has grown to a position where in 2009-2010: the annual budget was close to $12,000,000; 436,557 people (86 per cent of the population) had access to public library services; 107,950 individuals (82,291 adults and 25,659 children) were registered library users; there were in excess of 1.3 million items in the collection; 1,596,279 items (library materials) were borrowed; there were 360 full and part time permanent, temporary and casual staff ; and there were approximately 800 volunteer library board members in 96 libraries throughout the province.

The Many Services Provided - And Needs Met

Over the years the provincial public libraries have been many things to many different people. At all times they have been a source of educational and recreational reading. The years have seen changes in how people learn as well as how they spend their leisure time. Where once library users were satisfied with books, magazines, and newspapers, they now expect greater variety in the offerings of a library and the libraries have changed to meet these demands. Film offered first as travelling collections complete with projectionists, was replaced by video tape, and now DVDs offer the visual experience. Music, offered first on vinyl, evolved to cassette and then to CD format, for those who choose an audio experience. Adaptive technology is available in some libraries to assist patrons with mobility, hearing and visual impairments. Computers, and instruction on how to use them, are now available at all libraries throughout the province. More of the library resources, including the catalogue, are available electronically from home through the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries website at http://www.nlpl.ca/.

Library users are no longer restricted to simply borrowing a book or doing research. Libraries are now meeting places for knitting groups, reading clubs, story times, teddy bear picnics, origami lessons, open mike sessions for young musicians, songwriters, and poets, and so many other groups. They are moving beyond content and try, when possible, to provide an experience.