Featured Organization – Bibliothèque Allard Regional Library – Issue #148

For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features Bibliothèque Allard Regional Library in the small community of St. Georges, located within Rural Municipality of Alexander. This eye-catching facility provides public access to library resources, programs and services that enhance personal knowledge, joy of reading, and quality of life.

The library, first known as Local Government District (LGD) of Alexander Library, opened its doors on May 3, 1983, after citizens went door-to-door collecting signatures on a petition to establish a local library. After a naming contest in 1985, the library became known as Library Allard, named for Joachim Allard.

Many changes in partnerships and location have occurred over its 41-year history. Today, it is one of 54 public library systems in Manitoba, serving citizens in the Rural Municipality of Alexander, the Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach and the Town of Powerview-Pine Falls. The library has two branches – one in St. Georges and one in Victoria Beach.

“The library is always expanding the programs and services it offers to community members and often we do this by seeking partnerships that help us move in new directions,” said Shelley Penziwol, head librarian.

This year the library launched a museum passbook program with Winnipeg River Heritage Museum, where participants borrow a passbook from the library and get free entry to the museum. In return, participants write (or draw) something about their museum visit in the passbook before returning it to the library for the next person to borrow.

The library has partnered with Manitoba Lung Association on two different “citizen science” programs. It lends radon detectors to measure radon levels in indoor air, and recently installed an air quality monitor to measure real-time particulate matter in outdoor air.

The three partner municipalities provide operating funding, as does the Manitoba government. In addition, the library generates revenue from fundraising and applies for various grants to fund special projects.

“We’re about to start on a Manitoba Accessibility Fund project that will expand our large print collections at both branches, making our physical collections accessible to more members,” said Penziwol. “It’s satisfying to embark on new projects that benefit our communities.”

The library is governed by a six-member board, with one council member and one citizen representative from each municipal partner. It has six part-time employees for both branches, including head librarian Shelley Penziwol, assistant librarian Jennifer Kemball and library clerks Kylie Fontaine, Valerie Townsend, Cindy Hoover and Victoria Peterson.

As a WRAC member, the library strives to support and promote local arts and culture initiatives.

“This runs the gamut from offering space to hold events, bringing in artists and authors to talk about their work, and offering workshops where participants can engage in fun and creative activities,” added Penziwol.

The library is open to everyone. Visitors are welcome to participate in programs, use the services (such as Wi-Fi printing from mobile devices) or simply spend time enjoying the space. Membership is required to borrow physical materials and access e-books, audiobooks and streaming videos from online platforms. Free memberships are available to permanent and seasonal residents from partner municipalities, and non-residents can purchase a membership for a low annual fee.