Library Expansion Updates

Community Hub and Library a Remarkable Achievement

An excited, standing-room-only, crowd attended the grand opening of the new Annapolis Royal Community Hub on Friday morning February 15^th. Town Crier Peter Davies opened the ceremony with a bellowing cry specially crafted for the occasion. Dignitaries on hand included, MP Colin Fraser, Annapolis County Warden Timothy Habinski, Annapolis Mayor Bill McDonald, AVRL CEO Ann-Marie Mathieu, President of the new Annapolis Innovation Lab Gary Walsh, Retiring FOL President Linda Moffatt, and newly minted FOL President Lillian Stewart. Every speaker expressed wonder, delight and great pleasure at seeing this amazing new community centre for the whole town and county. The mentors and members of the Royal Robots group received an especially warm ovation for their remarkable success in international robotics competitions over the last few years.  The new innovation Lab will give them even more scope for their future endeavors.  Ann-Marie Mathieu received loud applause when she declared that the AVRL considers the new Annapolis Library “the flagship” of their system!!!  Linda Moffatt thanked all those who had contributed to the success of this whole project, particularly the many generous donors and volunteers who had stepped forward to help out. Lillian Stewart presented Linda with a bouquet as a small token of appreciation for her years of tireless dedication in seeing this project to fruition. At the conclusion of the formal program, Lillian also invited Linda to unveil the new donor recognition installation located in the common area of the facility. This imaginative structure features a bookcase with faux books bearing the names of donors on their spines, as well as a real book containing the names of all donors in calligraphy. The lower half of the unit is in the form of a small cupboard. Opening it's doors reveals the interior of a two level "mouse library" mimicking all the features of the real library…….. including mouse patrons and mouse staff. Amazingly, on the tiny wall hangs a micro reproduction of Wayne Boucher’s dramatic painting that brightens the common area. The whole magical structure was the joint creation of master carpenter Adrian Nette and papier  maché artist Rion Microys. It is truly a work of art that has to be seen to be believed.  Check it out next time you return a book!

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Grand Opening on February 15th

The Friends of the Library are pleased to forward to our members an invitation from Mayor Bill MacDonald to attend the GRAND OPENING of the Community Hub on Friday, February 15th at 11:00 a.m.! This highly anticipated event is sure to be an exciting celebration. The Grand Opening is open to the public, but the Town of Annapolis Royal have asked that you be specially invited as the new library is an important part of the Community Hub and your support for the library is much appreciated. Please note that an RSVP by Feb. 12 is requested, as refreshments will be served. As you can see on the attached invitation you can RSVP by calling 902 532-3145 or emailing phmc@annapolisroyal.com.

Hope to see you at the new library in the Community Hub - 143 Ritchie Street - on Friday the 15th!

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It was Party Time at the Annapolis Royal Library!

Over 40 people crowded into the small space in the current Annapolis Royal Library on Saturday, August 12 for a celebration. Eight years ago the Friends of the Annapolis Royal Library became concerned that the community had outgrown the space, and started campaigning for a larger library.  http://arlibraryfriends.org On Saturday, Linda Moffat, president of the Friends group, announced the receipt of a $30,000 grant from the provincial department of Communities, Culture, and Heritage for the proposed new library. This grant along with a large private donation, will be used to create a quiet reading room in the new Annapolis Royal library. The reading room, which will be called the Annapolis Room, will feature local history and natural history and will house the library’s non-fiction collection. There will be space for research and study, comfortable seating, and a public computer station in the room linked to a scanner/printer in the main library. The Town of Annapolis Royal and the AVRL have been working together with the Friends of the Library group for the past year on plans for a new, much enlarged, library on the ground floor of the west wing of the former Annapolis Royal Regional Academy. This grant from the Province is one more step along the road to a new Library for the Annapolis Royal area.

Derek Hawkins, treasurer of the Friends group, reported that the Friends of the Library have raised $183,000 so far for the new library project. Two large private donations, plus $40,000 from the County of Annapolis and now this grant of $30,000 donation from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage have brought them to within $30,000 of their total fund raising goal of $215,000 by the end of 2017. Hawkins remarked that the key word is “join us” in giving, and he made a plea to the many project donors and library supporter present, to “talk about the new library project with everyone you know, ask them to join you in supporting the new library”.  Donations can be made at the library branch, online, by contacting the Friends of the Library. http://arlibraryfriends.org/

In addition to the Annapolis Room, the new library plan contains two important ‘programming rooms’.  A large donation from the Nicholson family will be partially applied to developing a ‘Maker Space’ adjacent to the library. The Maker Space will expand the whole community’s capacity to explore and innovate using modern technologies, many of which are computer based. The Annapolis Royal Library Maker Space ‘lab’, a first for western Nova Scotia,  is currently being designed by a community group of technologists and ‘makers’, headed by Gary Walsh, a local resident who heads a high school Robots program for the region for the Department of Computer Science at Acadia. The Maker Space is intended to be a well equipped workshop at the Library for use by the whole community for undertaking arts and science based projects ranging from quilting and knitting to music recording and robot construction.

A model of the layout of the new library was a center of interest at the party. Angela Reynolds from the AVRL and members of the joint Town/AVRL/Friends working group were available to answer questions. A general meeting/program room will be adjacent to the Maker Space; something that the library has needed for many years. In addition there will be an auditorium located in the former ARRA Band Room for use by the town, the library or other community groups,  plus a large ‘Commons’ public area adjacent to the library where people can meet and chat. The new library will be a modern, bright, spacious library, with a Maker Space, Program room, and a quiet reading room. There are plans for an inviting children’s area and a dedicated teen space, as well as plenty of comfortable seating for seniors and mobility impaired library patrons.  The current proposal, pending final funding being in place, is to begin renovations in mid-October so that the Library can be moved to its new location by the early Spring of 2018.

Time for a "Grow Our Library" Party!!

Saturday, August 12 at 2:00
at the "Old" Library 

Help us Celebrate 
another  major grant
we have received
for the new Library.

Come out for balloons,
cake and lemonade,
Bring a friend or two, and

Support your Library!!

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Academy Library Day was a great success!!!!!!

 Thank you to the many volunteers and helpers...... and thank you to all of the Friends of the Annapolis Royal Library and donors to the new library project who came out yesterday to participate and support Academy Library Day.

We particularly want to thank the County Council and Councillor Alex Morrison who presented the Friends of the Library  with a 'cheque' representing the $40,000 grant which  the County of Annapolis pledged to our Library Expansion Fund.  This generous grant plus the many donations and pledges we received yesterday, and over the past five months, brings our Library Expansion fund to $150,000, two-thirds of the way to our total campaign goal of $225,000, to help the Town renovate, furnish and equip a new library in the Academy.

Yesterday's events raised over $8000 towards our final goal, including over $500 from the efforts of the AWEC Social Issues Club and their Read-a-thon for the Library. Many thanks to Alex and Abigail for organizing this.

We also want to thank some Library Friends ...
Millie, Madeline, Jane, Joan, Pat , Burton, Lillian, Ern, Michele and, of course, Dorothy our librarian.

some generous authors/illustrators/poets and presenters
Barry Moodie, Louise Williams, Laura Best, Donna Raxlen and Brenda Dunn

Thank you all.

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A Slide Presentation about the New Library

Presentation to Annapolis Board of Trade May 2017 (Power Point Version)
Presentation to Annapolis Board of Trade May 2017 (PDF version)

Some Frequently Asked Questions about the Annapolis Royal Library.

Find all the answers at: Frequently Asked Questions About the Annapolis Royal Library
and view the proposed library plan at: Proposed Plans for the New Library

Please support our fundraising campaign with a donation or pledge!!!

All donations will be acknowledged and appropriately recognized in the new library space, unless use specifically request to remain anonymous. If you would like make a donation specifically for a particular area of the new library - you can  do it! You could direct your donation to more holdings, toys, artwork, comfortable seating, etc. We will do our best to see that your wishes are met.

Donate online now with the secure CanadaHelps Website

Or donate/pledge by mail
Donation/Pledge Card MS Word         Donation/Pledge Card PDF    

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Library move to Academy – design approved!!!!

Great News!!!!! The Friends of the Library are happy to announce, in cooperation with Town of Annapolis Royal and the Annapolis Valley Regional Library, that we have all happily settled on a new library design concept within the Academy – ARRA building and our public fundraising campaign will be starting soon. Move in date would likely be early 2018! Stay tuned on this page for more events and news.

Grow Our Library

The redevelopment of the former Annapolis Royal Regional Academy (ARRA) into The Academy Project is now going ahead. As a result, planning is now underway for the relocation of the Annapolis Royal library into the new Academy Development. The Town of Annapolis Royal is busy working with the Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) to finalize the arrangements for the move and accompanying renovations. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Library are busy with grant writing, approaching sponsors and general fundraising so that we can ensure that we will move into a large, bright, comfortable, beautiful and modern space. Many grants require matching community support, so we are reaching out to members of the community to make a pledge of support for this exciting project. Please visit the Grow Our Library page for details on how you can help.

Fund Raising Sub Committee:

If you would like to volunteer your experience and energy to our fund raising campaign for the Library expansion, please contact Jon Percy at seapencom@gmail.com .  

Library Expansion Update:

The Valley Regional Library  (AVRL) system has agreed in principle to moving the Library to the Annapolis Royal Regional Academy (ARRA) when it is developed and is discussing with the Annapolis Royal Town Council what space and renovations would be required to locate the town’s library in the proposed new development. We hope that a development agreement for the Academy is announced soon, at which point the Friends group will begin to raise funds from people in the community and government bodies to pay for the necessary renovations and the installation of a much enlarged Library in the lower north end of the Academy, under the gymnasium. If, for some reason, the ARRA Development Project does not proceed the Friends will begin moving ahead with the original plan to expand the existing library facilities in the Annapolis Royal Town Hall.

The “Design your Library” open house  

at the Academy on Saturday morning (April 30th)was a busy and successful event as Library patrons and “Friends” came out to look at the proposed space and to share ideas for turning the cafeteria and music rooms of the old Academy into a beautiful and much enlarged public Library.

Many thanks to Jon Percy, Lillian Stewart, David Tinker, Anna Kate Newman, Millie Hawes, Ken Maher, Angela Reynolds (from the AVRL staff), and Harry Jost, for their help in making this event a success, and to the many Library supporters who came out on a lovely Saturday morning to tour the area under consideration and to share their dreams for a much enlarged, and thoroughly modern Library.

We gathered some great suggestions and some thoughtful concerns, all of which will be included in a proposal to the Town from the AVRL Board and the Friends group, outlining how an expanded Library facility could be incorporated into the proposed redevelopment of the Academy complex. Any final decision regarding relocation of the Library will be made by the Town and the AVRL Board.

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 Friends of the Annapolis Royal Library

October  2016

Dear Friends of the Library,

Plans are underway in our expansion of the library into the Academy building. The Town of Annapolis Royal is busy working with the Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) to finalize the arrangements. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Library are busy with grant writing, approaching sponsors, and general fundraising so that we can ensure we are moving into a bright, beautiful, and modern space.

Did you know?

Our library is a joint operation of the Town of Annapolis Royal and the AVRL. The Town provides and maintains the physical library facility. The AVRL is one of nine provincial regions, responsible for staff, books, computers, and other materials. The Friends of the Library is a registered not-for-profit group who supports the library. For this project, donations raised will go towards renovations and furnishings at the new location.

Would you consider making a one-time donation to our expansion fund?

It’s time for us to reach out to you - our champions of the library - and ask for you to consider pledging an amount. We appreciate your donation and want to acknowledge your gift. We have various recognized donor levels, and, of course, all donations over $25.00 will receive a charitable donation tax refund receipt.

We’re flexible

All donations will be acknowledged and appropriately recognized in the new library space, unless use specifically request to remain anonymous. If you would like make a donation specifically for a particular area of the new library - you can  do it! You could direct your donation to more holdings, toys, artwork, comfortable seating, etc. We will do our best to see that your wishes are met.

Donate online now with the secure CanadaHelps Website

Or donate/pledge by mail
Donation/Pledge Card MS Word         Donation/Pledge Card PDF    

Linda Moffat                                                                                                 Derek Hawkins President                                                                                                       Treasurer

Our Vision for the New Annapolis Royal Library

Our new Library will be a place where the entire community can find information, meet with friends, relax, share stories, learn, dream and plan the future together. Based on input from library users, the new Library space will be organized into many “places”, configured to support each of the different clients and activities.  The furnishings will be ‘configurable’ and moveable so that as our activities and needs change and grow, the library will change.

Key places in our New Library

 Children’s Area:  Space for our youngest children and grandchildren to hear stories, to read and to look at new things and to meet and play together. Places for parents and grandparents to read, study, with their children—chairs, desks and small tables.

Young Readers Area:  Spaces for our young people:  to meet and to work together, relaxing spaces, and working spaces and spaces for creative play for our young reader, young adults and students.

Teens Area: A comfortable space with a teen meeting booth, a study table with work chairs and a special multi-media area.

 Adult Reading spaces: Places for adults to acquire information, to read quietly, to visit quietly, to relax and enjoy the community.

 Seniors Space:  Space for our seniors:  to relax, to find information, to read, participate and meet with friends and with younger people.

Periodicals, Computing and Internet Area:  Places where all can find information and relaxation with more books, periodicals, magazines, news papers and with Internet Access and support as well as computers available and usable everywhere.

Program/Meeting Room:   Program spaces for large and small groups, equipped with chairs, tables, AV equipment, computers,  screens, projectors, storage area for programming materials and projects and a public meeting space for both small and large groups.

Chatting Places Chatting places in the hall with comfortable chairs and small tables

The Hub:  Circulation Desk/Information area and staff office: a  central Place to check in and check out materials, ask questions,  find resources, and ask for help.

Donation Recognition

Families or organizations who would like to make a major donation to the Library might consider directing their gift towards one of these major functional areas in the library. We will be recognizing all major donations to the Library and we will be happy to arrange an appropriate plaque in recognition of a major contribution in any of these areas of the new Library. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this option.