By Lara Grunow
Okotoks Public Library
The Okotoks Public Library is preparing for a future expansion of both space and services that we provide to the community. As part of this effort we will be presenting a series of reflections by local residents on how the library has enhanced their lives. The first one comes from library board chair Lorraine Cathro.
I come from a long line of readers and writers who made their living farming and ranching. I was surrounded by books at home, but the first time I was in a library was when the new school in Erskine, Alta., opened in the fall of 1958.
Sixty years later, I can close my eyes, see that small room and feel the awe: An entire room full of books just waiting for me. It was my mission to try to read as many of those books as possible. I have been an avid lover of libraries since that day.
My husband and I moved to the MD of Foothills in October 2005. One of the first things I did was go to the Okotoks Public Library and open an account. I remember walking through the doors and feeling the warmth and busyness of a well-managed library. Staff members were friendly and helpful. I attended a few programs and started to volunteer one morning a week. I knew that I had found my ‘second’ home. In the fall of 2017, I joined the library board.
The board developed a vision which can be viewed online or in the library. Now we are beginning a fundraising campaign in support of a future library expansion. We have set up a donate button on the library website: www.okotokslibrary.ca
We are having a ‘barn-raising’ inside the library where donations can be deposited into a miniature barn. Donations may also be mailed to Okotoks Public Library, PO Box 310 Stn Main, Okotoks, AB, T1S 1A6. All donations are appreciated, and tax receipts will be given for donations of $20 or more. Today, when I enter the Okotoks Public Library, I still feel the awe I felt as a child. Libraries have changed a great deal since my childhood. Now they are gathering places and contain much more than books. But the books are still my favourite.
