About Us
Vision Statement:
The Didsbury Municipal Library is a community hub that makes the world of information, imagination, and ideas freely accessible to all.
We believe that our library should:
- Provide services free of charge
- Develop a collection that reflects our diverse society
- Be considered an essential service in our community
- Strive for excellence
- Be a place for discussion and dialogue
- Provide a comfortable and welcoming environment
- Stimulate creativity
- Support lifelong learning
- Be an internet portal for the community
Mission Statement:
With creativity and innovation we will strive toward our vision by:
- Being sensitive to the needs of our community
- Providing a balanced collection
- Providing excellent customer service
- Providing a welcoming environment that encourages greater use of the library
- Endorsing the Canadian Library Association statement on intellectual freedom
- Making current information technology available to our customers
- Sharing resources
- Developing partnerships that enhance our services
History
The Didsbury Library is one of the oldest small libraries in Alberta. The first meeting of "The Didsbury Free Library Board" was held on January 25, 1908.
The Annual Report for 1910 showed that Mrs. Long was paid $5.00 for three months' service as librarian. The number of books circulated for 1910 was 1500. In the early 1940's the library moved from the school to a room above what is now "Steve's Place"; and in 1946 to the Town Office (then) but what is now the "Westerdale Building" across the alley from the post office, and now the home of the Didsbury and District Chamber of Commerce.
In 1964 the Town Office moved, and the library solely used the building. In 1974 the library moved to the old "Royal Bank" (now the Green Bamboo Restaurant), who donated the building to the town to use for the library. In 1985, the library board started discussing the options of renovating or building a new facility. It was decided we would build, and in February 1987, the library moved its present location next to the Town Office. The official opening of the new building was April 25, 1987. After a year of entering all the book data and catalogue records into a computer, September 1993, the library was automated.
By 2001, the library had been fully integrated into the regional and provincial library resource sharing networks and has an online public access catalogue as well eight public computers for accessing the Internet, searching data bases and CD ROMS, and producing reports, resumes and other documents.
Year end 2009 there were over 22,000 items in the collection and our circulation exceeded 58,000 checkouts. For more details of library activity take a look at the Annual Report Highlights for 2009.
Staff
- Inez Kosinski
- Anna Mohns
- Connie Clark
- Donna Gilchrist
- Jean Green
- Donna Munro
- Helen Johnson
Trustees
- Gail Nowlan
- Gary St. Jacques
- Paula Harris
- Laura Crowe
- Everett Page
- M.J. Paul