HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-02-07, Page 11Pubic 101,brari,
Mo4treal Street
Berle r
BY BILL DIMMICK
There is a large imposing,
red=brick building on Montreal
Street in Goderich,,, where two
friendly Ladies work to bring
knowledge and entertainment
to .people.
They both enjoy' meeting
people. They are always ready
to help anybody tirid a source
of information or „means of
r_elaxatiofl .
The :build' g is the Goderich
• Branch' of t e. Huron County,'
Library; ' theladies are, Betty
MacKenzie, branch supervisor, '
'and.M.,yi'tle Johnstone, her
'assistant.
' Although there .are' 21,000.
books in the Goderich branch,
'over 130,000 are available for a
reader •to choose from, through
--i the county library system.
But,: books: are only part of.
.what the library offers. Movies,
. filmstrips'andmslid'es are readily
available to ::the public, Miss
7VIacKeh, i$ says.- ,
.She
ays.-
_Slie adds ' that -the library
branch alsp offers. • projectors.
The • • 16- millirn.etery;,,movie.
._._' projector 'rents at $3 per night
and the slide Projector at $2..
However, a qualified person'
' must operatb the ` projectors
when they are rented, she says.
. ,TITS—LTh ary ha -s-, access to
films about almost anything a -
person could consider, says
Miss M.arrKenzie,
,Always an asset to students,
,the`- reference section of the
library holds many volumes of
encyclopedias, almanacs and
dictionaries. .
Miss MacKenzie says -that
students of Goderich 'seem to
make good use of tfiem. With ,
the advent of good librariesv
within the schools: the use of
the reference section hai
diminished •slightly, she notes,
•
Again, it is mostly students
who thumb through periodical*'.
indexes. The Goderich library
has ..both the Reader's
Periodical Guide and the
Canadian Peribdical Index.
As the library subscribes to
about 40 -periodical magazines,
they indexes make 'specific ar-
ticles easier Co find.
The indexes list articles ac-.
cordingto 'topic.,=Dates *and''
page numbers are included. .
The reference section , also
-provides 'telephone books for
Ontario ands Quebec. Miss
MacKenzie says that many
people find them valuable. She
has noticed that the fiction sec-
tion is the most visited section'
of her library; History, travel
•
•
and biography tend to interest
..many adults, -
• •Fortunately, 'mist of library's
3,004 •.membr rs ,io not abuse
the • privile, •; of borrowing
books. •
"But thy, e are always 'a
few,'"`` says Miss MacKenzie.
The library charges a five
cent fine for every day a book is
overdule, • to be returnee "The
maximum adult fine is $1, fpr •
children it's 50 cents. �. •
Book thefts are rare in.,
Goderich. But,,abotit six books
a'year are. stolen by unthinking,
selfish `persons. -
"We're quite fortunate cpm-
pared to the libraries in some
of. the cities," says;. ,Miss
MacKenzie, referring to ;thefts,
The old library building has
stood. since 1905, although a
Goderich library was started ih
1903, Miss MacKenzie says.
The funds for constructing
the building carne from Andrew
Carnegie, an American multi-
' millionaire whd was respon-'
sible for the growth of many
libraries throughout North
America.
•
. The • upper story, of • the
building "is; not used. The main
• floor houses two rooms for
bioks, .and the chiidrenjs sec-
tion ,is in the. basement.
Some of the library books' need repairs when they Oet"older
and well used.' Miss Johnstone applies some paste to the
seam of .a book as part of a mending job.
Judith •callow, 10, decides on thio book she wants• to read. It
one of the 'many offered to,young book-borroWers in the
children's section of the Goderich library...
Jacqui Denomme, 10, checks out a pile of. booke
borrow. There -are plenty more on the -shelves.
^. . 0.. .
Miss MacKenzie „has been
working .with people and books
at the Goderich library since
1946. • MisS. Johnstone, her •
assistant, has been there since
1958. •
In all her..years working at, •
the library,' Miss . M'acKenzie'�'��
"'ha' . seem• • many' ,strange- aid
'funny -things. She •declines° -to
"speak -of most' of them as she
fears ••people might -"recognize
'• themselves in her -stories;
•
',She tells of one .instance
thougir�r when a woma
enjoyed
a book and wanted°another by
the same author. •The woman
looked'. through., the. shelves and •
.found a huge number, of books ".
by the author she wanted to
read, ,,a "Mr. Doubleday".
Miss••' MacKenzie soon • ex
plained to ''.the woman that
Doubleday is a ' publishing
• house, not' an" author. " •
If one thing annoys Miss a.,.
MacKenzie about ',people. using
• the • library, it's' ' when they
forget ..to remain •quiet in the
° study room. '
She says it is always
desirable. for people to respect
books they ..borrow,_ not to
disturb others in the library
and, to return books on 'time. ,
• Miss Macj{enzie can't -think
of `anything about the library
she wruil 1 'like to change.
Mrs. Jarnei Prostfinds a book thatvinterests her in the fiction
section of.the adults' department at the Goderich library..
N.3
b
'Judith and Jacqui have their cards 'stamp• ed by Miss John, girls come to borrow "books every two weeks find sometimes; .,
°stonibi fore they leave the library with their books. the two every week. Usually they'drop.over to the library after school rte
. on Friday°. . „
01
Gr
Mrs. Prost waits while Miss Mac qkls ms*rks,the cards that .indicate whin tho,books have to ,
be. returned to thiel' library. Mrs. P et 'is a "riyularcystomer. "
•
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