The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Flin Flon Public Library is usually empty on Sundays, but that wasn't the case this past Mother's Day. Library administrator Cindy McLean, along with two brothers and a sister, stopped by and headed to a row of books at the rear. There, in front of a shelf bearing a plaque _ 'In Loving Memory of Kathy Adams' _ the siblings held hands and had a little cry in honour of their late mother. Not everyone can go to the library on a Sunday, but now all residents can memorialize a departed loved one _ or anyone else for that matter _ through the Adopt-A-Shelf program. 'It's a community library and this is a way for various businesses and individuals to be reorganized in a positive and permanent way,' says the ever-enthusiastic McLean. Sponsor McLean's was among the first families to sponsor a shelf for the modest cost of $100. That price tag gives each purchaser a small plaque, bearing an engraving of their choice, to be placed on whichever shelf they opt for. It also gives them the satisfaction of helping the library, one of the Flin Flon area's most valuable public institutions. McLean and her family chose a shelf of pocketbooks because Adams, who passed away in 2009, always had a pocketbook on the go. See 'Her' on pg. Continued from pg. 'It's really awesome because her shelf is always going to be there now,' says McLean. In the travel book section, Joan Gohl has sponsored a shelf in memory of her late husband, former city councillor Elmer Gohl. 'The library is a real important place for residents of the Flin Flon area,' says Gohl. 'I'm happy to be making this donation to support this most recent cause.' On a shelf in the children's area, a plaque recently went up in honour of the late Kevin Simard, a Flin Flon father of two _ Cayden, 8, and Camryn, 6. 'I think it's cool they can come look at their dad's shelf,' McLean says. While such plaques are touching tributes to lost loved ones, sponsors can choose to honour anyone. The library recently heard from a grandmother who wants a plaque in the children's area to include her grandkids' names. McLean envisions patrons one day walking through the library and taking in 'an interesting visual history of community members.' That would offer an experience similar to that of Flinty's Boardwalk, where engraved planks list a wide range of past and present citizens. And like the boardwalk, sponsorships from businesses are welcome. McLean views Adopt-a-Shelf as an inexpensive, lasting means of advertising for businesses of all sizes. The personable administrator got the idea for Adopt-A-Shelf from a library in the U.S. that had enjoyed success with the concept. 'We're a community-oriented library, so I thought that was a community project that would be embraced,' McLean says. All proceeds from Adopt-A-Shelf will be kept in a fund specifically for capital projects at the library during this time of municipal belt-tightening. The same is true of the new Adopt-A-Book program, where sponsors who pay a smaller sum are recognized with labels affixed inside individual books. Sponsors can also purchase new furniture for the library, again with plaques providing the appropriate recognition. For more information on any of the library fundraisers, contact the library at 204-687-3397.
