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 Snow Lake Community Library showed the single highest increase in circulation for the entire province during the second month of 2004. The recognition came at the end of February, which was christened 'I Love to Read Month' and it was bestowed on the community's library by the provincial government's Public Libraries Services, in a competition titled, 'The Battle of the Books'. "We were notified by email on March 6th that we had the greatest increase during the previous month in the province," said Snow Lake Community Librarian Vivian Bennett. "In February 2003 we had a circulation of 442 books compared to 980 in February 2004. That amounts to an increase of 121 per cent. The closest library to us was the Pilot Mound Library, with and increase of 102 per cent." Bennett said she and assistant Marilyn Humeniuk knew that the increase was substantial, but were pleasantly surprised to find out that they were tops in the province. "Marilyn and I were emptying the book return four or five times per day," said Bennett. "We also had a lot of children coming in during the day as well as later in the evening with parents. Some would sit and read books in addition to taking them out." The librarian attributes the increased interest in reading to a concerted effort between the school and community libraries to get children revved up to read during 'I Love to Read Month'. Snow Lake's Dorothy Salahub Library is unique in that it is the school's library, situated in the J.H. Kerr School. Through a joint use agreement, the community and school both stock books in the library, and in some cases jointly purchase equipment, such as computers. See 'Enthusiastic' P.# Con't from P.# Bennett added that she felt the fact that the school's principal had promised to shave his head if the kids read a certain number of books, had quite a bit to do with the increase. "They were just so enthusiastic about taking out books and getting them read, so that they could take out more," said Bennett. For posting the highest circulation increase in the province, the library will receive some sort of prize; however, Bennett wasn't sure, just yet, what it was.
