One Last Word

Library ...

We learned from local newspapers in early 2012 that the town of Brownsburg-Chatham will not merge its library service with that of Lachute. It seems that the study commissioned by the two municipalities have demonstrated that this was not an attractive option. Brownsburg-Chatham therefore chooses to retain an independent service. That's good news for citizens who have mobilized around this issue.

I want to thank all those who took the keyboard, pen or manifestated to demand that we keep our own library. I appreciate that our elected officials have taken the time to study the issue before making a decision that would have consequences for the next 20 years.

For sure, our current library is outdated and needs a relocation.If we need to wait for elected officials to find the ideal solution, so be it.

... Roussell house ...

If we are to believe the board affixed to the abandoned building, the Roussell house will be destroyed . New premises will be available for offices and shops. Will there be a bakery, a sandwich shop? The city center has need of renewal. And it is possible! The success of the restaurant Le Faimfino is proof of it.

... and afterwards.
For my part, I devote my energies to the Société culturelle du Pavillon des jardins, creating events, promoting culture, seeing smiley faces are goals that delight me.
I will also be writing, in French, on the blog Sortie 252 with Maurice Rochon.

About Exit 252
Quebec, Laurentides, more specifically the Lower Laurentians. Oh, and then let's go to Highway 50. Take exit 252, the one for Brownsburg-Chatham. Both of your humble blog writers are there. We invite you to come talk with us, with ease, in respect of the difference, in humor for everyone's enjoyment. Our wish is to make Sortie 252 a crossroads of ideas.Discuss what? you will ask. We envisage a wide area of possibilities: our ideas, our values, our quality of life, our daily lives. Through our texts, you will learn to know ourselves. Some texts could be written as a duet.Replicate as a trio, as a catalog ... Some topics may get crazy and frivolous ...
Hope to see you there!
Cynthia Dubé

Public Libraries - The Challenge to Survive

A brief look at some of the fights to save public libraries.

http://cacbc.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/public-libraries-the-challenge-to-survive/

A Library in a Camping

If a camping offers a library service (see here), why couldn’t a city of near 7000?

Don’t forget this Saturday 4 at 2:00 PM in front of the library on 200, MacVicar, a protest to the merger with Lachute. Let’s keep our library our own in Brownsburg-Chatham!

Protest to keep our library in Brownsburg-Chatham on Saturday June 4

Our city council is investing in a study to evaluate the possibility of merging the library service with that of Lachute. This is throwing away the discussions that were held by the library committee formed by the city in 2010. The next step was to be a site survey to determine where would be the best place in town to relocate the library, which is obsolete. An amount was even budgeted in 2011.

We must act quickly and say loud and clear our commitment to our municipal library, our desire to have one of our own. If the merger were done, we can not go back for 15 to 20 years.

Maintaining our own library is to allow our young and not so young to go there by foot. It is to improve the image of the city. It is helping to attract new residents. It retaining our rights to subsidies. It is keeping an authority over the budgets to be allocated in the future and the possibility to expand or provide other service points.

In Brownsburg-Chatham,

my library, my choice!

We say NO to a merger with Lachute’s library.

Brownsburg-Chatham is not Lachute’s outlet!

We expect a large number of citizens to protest in front of our municipal library
on Saturday June 4, 2011 at 2:00 PM.

Thank you to forward the information!

For detailed arguments, click here. 

Open letter to the mayor of Brownsburg-Chatham, Georges Dinel - Our Municipal Library

Mr. Mayor,

So you are going to invest $ 10,000 * in order to conduct a study on whether to merge the library of Brownsburg-Chatham with Lachute's.

One year ago, you formed a committee to assess the relevance of a library and its location in Brownsburg-Chatham.

This committee (that did not cost anything to anyone), which included among others representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Réseau BIBLIO Laurentides, said at the outset the importance of a local library not only to borrow books, but also as a place of access to computers; it was also mentioned as a refuge for young people who find assistance for homework and for seniors who seek quietness often absent from their own homes. The committee finally insisted on the identity function of a library in a municipality like ours.

Yourself, did you not announce in your speech about the 2011 budget that there would be a library in our town in no later than two years? And now you turn to the central city to save a few dollars.

What interests do you serve, then, Mr. Mayor? Those of your fellow citizens or those of the mayor of Lachine who has every interest in this merger to proceed to get more sub to grow? Our citizens will save, you answer. Oh really?

If the merger goes ahead, the Ministry of Culture will require you to maintain a service station on the territory because the number of inhabitants justifies and requires. If you tear down the arena as it is envisaged, where are you going to install it? In a church basement? In a school with opening hours that suit no one?

But the possible merger raises other questions.

The residents of Brownsburg-Chatham  already dependon Lachute for a variety of needs: food, clothing, restaurants, entertainment, etc. Can they accept that Lachute also define their cultural needs?

Do you think Brownsburg-Chatham will be able to attract young families if they do not have the infrastructure to satisfy the cultural needs of their children? Our city is undergoing desertification, Mr. Mayor. Physically and culturally. And, as everyone knows, deserts bear only the lives of cactus.

If the merger is the solution for the library, could it not also solve all other problems? The fire department, for example, roads, public works could also be included in Lachute's budget. Why not merge outright with the city-center? Is this not the logical conclusion of your argument, Mr. Mayor?

You have already, in 2010, eliminated a librarian position and prohibited those who stay to tour schools to promote reading (which for me is a terrible sin, a crime against youth); you already, the same year, cut the budget for the acquisition of the library, preferring to spend a whopping six-figure sum to buy a shovel to maintain roadsides, and especially you already imposed a tax increase 20% to fill a deficit for which citizens are still waiting for proof of existence.

In all these "accomplishments," where do you place the welfare of the citizens?

François Jobin
Writer

* At the City Council meeting of Monday, May 9, we learned that the amount to be disbursed will be of 6297 for Brownsburg-Chatham, Lachute assuming the same amount.

Letter to Christine St-Pierre, Minister - A merger with Lachute? Why?

Following the library committee meetings, a site analysis has been budgeted to determine the future location of the library. A three-year capital plan has been adopted for the construction of a new one. Computers will even be purchased pursuant to a resolution adopted at the council meeting in April.

So why is the council discussing a merger with the city of Lachute? Why not have put cards on the table during the committee meetings to have a frank discussion? Were the dice loaded in advance?

Some would welcome a merger with Lachute. They would however be wrong.

The sums allocated to the library by the city of Lachute is $40 per citizen, an amount far higher than the $23 in Brownsburg-Chatham. Mayor Dinel hammered during the campaign that Lachute would offer its services at $11 per head. Wow! What a saving! But for how long? Lachute will be the one to decide on future increases at will. And Brownsburg-Chatham's citizens will have surrendered their power of decision to the neighboring municipality. We would also be entitled to ask what the citizens of Lachute would think to the idea of ​​subsidizing Brownsburg-Chatham.

"Lachute has such a more beautiful library than ours, we'd rather go there." And your teenagers,  will they be able to walk to the library at any time that suits them? What about the elderly who reside near the current library? It is proven that the more the distance, the less attendance, while the library plays an essential role in learning and reading, as well as in the fight against school dropout. Two-thirds of the population live in Brownsburg-Chatham area of ​​the current library. It is therefore logical that the library be located there. That being said, the coalition members have always considered that the big territory warrants services in the Saint-Philippe and Pine Hill.

And why should we not have such a wonderful library here? "We do not have money", are we being answered, the tax increase of 20% pointed out as evidence. Well we're not so convinced. The budget includes estimated revenues which are pessimistic, while expenditures were estimated at a level that would be amazing to see the city reach. At the end of the fiscal year, we'll most likely say that we in fact have a lot of money in the coffers. To learn more about the budget, you can meet the Citizens Action Committee of  Brownsburg-Chatham on his spaghetti dinner May 21, 2011.

For someone who wants to merge its library service with the neighboring city, it is better to suggest our finances are precarious in order to remove the will for a new library in the entire population. Why not then become a dormitory town with no soul and let the new residents choose Lachute, which has a beautiful library?

Moreover, a merger agreement with Lachute would mean no possible return for 10 to 20 years, has warned the representative of the Ministry of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women. Brownsburg-Chatham should meanwhile be content with a branch the size of a closet. Anyway, money will need to be disbursed to build a new library branch should the arena be destroyed, as envisaged because of its age, since the library is part of the same building.

And let's not forget the argument of Internet. No need for a library when you have Internet. Oh yeah? And why is it that the Internet café in the library is so successful? Maybe people need a place to enjoy Internet services. Studies have also shown that the use of Internet has encouraged a thirst for knowledge and increased the use of libraries. A new library will see its attendance grow astronomically across Quebec today, regardless of whether the Internet is present or not.

Users must speak first. Only they will have to defend their library. Others do not know what they're missing while being indifferent or believing they do not have an interest in it. The only way to convince them would be to build a new library that would be nice to attend. It always comes back to the same conclusion: It takes political will.

**Added on April 18th: To see the detailed position that the Corporation des bibliothécaires professionnels du Québec presented to the Government of Québec in April 2006 on the necessity of a law for the public libraries, click here (text in French).**

On  April 23 will be celebrated the World Book and Copyright Day. We wanted to launch a heartfelt plea to the Minister Christine St-Pierre. Here is the letter addressed to her.

Christine St-Pierre
Ministre de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine

Our library is barely surviving

So the fate of libraries no longer dependent on municipal elections

Hello Madam Minister Christine St-Pierre,

As will be held April 23 the World Book and Copyright Day, we must call out to you on this issue that we care for, on behalf of our community and of our children. Do you remember the advertising campaign for the municipal elections in 2009? Municipal services were put forward to justify voter turnout, for example drinking water or fire departments. Have you noticed that no publicity concerned culture? Yet, there should have.

In Brownsburg-Chatham, in the Basses-Laurentides, we learned with joy that our library which had for long been obsolete would be moving into a house of historical interest. Would it not be for the municipal elections of 2009, we could attend that new library today. However, the new administration decided otherwise. We formed a non-partisan coalition of citizens to defend the project in question, the We Deserve Better Coalition. We have noted the lack of public support for the library to be relocated in the building originally planned. We offered the city council to work together in order to develop a new project and we have joined a library committee formed by the city. A development plan has been drafted by Réseau BIBLIO Laurentides. An analysis study to identify a future site was planned under budget and a three-year capital plan adopted for the construction of a new library. However, we question today the usefulness of the whole process since the council decided to overrule the library committee to go and negotiate a merger agreement with the neighboring city of Lachute. A library that has existed for 35 years, serving a population of nearly 7000 people could become a single branch for the sole purpose of saving some money. It is the vitality of our community which is at stake.

In Québec, we have the Loi sur le développement des entreprises québécoises dans le domaine du livre, which ensures the survival of the publishing community in Québec. That is fine. The Parti Québecois in 1998 developed the Politique de la lecture et du livre, which contains some wonderful principles to encourage reading and to facilitate access to it. That is very very good. You have announced numerous libraries openings and grants to improve and renovate existing ones. We applaud. And after? What guarantees a new elected administration not to come slashing budgets, as in Brownsburg-Chatham, as in Rawdon?

In the magazine Documentation et bibliothèques of October-December 2007, Benoît Ferland and Marcel Lajeunesse signed an article entitled "Une loi des bibliothèques publiques du Québec: une nécessité". The authors argued that the legislation "is a major contributor to the creation and development of library services and information." It cites the example of Ontario which has adopted a policy of public libraries a century ago and has adapted its laws over time. From the outset, the Ontario law specified the minimum amount of municipal tax to provide funding for the library. The principle of free education has played a fundamental role in library use.

The authors suggest principles and provisions that should be included in a Québec law so that our province stops falling behind in the field. Among other things, the idea of ​​handing the management of libraries in the hands of nonprofits organizations has enough appeal to users because they would then be administered by people who would truly have at heart their development. The municipal and provincial levels would continue to provide funding, but it would be possible to enhance it by fundraising activities. "Donations are obtained more easily when donors know that money have no chance of being in the consolidated fund of a municipality." Messrs. Ferland and Lajeunesse stress that the model would not be so revolutionary and quote examples in public libraries that, like CRSBP Network (BIBLIO), are managed by a Board: Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, St. Hyacinthe, Joliette, etc. Thus, the fate of the library no longer depend on municipal elections.

The "lucid" speech is trendy. It is fashionable to denounce expenditures. You probably remember the community of Baie-des-Sables which was torn on the issue of a new library because of the costs that would entail. Yet, economic studies have found that every dollar invested in the public library service brings back six. The quality of life benefits from the presence of a library. It is certainly a criterion of choice to attract new taxpayers in a city. The shops around benefit from the traffic and prosper more. Everyone agrees, waste is unacceptable. We should know the difference with an investment, even more when it's an investment for the development of people.

We're being hammered with the idea that we live in a knowledge society. The public library has an important role to play in the fight against illiteracy and school dropout. Transmitting the love of reading to children is also transmitting a taste for learning. Why wait until they reach the age of 15 or 16? We must intervene before they attend school. Would it not be great to set an example in the world, like Finland where the rate of library use is about 80% and the dropout rate of 0.034%? We still have a long road ahead before we get there.

Critics of the project of the Grande Bibliothèque had to reconsider. It has been an unmitigated success and it celebrated in 2010 its fifth anniversary with pride. It has been demonstrated that it has not stifled the other libraries, but that it rather plays a role of locomotive. We need the whole province of Québec boarding the train.

We therefore ask you to pass a legislation that is adapted to current conditions, a legislation that would allow the full development of the library system, an act that would alter political hazards of a four-year term to another. And we sincerely hope to rally the opposition parties in this matter. Help us ensure the good health of our library system. "A stream of inspiration in culture" is the slogan put forward to celebrate the 50th anniversary of your ministry. Let's always work to improve our situation and avoid setbacks, especially when celebrating such an important occasion.

Cynthia Dubé and Mario Chabot
on behalf of the We Deserve Better Coalition

p.j.: collage (in French) fait à partir de textes tirés en grande partie du blogue de la coalition Nous méritons mieux; l'article de Benoît Ferland et de Marcel Lajeunesse, « Une loi des bibliothèques publiques du Québec: une nécessité » paru dans Documentation et bibliothèques en octobre-décembre 2007


c.c.: tous les médias au Québec; David Whissell, député d'Argenteuil; Mario Laframboise, député d'Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel; Pauline Marois, chef du Parti québécois, chef de l'oppositoin officielle à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec; Yves-François Blanchet, porte-parole de l'opposition officielle en matière de culture et de communications; Jean Charest, premier ministre du Québec; Line Beauchamp, ministre de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport; Jean-Marc Parent, du ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine; Amir Khadir, Françoise David, porte-paroles de Québec solidaire; Gérard Deltell, chef de l'ADQ; Les Arts et la ville; Culture pour tous; Association pour l'avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation (ASTED); Réseau BIBLIO du Québec; Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides; ville de Brownsburg-Chatham; MRC d'Argenteuil; Conseil de la culture des Laurentides (CCL); Union des écrivaines et écrivains québécois (UNEQ); Guy Berthiaume, président-directeur général, Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec; Association des auteurs des Laurentides; Association des libraires du Québec; Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM); Conférence régionale des élus des Laurentides; Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ); Bibliothèque de Brownsburg-Chatham; Bibliothèques publiques du Québec (BPQ); Bibliothèques publiques de Laval-Laurentides-Launaudière (BPLLL); Solidarité rurale du Québec; Le bibliothécaire errant, Coalition pour l'avenir du Québec.

2011 Budget

The budget adopted by the board this Tuesday, December 21, 2011 allocates $10,000 to purchase books, a spending item that had been cut for 2010. It should be noted that the 2009 budget was $12 133 for that item and the standard referred to in Québec is $ 24 377.


A budget of 2.6 million has also been planned to build a new library in 2013, should the project be received by the Ministry of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women. The board said it was aware it had to apply as soon as possible.

Furthermore, the population was informed of a tax increase of over 20% for the year 2011.

A Small Step for the Library - Some Hope for the Russell House

At the last council meeting of Brownsburg-Chatham held on the 6th of December was adopted a resolution to accept the letter of intent to purchase the building said Roussell.


It is an offer from the Maison de la famille, for which the committee has been reunited by Mr. Gilles Desforges. He has indeed found people to revive the project. The tender offer is conditional (financing, engineering report, contractors, insurance) and for a period of 6 months. There would be opportunity to partner with other organisations to occupy the house. A story to be continued.

Another resolution adopted at the same meeting was the amendment to the hiring of the loan officer at the public library. After verification, it is an increase in working hours of one of the staff. So it's a small step towards getting back to the situation that prevailed last year. They'd just need to hire a third person and bring back the budget to purchase books to get us back at where we were. The story is always, of course, to follow.

The budget will be adopted December 21, 2010. We will report back at that time.

Have a good weekend!

Follow up on last Library Committee meeting

It was last Oct. 28.


We discussed possible avenues for a future library in Brownsburg-Chatham. It was unreal, too good to be true. Mayor Dinel joked, raising the idea of creating a library of Alexandria here.

The message was clear: We will have a new library, it must be large enough to meet demand that will inevitably be 30% higher, as is the case with any new library. The next step was to identify potential sites. There was talk of a three-year plan.

You may have the impression of a bitter downside to come as I use the imperfect. The flaw in this beautiful scenario is the departure of Mr. René Lachance as executive director of the city.

Mr. Lachance demonstrated competence in his position which could reassure us as to the likelihood of actually achieving these steps. His departure is no good news. Will the council stick with these resolutions in preparing the next budget? Will it simply be overwhelmed by the task of finding a new general director? This new person will need to get familiar with the city's issues, go a period of probation. Will he realize the importance of a public library for a population?

These are just a few questions. The next budget in December is to watch closely. Have we bought time or has the committee's creation been successful and helped our cause?

Semaine des bibliothèques publiques

It's October 16 to 23 across Quebec.


Why not take the opportunity to subscribe? There is even a contest for young people! (In French)

The national competition: It's really not complicated, all you need is to be 12 and over and subscribe between 1 and October 31. Thus, one can enter the contest online: iPod touch, video games, gift cards of $ 500 to spend in the Renaud-Bray and more are within reach of the new subscriber. Good luck!

And, yes, there are not many books in the library of Brownsburg-Chatham. It's small. There are not many places to sit. We know all of that. That's why we demand better! Please be aware that there is what is called pruning. Employees take out books to bring in new ones. Go for a ride. Enjoy the good service. Show that we want a better library, because we deserve it!

Follow Up on the Library Committee - The Need For Citizens to Express Themselves

After the meeting of experts proposed by the coalition, the library committee formed by the City, including myself as a citizen and member of the coalition, met on Monday, October 4, 2010.
We identified the strengths and weaknesses of the current library with the help of Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides. Two key findings emerged:

1) The library suffers from a lack of communication with its citizens, who do not know it sufficiently, when they know it.

2) The library must be at the city center to ensure the greatest possible visibility and at the same time can be a leverage to revitalize the downtown.

Those are the main conclusions of the committee. Some recommendations have already been put forward. The next meeting will focus specifically on what would be the most appropriate infrastructure.

Personally, I come to a further conclusion. Obviously, the city council and the mayor still need to hear the citizen's voice on the need to have a library here in Brownsburg-Chatham. If you read this and you are reassured to know that there is a coalition to advocate for the library in Brownsburg-Chatham, know that it is not enough. We must understand that for every action we do, there are opponents to our ideas who assert their views. If you do not want the coalition to be considered as representing a minority view, you must also express yourselves, either through us, at council meetings or by letter to City Hall.

I wish the same opportunity to thank all those who have already spoken, no matter how. We must make our point of view, if we leave to others the chance to advance their ideas. Encourage your family and friends to stay informed and to express themselves. It is the quality of our environment.

The cynicism is fashionable, and it saddens me. I suggest you a link to an interview with Julie Bélanger of Génération d'idées, a group of refreshing young people!

We will need you soon. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Cynthia Dubé

Heritage buildings are being valued throughout the Province of Québec

Here is a "potpourri" of recent announcements:

"Un art d'habiter"

Permanent exhibition devoted to the built heritage of Deschambault-Grondines.

Heritage buildings and architectural detail photographs is a major player in the exhibition. An interactive medium, accessible through Internet, allows heritage homeowners to find the information needed to make the best choices possible when undertaking work.

Church of Grandes-Piles will become a cultural space

The Making of Grandes-Piles bequeathed to the municipality, in August, the church built in 1899. While religious celebrations are still held, a community hall will be built at the front of the building with a view to presenting concerts and plays, for example. In addition, the library will be located, according to plans, at the top of the church. The work is estimated at nearly $800,000.

Source: Les Arts et la ville, which takes it source from Sandra Lacroix. "L'église de Grandes-Piles sera transformée en lieu de culture et culture", L'Hebdo Mékinac des Chenaux, August 11, 2010.

Victoriaville launches its Heritage Policy on the Web

Historic houses in the area of the Bonaventure island will be restored

The Québec Ministry of Culture is acquirring the men's house (part of the mother house of the Soeurs-Grises-de-Montréal)

The heritage building housing the municipal court located in Sainte-Julienne, Lanaudière, will be restored

Montréal Should Invest More in its Public Librarys - and a Serial Novel on the Web to Promotre Reading

Released this week in La Presse:


The Commission permanente sur le développement culturel et la qualité du milieu de vie, consisting mostly of elected members of the party of Montréal Mayor Gérald Tremblay, recommends that the City Executive invest more in its public libraries.

The Bibliothèques publiques de Montréal's Web site for its part offers a serial novel, Mille vies (in French):

Skibbereen, Montréal, Kingston, Vicksburg, Boston and Lowell are some cities that mark the 1000 lives of Molly Galloway . Nurtured by the upheavals of her era, she takes the train of ideas and battles for life and freedom. Her path leads her on the pavement of emerging cities, the railway tracks and trenches of the battlefield.

The story is narrated by a young immigrant traveling through America in the 19th century. During her adventures, Molly, just as her own hero, D'Artagnan and the Count of Monte Cristo, is to get involved in causes and disorders of her era.

The adventure is at the heart of this saga. It depicts major moments in the history of Montréal, Québec, America and the world around 1850.

Follow Up on Experts Meeting

The expert meeting as previously announced has therefore been held last Thursday. The ensuing discussion was rich with complementary perspectives and valuable information.

A clear message has been articulated in relation to recent cuts in the purchase of books. These cuts have really hurt and users feel it. The question was posed to the mayor Dinel whether it was possible to reverse this decision and he has not closed the door to such an eventuality.

It also emerged that the Ministry of Culture has a lot of grant applications for new libraries and the funds will be limited before 2013. If Brownsburg-Chatham wants to benefit from them, it must submit a strong proposal, and soon, especially advocating the need for people to make its candidacy a priority.

Mayor Dinel reiterated the lack of budgets. We hope the council find a way to adjust so as not to deprive the people of this essential service. The opening of the City to form the clibrary ommittee allows us to keep hope. We will continue to argue the benefits of library service.

The first meeting of this committee will be held in early October 2010. At that time, Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides will present the first draft of the development plan. We will keep you informed of developments.

Meeting Experts and Library Committee

This Thursday, August 19 will be held a meeting with those we have called our experts. Seeing how little interest the public shows towards the project of moving the library into the Roussell house, the coalition has said: So then what would be the ideal library for the city of Brownsburg-Chatham? Seeing how time flies and wanting to benefit from the experience of credible people, the coalition has offered the City a meeting with experts in the field.

Mr. Mayor Dinel accepted. He will therefore be present as well as Madame Paule Clotteau Blain, designated representative for the library within the council. Unfortunately, we cannot benefit from the presence of other city council members. The General Manager and Treasurer René Lachance will also be present, as well as Nathalie Lafleur, a citizen of Brownsburg-Chatham who has long been concerned by this issue. Coalition members who will be present are François Jobin and Cynthia Dubé.

Experts consulted:

• Jean-Marc Parent, the Ministry of Culture and Communications;
• Catherine Lapointe, cultural development at the MRC of Argenteuil;
• JoAnne Turnbull, CEO Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides, and
• Brigitte Bowen, employee responsible for the Library of Brownsburg-Chatham.

Subsequently, a library committee formed by the city will work in collaboration with the Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides in order to elaborate a development plan. Will be a member of said committee: Nathalie Lafleur, citizen, and Cynthia Dubé, representative of the coalition We Deserve Better.

We sincerely hope that this will help the future of the library, for the good of the whole population on the territory. Let's recall that at our first meeting with the City Council December 16, 2009, it was said that a library project would be put forth in a horizon of 1 or 2 years.

Regarding the Roussell house, the coalition now considers the fate of the latter as a second problem. A vocation has still not been found. At the last City Council meeting held August 2, 2010, the building was put on sale. Will the heritage value of the building will be preserved? We are entitled to ask the question.

Quotations

Les choses ne se font jamais facilement dans le domaine culturel, ce n'est jamais considéré comme essentiel. On en revient à ce que disait Lapalme : les bouts de route et les ponceaux l'emportent toujours sur les affaires culturelles.

Lise Bissonnette

in L'Actualité, « Le flambeau aux jeunes », by Roch Côté, July 9th, 2010 (link is doomed to disappear some day)

Kansas City Public Library

In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.

Henry David Thoreau

Grande Bibliothèque in L'Actualité

To read (in French) a series in L'Actualité about the Grande Bibliothèque of Montréal to mark its 5 years of existence. The archives of the magazaine is available on the Internet for a limited time. You will find among others a gide to 5 hidden treasures of the website of BAnQ.

Heritage Highlighted

Municipalities and regions in the province of Québec are more and more valuing and highlighting their heritage to attract tourists. Here are some examples:

Tourisme patrimonial du Bas-Saint-Laurent (in French)
Circuit du patrimoine religieux de l'île d'Orléans (the site has an English version but the brochure on religious heritage in pdf format can be seen on the French version)
La Sarre City (population 7336 in 2006 according to Statistics Canada)

New Libraries

We made ourselves quieter lately. During that time, new projects were announced in Québec. Among others: new libraries in Saint-Isidore (population 2503 in 2006, according to Statistics Canada) and La Minerve (population 1295 in 2006, according to Statistics Canada) to meet the growing needs of their populations.

Support from Stéphane Legault, President BPLLL - Press Review

Citizens of Brownsburg-Chatham,


As President of Les Bibliothèques publiques de Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière (BPLLL), I was seized with the situation of the public library in your town and the creation of the coalition We Deserve Better. Hereby, I congratulate you on your position and I support the approach you have taken in order to establish a quality public library .

As citizens paying taxes, you're entitled to ask your elected officials to provide municipal services that meet the quality standards established in all public areas. At present, according to the 2008-2009 financial report (in French) of Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides, the library in Brownsburg-Chatham meets only 24% of standards on the size of a public library. Thus, reaching 100% of the current standard, the minimum desirable, your library should be at least four times greater than it currently is. In comparison with another well-known municipal service, imagine an arena that would lose 75% of what is essential to providing good service to the public. Imagine an arena with no room for players, without resurfacing (Zamboni), no bands or fillets. Only four walls and an ice maintained by employees full of good will. Some say that only 11% of the population of Brownsburg-Chatham subscribes to the library. Would you use an arena into a state as described above?

To attract people to the library, it must develop services, have an attractive place, be friendly. We must make it the heart of the community. In order to achieve that, we must invest in infrastructure in the personnel and the acquisition of documents. How many people thought that the Grande Bibliothèque is a white elephant? Built in the midst of budget cuts aimed at achieving a zero deficit, yet the library now attracts five times more people than expected. Lucien Bouchard, Louise Beaudouin and Lise Bissonnette able to meet a need that was not clearly expressed by the population. In Brownsburg-Chatham, citizens ask for a new library. Its success is assured!

Les Biliothèques publiques de Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière were also made aware of the resolution number 10-04-150 stating that "the City Council of the City of Brownsburg-Chatham demand for employees of the municipal library not to proceed, from this point, the purchase of books, journals, periodicals, DVDs, etc. otherwise than through the Centre régional de services aux bibliothèques publiques (CRSBPL) Laurentides Inc." What citizens need to know is that the CRSBPL is not a library. It does not sell books or periodicals, and even fewer DVDs. The CRSBPL (also called Réseau BIBLIO) buys books he lends to its member municipalities. Thus, the resolution abolishes the purchase of books. Moreover, politicians should know that Bill 51 requires public libraries to purchase books in at least three accredited bookstores in their administrative region, at the price set by the publisher. In other words, it is unlawful for a public agency to buy books at Wal-Mart, Jean Coutu, etc.

Also according to the 2008-2009 Réseau BIBLIO des Laurentides, the municipality has only 5,451 documents, which gives only 0.8 books per capita. If one adds to this figure the 6,959 filings by Réseau BIBLIO, the ratio rises to 1.8 books per capita, which is well below the 3 books by people you want in Politique de la lecture et du livre of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, produced in 1998. The Discrepancy in your municipality is increasingly oppressive and the gap continues to widen as the population increases. How can we attract people to the library without new books? The loans conducted through the Réseau BIBLIO can definitely not meet demand for new products and bestsellers. Abolishing the budget for the purchase of library books is the equivalent of melting the ice in an arena. Eventually, nobody will be interested to come.

It is obvious that each municipality's capacity to pay is not unlimited. Each municipal council was elected last November having made such an election platform, projects and priorities. However, nothing prevents a city council to enact new priorities while in office according to needs, interests and pressures of the population.

In fall 2005, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has authorized the Center for Economic Development at Carnegie-Mellon University to determine the impact of the library on the regional economy. The results of this study will surprise more than one; for every dollar spent by the library, the community derives economic benefit of three dollars. Thus, if one transposes the total benefits to the entire population of this municipality, the library contributes
$ 75 per capita.

Investing in the library is an investment in the community education and it contributes to the reduction of dropout because libraries greatly facilitate the learning of young people. To learn to calculate, to operate a machine tool and to solve various problems, we must understand what is asked of us and for that, to read well. Unfortunately, we often forget that all learning is through reading. Investing in the library is also developing its local economy. To attract industries and create new jobs in Argenteuil and Brownsburg-Chatham, we must develop a skilled workforce who can read!

Citizens of Brownsburg-Chatham, continue your efforts, Les Bibliothèques publiques de Laval, Laurentides and Lanaudière are behind you!

Stephane Legault, bibl. prof.
President, Public Libraries
Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière