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