Seven Wonders

People like best-of lists.  It’s fun to argue over what was included and what should have been included.  So in the spirit of fun, I am going to create a best-of list for the Collingwood Public Library.  Here are my nominations (in no particular order) for:

The Seven Wonders of the Collingwood Public Library

       1.  Our Local History and Genealogical Collection – For a library of our size the collection is really quite remarkable, and is the result of many years of careful collection development.  Of particular interest to researchers is our copy of the Jesuit Relations, all 73 volumes of it.  The Relations are letters home from Jesuit missionaries in New France in the seventeenth century to their supporters back in Europe. It is from these documents that we know so much about the First Nations people who lived in the Collingwood area.  The Relations are also the only volumes to be rescued when our old Carnegie library burned down in 1963. If you open them, you can still see the water and smoke damage.

      2.  Our Stained Glass Windows – these were made by Gary Wilkinson,

and each window depicts a Collingwood scene in a different season of the year.  Beautiful.

       3.  Our Living Roof – The new library is housed in a LEED certified building, which is more energy

efficient than traditional commercial buildings.  The living roof absorbs heat in summer, reducing the “heat island” effect created by conventional black-tarred flat roofs, acts as a layer of insulation, creates a habitat for birds and insects, and collects water, which can be returned to the environment through evaporation instead of being directed down storm sewers.  Some of the water is also collected in a cistern and used to water the green roof in times of drought.  Tours of the roof can be arranged, but we can’t let people go up on their own at this time, because the parapet is not high enough to insure visitor safety.

       4.  Our DVD Collection – You might think, in these days of video streaming, that no one uses DVDs anymore, but you would be wrong.  Our large and varied collection is heavily-used.  In fact, DVDs are the most frequently circulated items in our library collection—perhaps because DVDs can be consumed much quicker than novels, so they are in and out of the library faster than books, but perhaps also because we have such a large collection with something for every taste.

       5.  Our Children’s Area – Walking into the children’s area of the library is like entering an enchanted forest.  The architects hit exactly the right note here.

      6.  Our ArtWalk – The main entrance of the library is the perfect place to display art work.  We have new displays of work by local artists every two months.

        7.  Our Donor Pillars – The brick pillars in the interior of the library are graced with the names of local donors who helped to furnish the new library, and are a great tribute to the spirit of generosity found in Collingwood.  What many people don’t know, however, is that the pillars are constructed of recycled brick.  Some of the bricks came from the old livery stable that once stood on this site.  Other bricks were rescued from the old Carnegie library when it was pulled down after the fire.  Something old incorporated into something new. 

Also:

      8.  Our Wonderful Staff and Volunteers – Of course nothing happens without people, and we are blessed with a talented crew of staff and volunteers whose passion for library work makes the library a special place to be each and every day.