BONNYVILLE - During the June 25 Town of Bonnyville council meeting, it was announced that the Bonnyville Municipal Library is back to pre-covid numbers of attendance.
A wave of smiles and joy washed over the council meeting at the uplifting news that the community continues to heal after the lasting effects of the pandemic.
Library Manager Nicole Labrie says “We are feeling great about getting people back in the library. It’s so fun to have people of all ages come in and discover what we have to offer beyond being “that place with the books.”
The library has mostly been operating as usual, except there has been an increase in programming, which Labrie says has boosted attendance along with marketing efforts.
“We also attended several community events last summer which may have helped our reach with people who might not have thought of us before. I think a large part of the numbers increasing is also the fact that people want to go out, they want things to do, and the library is free and in a good location that’s easy for kids and families to get to,” says Labrie.
In a recent survey, the library found that respondents considered the library to be a community hub and felt more connected to their community when they attended. More than half of the respondents felt the library benefits their mental health.
“A lot of our regular programming focuses on bringing together people and allowing for conversation, even programs like Story Time or Rhyme Time. The focus might be on children’s literacy, but a secondary goal is allowing parents to chat and make connections,” says Labrie.
Labrie has been working hard to foster inclusivity. She has been bringing in more diverse books, and programming, as well as outreach service to The Hive which she reports has increased youth attendance.
“One of our goals was to try and get youth interested in and comfortable with coming to the library... Our after-school kids' program has also seen an attendance increase which is great. This summer we’re going to try out a program directed at tweens which is kind of an age group that gets missed in a lot of other programs which are either too mature or the participants are too young.” says Labrie.