The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library is getting a $269,380 grant from the federal government for its ongoing library archives project, which will see all archival materials relocated to a space in the libary’s North Branch.
Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan was joined by representatives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and the Algoma District School Board at the centennial library downtown Friday morning to make the announcement.
“The library is a great equalizer amongst people, it gives people equal opportunity - so I was really pleased when they came forward and looked for my help in getting the almost $270,000 for an archival project,” Sheehan told SooToday.
The funding, provided by the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund through Heritage Canada, will enable the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library to begin work on the renovated space at the North Branch.
Work on the new archival facility will include installation of compact shelving, firewalls and humidity control in order to preserve historical materials.
Acting library chief executive officer Matthew MacDonald says the downtown library on East Street is simply running out of room for archival materials.
“It’s quite large - we actually have four different spaces here at the Centennial Library where they’re located,” MacDonald told SooToday. “Some of the spaces are large, and some of them are small closets.”
“We’ve basically reached our capacity here - it’s difficult to take on any new materials, so it’s really important for us to move to a facility that is properly climate-controlled, that is large and allows us to have growth,” he continued. “The history is continuing, and there’s so much out there that we still want to preserve that we just haven’t had an opportunity to seek out yet.”
The new archival space at the North Branch location - situated beside the Boreal School on Northern Avenue - was the result of a mutually beneficial partnership between the library and the Algoma District School Board.
“I think they recognized that having an archive near a school would be very beneficial to them, and they also recognized our need as well,” MacDonald said.
Sheehan says he’s always been a big supporter of the library, going back to his days serving on city council, and as a representative of the arts and culture committee.
“It’s really important,” said Sheehan. “I’m a history minor, and we need to make sure that we have proper spaces to hold our archives, so it’s going to be a pleasure for me and the federal government to be a part of the new library.”