The staff at Athabasca’s Alice B. Donahue Library and Archives was hoping to shed some light on what their facility offers to people in the community last week.
They joined public libraries from across the province for an event dubbed Snapshot Day 2011, an effort to display the importance that public libraries have in local communities. The local library opened their doors last Thursday, offering up coffee and snacks to patrons.
The event coincided with another celebration, Archives Week, a provincial effort pushed by the Archives Society of Alberta.
For the library, the event was about illustrating what a typical day at the building would be like.
The concept of the day originated with the New Jersey State Library Association, and soon spread across the United States and Canada.
Library manager Cynthia Graefe explained that the day was as much about showing off the traditional idea of libraries as it was an opportunity to demonstrate how the local branch has taken a full leap into 21st century technology.
“Mostly we were looking today just to bring in people who haven’t been before, once they get here perhaps they’ll find out their traditional concept of a library may not be entirely accurate,” she said.
Sure the library has rows upon rows of books, newspapers and magazines, but they are increasingly incorporating new technology to stay up-to-date.
Library memberships now give you access to DVDs, electronic books, academic databases and computer programs.
One of the most exciting new tools is a software program called Mango, a practical tool to learn new languages, she said.
Library members can also delve into the past with a free subscription to Canadian Newsstand, which offers unparalleled full-text access to over 300 Canadian newspapers hailing back to the 1970s.
A newly added feature titled the Gutenberg Project brought 23,000 classic book titles from the public domain onto electronic book format, a sure way to keep even the most voracious reader occupied.
With such access to both digital and hard copy material for only $12 per individual or $20 for a family, there are potential savings of thousands of dollars, she said.
But if local history is more your taste, the adjacent Athabasca Archives will have everything you need.
Celebrating provincial Archives Week gave Athabasca archivist Marilyn Mol a good opportunity to show what the collection has to offer.
As the geographical north-south midway point of the province, Athabasca played an integral role in the early history of the province.
From the impact of the Athabasca River and our community on the nation-forming fur trade to scientific information dating back to the early 1900s, the contents of the archives have a multitude of applications, explained Mol.
Boasting 70 metres of text records, 17,000 photographs, newspapers dating back to 1908 and a variety of historical maps, books and artifacts, the archives offer a true glimpse into the community’s storied past.
The biggest draw, she said, is the historical connection to the present, both in people and places.
Oftentimes families will come in and be surprised to find newspaper photos of their ancestors at the ready. People from across the country come back to explore their local roots, she added.
For places, they offer practical applications in knowing what stood where in years gone by, helpful when looking into potential development.
If residents are unable to make the trip to the facility, there is always the digital route. Net-savvy individuals can find local history from the Archives Society of Alberta at archivesalberta.org and through Athabasca University at digiport.athabascau.ca/townarchives/.
One might think that an archivist only looks to the past, but Mol’s efforts are never complete.
“History is made every day,” she said of the constant efforts to keep up with local news, records and information.
Luckily, she has three volunteers studiously organizing submitted pieces.
All donations are welcome, she said, including photos, diaries, maps, manuscripts, memoirs and multimedia items like CDs or DVDs. If in doubt, bring it in instead of tossing it, she added.
The archives are open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between noon and 4 p.m. For appointments, call ahead to 675-2735.
The library is open between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
