After dissolving as a municipality on Jan. 1, the Village of Cereal in eastern Alberta has provided the parting gift of a full library for Langdon – a service the community has been hoping for and anticipating for many years.
“We had been looking at things that are needed in our community and one of the things we identified was a library, “said Debra Carrobourg, chairperson of the Langdon Library Society. “At the same time, with Cereal dissolving, it was going to lose its library.”
Carrobourg said the opportunity arose thanks to the Marigold Library System (MLS), which expedited the possibility of Langdon receiving a library sooner rather than later.
“We want to thank Cereal for what they have done,” she said. “They have gifted us what is pretty much a ready-built library.”
The gift, according to Carrobourg, is valued at approximately $150,000. It contains roughly 4,000 items, including shelves, desks, furniture, books, cabinets and computers.
“The computers are a big thing, because libraries are so much more than just books these days,” Carrobourg said. “There are other ways to connect. Also, not everyone has a computer in their homes.”
The Cereal library will need to be closed by the summer of 2021, meaning the Langdon Library Society’s next steps include finding a suitable temporary location to house the facility until the hamlet’s proposed recreation centre is built.
There is not yet a date of when the library could be open for community use, according to Carrobourg.
“It’s a little bit of coordination there, trying to figure out where the space could be,” she said. “A big thing will be working with Rocky View County (RVC) and the MLS.”
The next steps also include having conversations with RVC and possibly presenting to council in the future.
“We have reached out to them to hopefully have that conversation to explain what we need and see if there is a way we can work this out,” she said. “We have requested a special meeting with our councillor – we are waiting to hear back on that.”
The Langdon Library Society is hoping to have a solution for a temporary location by May 15, which would give everyone enough time to prepare the move for the library.
Carrobourg said while there is still a lot of work to be done, she and the other members want to thank the former Village for their generous donation. She also wanted to thank Special Areas – the governing body for Alberta's designated rural municipalities that are similar to a municipal district.
The Langdon Library Society has also started a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising money to help with additional costs associated with bringing the library to the hamlet. The online campaign’s goal is to raise $75,000, which Carrobourg added would support building and transportation costs.
“We are hoping to have a little money available so that we can also apply for some grants, which would help us with the cash flow that we need to set this up,” she said.
While the online fundraising campaign is now underway, there has been no money raised as of Jan. 21. For those interested in donating to the cause, visit bit.ly/2KBWv4j.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
