HISTORY

In 1914 the Country Women’s Club was organized, which evolved into the Local No. 1 of the United Farm Women of Alberta in 1916. “Reading, especially in the long lonely winter months, was a favorite relaxation in farm homes, and there was a dearth of good books in those early days.” (Pioneers and Progress, p. 77). So, one of the activities of this Club was to start a Library. Club Secretary, Irene Parlby, sent out appeals for books, and the donations started arriving, some as far away as South Africa and Japan. The Library grew, but was struck a hard blow in 1930 when the first UFA Hall burnt down. All books were lost, except for those out on loan. The Women’s Institute stepped into the breach until the new UFA Hall was built in 1934, and the books transferred to the the UFWA Library. Mrs. Olive Allan, mother of Mrs. Eve Keates, had been an Assistant in the University of Alberta Extension Library, and she organized the Alix Library on professional lines, arranging for shipments of books from the Extension Library services, as well as from the libraries in Calgary and Edmonton.

Following the end of World War II, a Children’s Library was established in the basement of the UFA building. The collection quickly grew to over a 1000 volumes and a Story Hour was offered on Saturday mornings. Mrs. Olive Allan remained the librarian of the Alix Library from 1936 to 1959, with assistance from many community members through those years. With the formation of the Parkland Regional Library System, the Farm Women of Alberta (UFWA) voted that the Alix Community Library would join the new system on Oct. 13, 1959. When Parkland Regional Library moved the contents of the UFWA Library to the school the public ceased to patronize it. Only after the Drop-In Centre was opened on Main Street, and a corner of it designated for a Public Library, did there become any activity. November 19, 1980 a meeting was held to organize the new Alix “Public” Library. At that time, librarian, Doris Ambury, received a wage of $3.80 per hour for 12 hours a week. Librarian, Doris Ambury, passed away on May 29, 1984. Mrs. Ambury had been the Librarian from 1974 - 1984, and had put a great deal of effort into improving the Library services in Alix.

In July of 1985, the Library moved from its cramped quarters in the Drop-In Centre to the newly renovated UFA Hall. The official Grand Opening was held on Sept. 14, with special guest Ron Moore, M.L.A., helping with the ribbon cutting. Kindergarten visits and Reading Programs for the children were provided throughout the year. Extensive renovations to the basement, and the painting of the upstairs, took place during the summer of 1998. A special ALIXGATOR logo was designed for the Library, as well as a dedicated group of volunteers recruited to help run the Library on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

1999 was a year of innovations and technological improvements. On April 15 of that year, the Library received a new Internet computer through the Alberta Public Libraries Electronic Network, Community Access Program and Industry Canada. This allowed for the public to access the Internet free of charge. As well, free Internet training sessions were offered. The introduction of the Alberta One Card program allowed patrons to access other library collections in the province at no extra cost. More recent innovations included the establishment of an audio-visual suite in the basement, providing access to sattelite channels and video viewing. The highlight of the year was the Library's 85th Anniversary celebration held on Nov. 21, with author readings, tours, visiting dignitaries, official presentations, doorprizes, and refreshments.

As we approached the new millenium, we continued to improve the Library. In January of 2000, "When In..." evenings were begun. They have been very well received by the community. The Library, in conjuction with the School Library, hosted a visit by local author, Sigmund Brouwer, at the School. Further improvements were made to the basement, making it a nicer area to hold activities in. The highlight of the year was our Librarian, Beth Richardson, being awarded the Parkland Regional Library Librarian of the Year Award for 1999. A special presentation was held in May. In the fall of 2000, we started offering musical CDs, videos and audio books in our collection. With the purchase of two more computers we were able to offer increased access to the Internet. Now that the new millenium is here we are continuing to strive to offer the best service to the community of Alix and surrounding areas.

As the year 2001 progressed, the Library continued to provide excellent service to the residents of Alix and the surrounding district. On June 26, a special celebration was held to honour Librarian, Beth Richardson, recipient of Parkland Regional Library's Librarian of the Year Award for 2000. Beth has the distinction of being the only Librarian to receive this honour two years in a row. The Library was able to obtain STEP funding and hired a student for the summer enabling them to increase the Library's hours of operation for July and August.