West Vancouver Memorial Library
Encyclopedia
The West Vancouver Memorial Library (WVML) is a public library
that serves the District of West Vancouver, British Columbia
, Canada
. It was founded in 1950 as a memorial to honour those who gave their lives during the Second World War so future generations would have the freedom to pursue knowledge without let or hindrance. The Library has a circulation rate of 21.32 per capita, the highest circulation rate per capita in Canada.
Harsh economic times during the 1930s led to sharp reductions in provincial funding, and in 1933, the library was officially closed. West Vancouver residents were deeply affected by the Great Depression
, although throughout the latter half of the decade, there was a proliferation of small private lending libraries in a number of stationery and gift shops.
With the onset of the Second World War, the economy of West Vancouver was centred on the War effort, along with the rest of Canada
, but by the summer of 1944, a petition requesting the establishment of a municipal public library was presented to West Vancouver City Council. On December 16, the by-law was approved, and shortly after the end of the War, the municipality voted that a library be constructed as a War Memorial
.
entitled "Harmony," created by Master craftsman John Henry Dearle
.
West Vancouver Memorial Library was only narrowly voted in as the municipality's official War Memorial—a close second (by only one vote) was a Civic Center
. Other possibilities included a hospital, a swimming pool, a chapel, a town clock, and a community gymnasium. The library is situated in the 1900 block of Marine Dr., and since it was officially opened in the year 1950, it was given the street number 1950 by the municipality. Oddly enough, the library's construction totalled $19,500.
Since the end of the War, West Vancouver's population had risen steadily, and after just five years of being open, the library was circulating an impressive 12.76 books per capita. In 1957, Weekend Magazine published a photostory about West Vancouver Memorial Library entitled "North America's Busiest Library," and in 1960, The Vancouver Sun
also proclaimed that the library was the "Most Busy Library in Canada." Not surprisingly, then, the library has experienced a constant need for expansion, and with a series of renovation projects, the library itself has grown to meet the needs of its flourishing community. The library has continually maintained a high rate of circulation, and at present has the second highest circulation per capita in BC.
Children are welcome to attend Babytime, Tales for Twos, Storytime Fun (3Y-5Y), as well as Family Storytime—all of which feature a variety of stories, songs, action rhymes, and more.
Teens aged 12–15 are welcome to join the library's Teen Advisory Group (TAG). One general meeting is held every month, as well as one event, project or workshop per month. Past events/projects that the TAG has been involved with include:
Teens are also welcome to participate in the library's Book Buddies program, which involves helping and encouraging children with their reading skills.
Adults are welcome to attend any number of the library's many programs including computer training seminars, database training, author readings, book clubs, slide shows, film viewings, book launches, along with a number of special events that might include a Wine Appreciation Evening, or a Photography Exhibition.
's, VHS
cassettes, CD-ROMs, historical photographs, microfilm, microfiche, newspapers, and magazines, along with a fairly extensive offering of CD's.
The library has a number of multilingual materials including those in Chinese
, Tagalog
, Japanese
, Spanish
, Korean
, French
, and Persian
. With more than 2,500 books, West Vancouver Memorial Library has the largest and most comprehensive Persian
collection in British Columbia.
The library also has a number of specialized databases including those associated with Business
, Citizenship
, Consumer
Information, Education
, Genealogy
, Health
& Medicine
, History
, Language
& Literature
, Law
, Music
, Religion
& Philosophy
, Science
& Technology
, and Statistics
.
To find out what is showing on the walls of the Gallery this month, visit the Gallery page on the West Vancouver Memorial Library website here.
from Robert Leslie Welsh, the West Vancouver Memorial Library has been able to offer a number of music-related programs, materials, and technologies for the general public.
Now in its fourth year, the Library's Friday Night Concert Series features a wide spectrum of live music. With six concerts each season - September, October, November, January, February & June, there is a wide range of performances including Argentine tango
, Cuban jazz
, opera
and fado
. Concerts are free and open to all.
The library also offers Kodaly Orff Music for Children, a 6 week sampler for preschoolers, offered three times a year. Children experience the joy of making music through song, games, dance and instruments. A great introduction to the Kodaly Method
, which also develops skills children will carry with them to further music lessons.
An extensive collection of CDs is also available at the library, along with classical and popular music performances on DVD, and an expanding collection of music books and scores. Patrons can listen to CDs in the Music Listening Room.
The Friends of the Library also provides hospitality for the Library's official and social events like the monthly Artist receptions, Author events, and Concert Series. They sponsor the annual North Shore Writers' Festival, the Summer Reading program, and they also help out when the Library Foundation holds its annual croquet benefit.
The Foundation recognizes that the strength of the library stems from well-trained staff, ample high-quality materials, the latest technology and well-equipped buildings. A strong library system enriches the community by expanding minds and enriching lives; the efforts of the Foundation seek to support this goal.
The Foundation's current initiatives include:
The West Vancouver Memorial Library Foundation is very grateful for the support it has received from past donors. Future donations can be made to the Foundation in person or online.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
that serves the District of West Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was founded in 1950 as a memorial to honour those who gave their lives during the Second World War so future generations would have the freedom to pursue knowledge without let or hindrance. The Library has a circulation rate of 21.32 per capita, the highest circulation rate per capita in Canada.
Early history
Although West Vancouver Memorial Library did not officially open its doors until November 11, 1950, the District of West Vancouver was peppered with small circulating libraries throughout the first half of the twentieth century. As early as 1919, Mrs. Effie M. Field was loaning books from her dry goods and children's clothing store at 14th St. and Bellevue Ave.; however, in 1921, the Hollyburn Public Library Association took over Mrs. Field's modest collection of books, with the intention of turning it into a municipally funded public library. By 1926, the library's collection grew to over 1000 books, and after moving into George Gimmill's modern drug store at 1402 Marine Dr., the library was able to expand even further.Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, although throughout the latter half of the decade, there was a proliferation of small private lending libraries in a number of stationery and gift shops.
With the onset of the Second World War, the economy of West Vancouver was centred on the War effort, along with the rest of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but by the summer of 1944, a petition requesting the establishment of a municipal public library was presented to West Vancouver City Council. On December 16, the by-law was approved, and shortly after the end of the War, the municipality voted that a library be constructed as a War Memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
.
Later history
Designed by West Vancouver architect R. A. D. Berwick, the library was opened on November 11, 1950 with Elizabeth Musto as the library's first official librarian. Shortly thereafter, a stained glass window was generously donated to the library, featuring a reproduction of a painting by Sir Frank Bernard DickseeFrank Bernard Dicksee
Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee KCVO was an English Victorian painter and illustrator, best known for his pictures of dramatic historical and legendary scenes. He also was a noted painter of portraits of fashionable women, which helped to bring him success in his own time. Dicksee was born in London...
entitled "Harmony," created by Master craftsman John Henry Dearle
John Henry Dearle
John Henry Dearle or J. H. Dearle was a British textile and stained glass designer trained by Pre-Raphaelite artist and craftsman William Morris. Dearle designed many of the later wallpapers and textiles released by Morris & Co., and contributed background and foliage patterns to tapestry designs...
.
West Vancouver Memorial Library was only narrowly voted in as the municipality's official War Memorial—a close second (by only one vote) was a Civic Center
Civic center
A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building...
. Other possibilities included a hospital, a swimming pool, a chapel, a town clock, and a community gymnasium. The library is situated in the 1900 block of Marine Dr., and since it was officially opened in the year 1950, it was given the street number 1950 by the municipality. Oddly enough, the library's construction totalled $19,500.
Since the end of the War, West Vancouver's population had risen steadily, and after just five years of being open, the library was circulating an impressive 12.76 books per capita. In 1957, Weekend Magazine published a photostory about West Vancouver Memorial Library entitled "North America's Busiest Library," and in 1960, The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
also proclaimed that the library was the "Most Busy Library in Canada." Not surprisingly, then, the library has experienced a constant need for expansion, and with a series of renovation projects, the library itself has grown to meet the needs of its flourishing community. The library has continually maintained a high rate of circulation, and at present has the second highest circulation per capita in BC.
Services
West Vancouver Memorial Library has a number of Events and Programs for patrons of all ages.Children are welcome to attend Babytime, Tales for Twos, Storytime Fun (3Y-5Y), as well as Family Storytime—all of which feature a variety of stories, songs, action rhymes, and more.
Teens aged 12–15 are welcome to join the library's Teen Advisory Group (TAG). One general meeting is held every month, as well as one event, project or workshop per month. Past events/projects that the TAG has been involved with include:
- Teen Movie Night @ the Library
- Teen Rock Concert @ the Library
- BOOKtopia: the Children’s Literature Festival of West Vancouver
- Book launches/Author readings
- Book, movie & music reviews & suggestions for the teen collection
- Community Day Parade - Bookmobile decorations & walking in the parade in June
- Summer Reading Club Medal Presentation Ceremony in September.
Teens are also welcome to participate in the library's Book Buddies program, which involves helping and encouraging children with their reading skills.
Adults are welcome to attend any number of the library's many programs including computer training seminars, database training, author readings, book clubs, slide shows, film viewings, book launches, along with a number of special events that might include a Wine Appreciation Evening, or a Photography Exhibition.
Collection
West Vancouver Memorial Library's collection of materials includes books, DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
's, VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
cassettes, CD-ROMs, historical photographs, microfilm, microfiche, newspapers, and magazines, along with a fairly extensive offering of CD's.
The library has a number of multilingual materials including those in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. With more than 2,500 books, West Vancouver Memorial Library has the largest and most comprehensive Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
collection in British Columbia.
The library also has a number of specialized databases including those associated with Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, Citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
, Consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
Information, Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, Genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
& Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
& Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
& Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
& Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, and Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
.
Art
For over 15 years, the Gallery at the West Vancouver Memorial Library has been featuring exciting new artwork by emerging artists. Library patrons love the changing exhibits.To find out what is showing on the walls of the Gallery this month, visit the Gallery page on the West Vancouver Memorial Library website here.
Music
Through a generous bequestBequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
from Robert Leslie Welsh, the West Vancouver Memorial Library has been able to offer a number of music-related programs, materials, and technologies for the general public.
Argentine tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...
, Cuban jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
. Concerts are free and open to all.
The library also offers Kodaly Orff Music for Children, a 6 week sampler for preschoolers, offered three times a year. Children experience the joy of making music through song, games, dance and instruments. A great introduction to the Kodaly Method
Kodály Method
The Kodály Method, also referred to as the Kodály Concept, is an approach to music education developed in Hungary during the mid-twentieth century by Zoltán Kodály...
, which also develops skills children will carry with them to further music lessons.
An extensive collection of CDs is also available at the library, along with classical and popular music performances on DVD, and an expanding collection of music books and scores. Patrons can listen to CDs in the Music Listening Room.
Friends of the Library
West Vancouver Memorial Library is strongly supported by its Friends of the Library volunteer group. This group conducts a semi-annual sale of books, CD's, etc., and with over $100,000 raised since 1993, the Friends of the Library has supported a number of special library projects, including:- Furnishings and equipment for the Youth Department, meeting rooms, main hall and courtyardCourtyardA court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
- $28,000 for the Group Study Area
- $22,500 towards the BookmobileBookmobileA bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
- $33,000 for the Learning Language Lab
The Friends of the Library also provides hospitality for the Library's official and social events like the monthly Artist receptions, Author events, and Concert Series. They sponsor the annual North Shore Writers' Festival, the Summer Reading program, and they also help out when the Library Foundation holds its annual croquet benefit.
West Vancouver Memorial Library Foundation
The West Vancouver Memorial Library Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1986 to receive, administer and distribute gifts made to enhance Library services beyond the scope of normal funding. These additional services and facilities have helped to make the Library a more interesting, helpful and user-friendly place.The Foundation recognizes that the strength of the library stems from well-trained staff, ample high-quality materials, the latest technology and well-equipped buildings. A strong library system enriches the community by expanding minds and enriching lives; the efforts of the Foundation seek to support this goal.
The Foundation's current initiatives include:
- Reorganization of the books
- New Central Information Desk
- New Public Computer Centre
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) System integration
- Conversion from Bar Code to Chip Identification
The West Vancouver Memorial Library Foundation is very grateful for the support it has received from past donors. Future donations can be made to the Foundation in person or online.