Maria Lisa Polegatto February 2024
I have always been aware of library services from a young child with my mother introducing me to the world of books for personal reading, school projects, reading materials for professional means and general knowledge. A library is an example of a social entrepreneurial organization helping with the social issues of a community, such as health and welfare, economic development, technology, education, environment, and agriculture, in spite of these issues moving forward to adapt, emerge, and evolve in the process (Wesley et al, 2007).
Cape Breton Regional Library’s (“CBRL”) mission is to “strengthen and inspire” by offering “quality collections, cultural resources, programs and services” in a warm atmosphere of reading and learning by providing “information resources and entertainment materials” that are inclusive, with accessibility, and have accepting public spaces to all people through through 12 branch libraries and 2 bookmobiles in Cape Breton Regional Municipality and Victoria County, Nova Scotia, Canada, since 1950 (Cape Breton Regional Library, James McConnell Memorial Library, n.d.). One of the 12 CBRL locations is the James McConnell Memorial Library, located in downtown Sydney, Nova Scotia (“Library”), with a calendar full of events such as chess club, tea socials, fibre lunch, story time, craft making, information sessions and more (Cape Breton Regional Library, 2024).
While the Library has many books, magazines, and digital items about a variety of topics and interests, they are growing and expanding to fill gaps in society with programs and services to address community needs where everyone is welcome (CBC/Radio Canada, 2021). One of the programs at CBRL is their Seed Library where households are given up to 10 free seed packages, one from each variety, from a selection of beans, flowers, kale, lettuce, peas, radish, spinach, cucumbers, squash & zucchini, and tomato for you to “pick seeds, plant them and watch them grow” and don’t forget to enjoy eating them (Cape Breton Regional Library, n.d.).
Interview. In the midst of the aftermath of the first, and hopefully the last, 2024 snowmageddon with 150 cms record snowfall in Sydney, Nova Scotia, I spoke with Erin Flynn of the Library on February 9, 2024, about services the Library provides to the community. The following is an outline of our telephone interview.
I mentioned to Ms. Flynn, I noticed walking by the Library in the summer of 2023, a garden growing on their grounds and how I loved how sustainable this was. Ms. Flynn confirmed the garden has been in existence for several years and goods are distributed to the community to people who can either pick the food in the garden or the produce the staff place in the library. The garden is usually tended to by the McConnell Library staff, but anyone can help in the garden (Flynn, 2024). This is a great source and example of agricultural support for the community.
In viewing the Library website, I noticed the calendar of events and since I love doing crafts, I was intrigued by their events. For crafts, Ms. Flynn, noted people help each other out in events and often the same people come to group events and work together, such as the fiber lunch where people knit and crochet. While some events are staff lead, such as for children, events such as fibre lunch (Flynn, 2024) can encourage community members to develop courage and leadership skills and be a support group for each other.
Educationally the library has books, eBooks, digital products, and research materials to name a few of the Library resources. While school curriculum is often based on set agendas, the Library setting encourages openness and inclusion of interests and skills (Flynn, 2024). The Library is a self driven space, diverse and broad to encourage individuals needs, skills and interests (Flynn, 2024). The science program has included Parks Canada offering summer programs on animals, nature, and outdoor discussions with the Library changing programs to suit community needs for different ages (Flynn, 2024). Part of being a social entrepreneur is being innovative and creating new ideas or products and acting on them.
The Library does outreach to determine what needs are required in the community and develop programs based on those needs (Flynn, 2024). Programs have included community cupboards, food drives, clothing drives, and menstruation products (Flynn, 2024). Health and wellness programs include resources and non-traditional materials such as for sports and recreation (bike maintenance tool kits, be fit kits nature backpacks and board game kits), wellness, adaptive kits and equipment, and technology that can be borrowed such as computers and IPads (Flynn, 2024).
Social innovation includes issues that are simple, complicated, and complex in the community with active participants in shaping how the world is changed, such as helping youth grow into strong and capable individuals who can become future leaders and entrepreneurs. The Library is available for anyone of all ages for simple issues such as obtaining reading materials on a variety of subjects. For more complicated issues the Library staff are there to assist in locating specific texts that may need to be ordered in from another Library and help in finding research materials related to the subject matter.
To help with complex issues such as building entrepreneurial skills, the Library provides assistance to people to help locate information and help them learn how to start a business through assisting to find community support, grants and organizations (Flynn, 2024). The Library staff also takes requests to find information to assist entrepreneurs in finding resources when it is not easily accessible (Flynn, 2024). To help build entrepreneurial skills, the Library provides assistance to people to help locate information and help them learn how to start a business through assisting to find community support, grants and organizations (Flynn, 2024). The Library staff also takes requests to find information to assist entrepreneurs in finding resources when it is not easily accessible (Flynn, 2024).
I encourage you to take a tour of your local library online or in person and sign up to be a member. A free library card is like walking around with a library in your pocket with many resources at your fingertips online or in person. It is a great source of sharing resources, learning, and building skills for people of all ages. The more we learn and grow as a community the more we can assist our youth become strong individuals who can work together to build strong communities to support one another.
While the Library has many books, magazines, and digital items about a variety of topics and interests, they are growing and expanding to fill gaps in society with programs and services to address community needs where everyone is welcome (CBC/Radio Canada, 2021). One of the programs at CBRL is their Seed Library where households are given up to 10 free seed packages, one from each variety, from a selection of beans, flowers, kale, lettuce, peas, radish, spinach, cucumbers, squash & zucchini, and tomato for you to “pick seeds, plant them and watch them grow” and don’t forget to enjoy eating them (Cape Breton Regional Library, n.d.).
Interview. In the midst of the aftermath of the first, and hopefully the last, 2024 snowmageddon with 150 cms record snowfall in Sydney, Nova Scotia, I spoke with Erin Flynn of the Library on February 9, 2024, about services the Library provides to the community. The following is an outline of our telephone interview.
I mentioned to Ms. Flynn, I noticed walking by the Library in the summer of 2023, a garden growing on their grounds and how I loved how sustainable this was. Ms. Flynn confirmed the garden has been in existence for several years and goods are distributed to the community to people who can either pick the food in the garden or the produce the staff place in the library. The garden is usually tended to by the McConnell Library staff, but anyone can help in the garden (Flynn, 2024). This is a great source and example of agricultural support for the community.
In viewing the Library website, I noticed the calendar of events and since I love doing crafts, I was intrigued by their events. For crafts, Ms. Flynn, noted people help each other out in events and often the same people come to group events and work together, such as the fiber lunch where people knit and crochet. While some events are staff lead, such as for children, events such as fibre lunch (Flynn, 2024) can encourage community members to develop courage and leadership skills and be a support group for each other.
Educationally the library has books, eBooks, digital products, and research materials to name a few of the Library resources. While school curriculum is often based on set agendas, the Library setting encourages openness and inclusion of interests and skills (Flynn, 2024). The Library is a self driven space, diverse and broad to encourage individuals needs, skills and interests (Flynn, 2024). The science program has included Parks Canada offering summer programs on animals, nature, and outdoor discussions with the Library changing programs to suit community needs for different ages (Flynn, 2024). Part of being a social entrepreneur is being innovative and creating new ideas or products and acting on them.
The Library does outreach to determine what needs are required in the community and develop programs based on those needs (Flynn, 2024). Programs have included community cupboards, food drives, clothing drives, and menstruation products (Flynn, 2024). Health and wellness programs include resources and non-traditional materials such as for sports and recreation (bike maintenance tool kits, be fit kits nature backpacks and board game kits), wellness, adaptive kits and equipment, and technology that can be borrowed such as computers and IPads (Flynn, 2024).
Social innovation includes issues that are simple, complicated, and complex in the community with active participants in shaping how the world is changed, such as helping youth grow into strong and capable individuals who can become future leaders and entrepreneurs. The Library is available for anyone of all ages for simple issues such as obtaining reading materials on a variety of subjects. For more complicated issues the Library staff are there to assist in locating specific texts that may need to be ordered in from another Library and help in finding research materials related to the subject matter.
To help with complex issues such as building entrepreneurial skills, the Library provides assistance to people to help locate information and help them learn how to start a business through assisting to find community support, grants and organizations (Flynn, 2024). The Library staff also takes requests to find information to assist entrepreneurs in finding resources when it is not easily accessible (Flynn, 2024). To help build entrepreneurial skills, the Library provides assistance to people to help locate information and help them learn how to start a business through assisting to find community support, grants and organizations (Flynn, 2024). The Library staff also takes requests to find information to assist entrepreneurs in finding resources when it is not easily accessible (Flynn, 2024).
I encourage you to take a tour of your local library online or in person and sign up to be a member. A free library card is like walking around with a library in your pocket with many resources at your fingertips online or in person. It is a great source of sharing resources, learning, and building skills for people of all ages. The more we learn and grow as a community the more we can assist our youth become strong individuals who can work together to build strong communities to support one another.
Cape Breton Regional Library
James McConnell Memorial Library
50 Falmouth Street
Sydney Nova Scotia
Canada B1P 6X9
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 902-562-3279
James McConnell Memorial Library
50 Falmouth Street
Sydney Nova Scotia
Canada B1P 6X9
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 902-562-3279
Further Resources
CBC: Bigger than books: How a library is filling in social gaps in Sydney
NOVA SCOTIA CONNECT.CA
Cape Breton Regional Library
Cape Breton Regional Library, Sydney
Library Services FAQ
NOVA SCOTIA CONNECT.CA
Cape Breton Regional Library
Cape Breton Regional Library, Sydney
Library Services FAQ
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References
Cape Breton Regional Library. (2024, February 1). Sydney. https://cbrl.ca/Sydney/
Cape Breton Regional Library. (n.d.). Seed library. https://cbrl.ca/seedlibrary/
Cape Breton Regional Library, James McConnell Memorial Library. (n.d.). https://novascotiaconnect.cioc.ca/record/CBM0124?Number=11
CBC/Radio Canada. (2021, November 5). Bigger than books: How a library is filling in social gaps in Sydney | CBC News. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/library-filling-in-social-gaps-in-sydney-1.6237696
Flynn, E. (2024, February 9). Services of James McConnell Memorial Library. Personal communication.
Westley, Frances., Patton, M. Quinn., & Zimmerman, B. (2007). Getting to maybe : how the
world is changed. Vintage Canada.
Cape Breton Regional Library. (n.d.). Seed library. https://cbrl.ca/seedlibrary/
Cape Breton Regional Library, James McConnell Memorial Library. (n.d.). https://novascotiaconnect.cioc.ca/record/CBM0124?Number=11
CBC/Radio Canada. (2021, November 5). Bigger than books: How a library is filling in social gaps in Sydney | CBC News. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/library-filling-in-social-gaps-in-sydney-1.6237696
Flynn, E. (2024, February 9). Services of James McConnell Memorial Library. Personal communication.
Westley, Frances., Patton, M. Quinn., & Zimmerman, B. (2007). Getting to maybe : how the
world is changed. Vintage Canada.
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