![]() In 1978, included in the regional library district were the cities of Langley, Port Coquitlam and White Rock the Districts of Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Delta, Kent, Langley, Maple Ridge, Matsqui, Mission, Pitt meadows and Surrey the Town of Hope the Village of Harrison Hot Springs and the rural areas of school districts 32 (Hope), 33 (Chilliwack), 34 (Abbotsford), 36 (Surrey), 75 (Mission), and 76 (Agassiz–Harrison). Stress also resulted when the Township of Richmond withdrew from the library district in 1976 at a time when services were stretched severely to cope with expanding library needs. Struggle and stress, mainly caused by lack of operating funds, have been an integral part of the regional library's life since the early days. building on south Fraser Way in Abbotsford. In October 1979, headquarters again moved to larger premises, this time to its present 20,400 sq. headquarters building was opened on Montrose Avenue and a second storey was added in 1960. In 1951, an amendment to the Public Libraries Act changed the name of the library service to the Fraser Valley Regional Library. When he resigned in 1948, he was succeeded by Ronald Ley who served for nearly 24 years before retiring in 1972. In 1946 he was replaced by Peter Grossman who had driven the book–van in the early Demonstration days and who later became Provincial Librarian of Nova Scotia and head of the Vancouver Public Library. Carrick later became head of the Spokane Public Library. Bruce Carrick who was regional librarian during the hard–pressed war years. Morison was appointed first regional librarian in September 1934 and continued until 1940 when he resigned to become Provincial Librarian and Superintendent of the Public Library Commission. Helen Stewart's leadership in the Fraser Valley was a healthy young library service. Lidster of New Westminster, the chairman of the Public Library Commission, to Reeve Noel Booth of the Township of Langley, first chairman of the Fraser Valley Union Library. 13 dated June 22nd 1934 proclaimed the lands within the 20 municipalities and rural school districts to be the Fraser Valley Union Library District.įounding members were the cities of Chilliwack and Port Coquitlam the Township of Chilliwack the Districts of Kent, Langley, Maple Ridge, Matsqui, Mission, Pitt Meadows, Sumas and Surrey and the rural school districts of Abbotsford, Barnston Island, Concord, Deroche, Dewdney, Hatzic, Hope, McConnell Creek and Popkum.Īt the ceremony held in Chilliwack on September 28th 1934, the assets of the Carnegie Demonstration were officially turned over by Mr. In December 1933, electors in 20 of the 24 municipalities and rural school districts voted to support a co–operative library service when the Demonstration was finished.Īfter an agreement was signed by local representatives to this effect, Order–in–Council No. In October 1934 the headquarters was moved to Abbotsford. Project offices were at 31 Elliot Street in New Westminster with Chilliwack being the main branch and distribution centre. She organized it, with the assistance of the Commission and various local committees, and guided it through the Demonstration years. She was "the first trained librarian west of Toronto" and promoted the library vigorously throughout the valley. Helen Gordon Stewart, a former member of the Public Library Commission and former Victoria Public Library head, as director. Known as the Fraser Valley Public Library Demonstration, the project started on March 1st, 1930 with Dr. In 1929 the Commission selected the Fraser Valley for the experiment. The Library Commission sought and received a grant of $100,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to test the idea over a five–year term. This produced a report recommending a new idea – the formation of a library district as a unit for rural library service. Black, who, as chairman of the Public Library Commission in 1927, organized a study of library needs in British Columbia. The early history of Surrey's Public Libraries goes back to Dr. In 1930 most of the rural municipalities in the lower mainland, like Surrey, had no library service. The History of Surrey's Public Libraries The Beginnings – The Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL)
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