NORQUAY - The Parkland Regional Library's Norquay branch celebrated its grand reopening with a special ceremony, expressing gratitude to everyone involved in the renovation process. The event took place at the library, where community members and volunteers gathered to mark the occasion.
The ceremony began with Karen Crawford, the librarian, welcoming the attendees and acknowledging that the library is in Treaty Area Four and the Traditional Homeland of the Métis People. She expressed her appreciation to those who contributed to the renovation and emphasized the importance of libraries as inclusive spaces for all.
The renovation project was initiated after Crawford appealed to the Norquay Board and the town council about the library's worn-out carpeting and water-damaged walls. The town council approved the renovation and work began to address these issues. Karen thanked the board members, volunteers, and various businesses that played a crucial role in the renovation process.
Volunteers played a significant part in the renovation, helping with tasks such as packing and labeling books, moving shelves, and reinstalling them. Special recognition was given to three outstanding volunteers: Joseph, Catherine, and Lucy Chorneyko, who dedicated over 40 hours each to assist with the renovation. They were presented with tokens of appreciation for their exceptional efforts.
Crawford touched upon the historical challenges faced by Indigenous communities in accessing libraries, noting that until 2006, Indigenous citizens in Saskatchewan had to pay for library services. She then invited Guest speaker Michael Keshane from Key First Nation to share his thoughts on this special day.
Keshane said, “Our people have always believed in sharing and working together and building bridges together so that our communities can thrive together. And so if we can work together, teach our children that everyone's equal, they're all the same and we all deserve good transit to the future, our knowledge and our traditions are not in the books. Our knowledge and the traditions are on the land. So when we teach our children we go to the land to teach them about our ceremonies. What we're trying to do now, with this day and age in 2023, we’re trying to document our language, we're going to put it into video as well as books.”
Kachin then performed a spiritual blessing, after which Crawford said, “I hope that with your blessing, this will begin a journey of lifelong learning, access to information for all and the sharing of all our stories. That will benefit members of yours and the members of our community.”
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