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January 1994 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Page 7 West Vancouver Memorial Library The main challenge was to increase the floor space by 35,000 square feet to integrate the new addition without overpowering the existing building and to keep it within the site area available. Fund raising started in 1989 in line with the policy that all such projects should be partially flmded by private contributions. Ultimately this campaign raised over two million dollars. The total cost of the project will end up about 5.5 million dollars. The balance was fiinded from grants and successful lobbying of senior governments. It is believed to have been the most successful fund raising campaign for a public library in Canada to date. Jack, with the aid of slides, reviewed the many areas that required changing, the progressive development of the construction and the many problems and inconveniences to both the staff and patrons during this extensive reconstruction period. The Memorial aspect has been retained, and indeed enhanced, as part of the renovations. A memorial plaque, presented by the Canadian Legion Branch 60 to explain why it is called the Memorial Library, has been mounted prominently on the exterior of the building. The Book of Remembrance has been relocated in the Main Hall facing the Cenotaph across Marine Drive. The Stained Glass Window has been placed in a more prominent location on the south wall facing the inner courtyard but as yet requires some finishing touches. The Library has changed dramatically both in appearance and function as Jack’s slides clearly illustrated. The library is now 14times the size of the 1950 library. The collection is now 75 times what it was originally. The warm, cosy wood frame building of the 1950's has had to give way to a concrete structure to accommodate the needs of a vastly expanded population. The landscaping as it matures will certainly improve the appearance of what is now admittedly a cold exterior. While busy staff check out a book on average every 15 seconds and answer queries every two and a half minutes they still maintain a friendly outreach into the community and devote every effort to appeal to the youth of today. The new facility provides many services that, while outside tbe traditional frinctions of a library, have come to be expected in our Community. The Library Service goes out to thirteen locations in West Vancouver each week through operation of the bookmobile which is both cost effective and reaches many who would not be able to access branch libraries. A dedicated group of volunteers provide individual service to those patrons who, for various reasons, are homebound. West Vancouver, one of Canada’s first libraries to enter the computer field, has maintained its steady development. Continued in next column Continued Today the Card Index is only a memory from the past! The advent of CD ROM permits the storage of the entire US telephone directories on three CD’s; also on 3 CD’s an index of all the books in all US colleges; also on discs is an index of all business articles written in Canada since 1981. The computer system continues to be most popular with the young and posts the most formidable problems to those of the older generation. The computer is finally changing the way libraries are operating. From its inception the computer was touted as the death knell of books but despite the computer the use of books has increased. Information is becoming a precious commodity and ultimately it may be more economical to access information through video screen than resorting to words on paper. But really the library system remains the first line of democracy and will continue to thrive and grow even though the flow of information is electronic. Memories of Hollyburn School - ContinuedfromPage5 When we had a few cents to spend we would walk down to the little store near the ferry building and buy teddy bears, jaw breakers and licorice, several in a bag for one penny. Attempting to manage a jawbreaker iu my cheek in class got me in trouble and I had to spit out that delicious goody in the waste basket on teacher’s order’s. In snow time we rode our sleds down the wooden side walk on 13 th at great speed, often ending up in the deep rocky ditch at the side in roars of anguish. On miserable days we would have our lunch at Tommy Neale’s house across Esquimalt, enjoying delicious cocoa and buns. Roller Skating was popular but the only smooth surface was in the dark and gloomy school basement. We certainly loved the large cement play area at Pauline Johnson, a real plus for that school. We had no electricity in the school until 1922 but I wasn’t conscious of the coal oil lamps we must have needed on dark days. We didn’t have electricity at home so it was not missed. My mind returns to the present on this important day. I meet the charming principal of the school, Maureen Smiley, and watch all those others entering this place so filled with memories. The two original classrooms are still in use, as Computer Room and Library, but the rest of the school in unrecognizable. Our annex has long since been removed from the area. The original red roof, which first School Board Chairman John Lawson had insisted upon, is red no more. As I mingle with others from my era, as well as people from all the intervening years, both pupils and teachers, I realize that the school building may be changed but the spirit of Hollyburn is still alive and well. By: Barbara Johnson (Hadwin)