How Gananoque’s library is writing its next chapter

If you want to know what a town values, don’t look at its biggest buildings. Look at its smallest ones – the places where people go not because they have to, but because they want to.

In Gananoque, one of those places is the library.

It’s more than just a building filled with books. It’s a quiet pulse in the heart of the town, a space where stories are read and written, where young minds take shape and old ones stay sharp.

And on March 18, Gananoque council took a closer look at what the library has been up to.

Council received the Gananoque Public Library’s quarterly report, detailing an institution that is not just surviving, but thriving.

According to library chief executive officer Deirdre Crichton, circulation numbers are up, new programs are rolling out, and the library is expanding its reach into the community.

In 2023, the library loaned out 15,175 physical books and 14,526 e-resources – numbers that prove print isn’t dead, and neither is curiosity.

The library also facilitated the borrowing and lending of hundreds of books through its interlibrary loan system, connecting Gananoque readers with titles from across Ontario.

But books are only part of the story. The library has been deepening its roots in the community, forging partnerships with the Alzheimer Society of Lanark Leeds Grenville to host a dementia conversation series, and running story time sessions at the EarlyON Child and Family Centre.

It also welcomed a co-op student from Gananoque Secondary School, reinforcing its role as an educational hub.

Meanwhile, inside its own walls, the library has been making room for its youngest visitors. Staff reorganized the youth and mystery fiction sections to create a designated space for kids, because, as it was noted, every reader deserves a place to call their own.

The library’s role as a gathering place continues to grow. Mahjong for Beginners has drawn in new faces, and the “What is Dementia?” workshop helped residents navigate one of life’s toughest conversations.

Even the holidays had a literary touch, with the library joining Santa Sundays in the Park.

All of this ties back to the library’s long-term vision. A strategic planning survey wrapped up recently, guiding the institution’s next steps as it balances tradition with innovation.

Staff has been trained on a new interlibrary loan system, ensuring that Gananoque readers will always have access to the books they need, even if they have to travel a little to get them.

In an era where libraries are often an afterthought, Gananoque’s remains a cornerstone, council heard, a place to read, to learn, to gather; a place where the town, in all its curiosity and imagination, comes to turn the page.