Library bookmarking services for County’s communities

With six branches stretching across Prince Edward County — from Consecon to Milford — there’s a library close to most residents. And with online services like ebooks and streaming video, the public library is even closer than you think! As long as you’ve got internet or data, you can borrow books, movies, and more—anytime, anywhere.

Still, we know that not every community has a library right around the corner. Our strategic plan recognizes this, and we’re committed to exploring new ways to reach people in areas without a branch—through online programs, outreach, and community events.

Athol is one of the wards in the County without its own library branch. Before the libraries amalgamated in the late 1990s, Athol partnered with South Marysburgh to support the Milford Library, making it free for Athol residents to use. These days, all six branches are free of charge for everyone in Prince Edward County—and many Athol residents use the Milford, Picton, and Bloomfield branches.

We want to make sure we’re still supporting and providing services in areas like Athol. That’s why we try to take part in local events and bring library programs directly to the community whenever we can. This past school year, we brought author Sylv Chiang to Athol-South Marysburgh School. Additionally, it’s important that all Prince Edward County students have the opportunity to visit the library in person – we know that visiting with a school class is often the first step to becoming a lifelong library user, with benefits that reverberate throughout someone’s whole life. Thanks to the Huff Family Fund through The County Foundation, we were able to bring a bus of Athol-South Marysburgh students to the public library to hear from Indigenous author Willie Poll, who shared stories, drumming, and art with the students.

This year, we’ll also be participating in Athol Day on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 11 to 3 p.m. While it’s usually held at the school, this year’s event will take place at Cherryvale Weddings, just down the road, due to construction at the school. We’ll bring all of our favourite giant games and the ever-popular button maker to invite everyone to make their own pinback button. Of course, we will also have information about the library and its six branches.

One thing we’re sure to be sharing is information about the upcoming series of talks held by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Belleville Centre in partnership with the South Shore Joint Initiative. The first of these events will be a pop-up event at the Milford Fair on Saturday, Sept. 13. You’re invited to learn about the local dark sky and efforts to preserve the night, take a safe look at the closest star – the sun – with the aid of RASC members and more. Their series will continue with monthly talks at the Picton Branch Library in October and we’re so grateful to the group for lending their expertise to the community in this way. Find the complete schedule of talks at peclibrary.org