Stark sisters, community and friends helping to renovate Bloomfield Library branch

The Bloomfield Branch Library is a longstanding hub of activity in the village. In the last year, the library has been aided by an outstanding Friends group that works tirelessly to support their branch. Most recently, the group championed an application to the Stark Family Fund through the Community Foundation of Kingston and Area, and we’re thrilled to be able to share that the application was successful.

The Friends of the Library, along with the branch staff, have observed there are increasing numbers of children and families in Bloomfield. The children’s room was expanded to accommodate these young readers and families. The Friends purchased a new rug and comfortable bean bag chairs, and individual members donated a fireplace, end table, and rocking chair. The result is a welcoming and comfortable space where children and their grown ups read, colour, play, and spend time together.

The remaining piece needed to complete the children’s room is the shelving for children’s nonfiction. These titles are often oversized (sized more like a picture book than a novel) and don’t fit on the existing fixed shelving. The project being funded by the Stark Family Fund will add new adjustable shelving as well as new heating and cooling units for the branch. The existing baseboard heaters and air conditioner are overdue for replacement, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer a more comfortable library in this way.

We’re so grateful to the Stark Family Fund for its generous support of this and other projects over the years at the County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives.

If you have dropped into the Bloomfield Branch any time in the last year or so, you’ll know that a major refresh is underway throughout the whole branch, with new carpeting and new bookshelves for the adult collection in place. Our thanks to the donors who contributed the bookshelves which are absolutely gorgeous and look like they were custom built for the space. They’ve truly increased the time people spend browsing books, and encourage readers to explore the collection. Thanks, too, to our library patrons for their flexibility and good humour as furniture and collections have been moved and rearranged during the refresh.

This spring, the Friends of the Library hosted a Lilac Extravaganza and book sale that welcomed many community members into the refreshed library space. It was a joy to hear how much visitors are enjoying the new look and feel of the branch. Inspired by the historic Lilac Teas once organized by the Women’s Institute in support of the Library, the event beautifully blended respect for the library’s rich history with a celebration of its future.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the refresh of the Bloomfield Branch. If you have not visited before, drop by during open hours: Tuesday 2- 7 p.m., Thursday 10 – 4 p.m., and Saturday 10 to 2 p.m.

The rocking chair, above, has returned to Bloomfield, and will now be used in the library. It was donated by Jean (Marshall) Chabot, who used to visit the Stark sisters in the village, and eventually bought their chair.