PREECEVILLE — The Parkland Regional Library Preeceville branch has undergone many changes over the years, including relocating to different buildings within the Town of Preeceville. On Jan. 28, the library was officially welcomed back to the Town of Preeceville administrative building, where it had previously been housed.
The week of Jan. 27 focused on literacy, and the library took this opportunity to officially re-open in its new location. Residents were encouraged to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured a come-and-go tea and cake. Mayor Darin Newton and councilors Taylor Sliva and Meaghan Nelson joined Barb Pidherny, the librarian, in officially cutting the ribbon.
The following day included the drop-in-play program for pre-school children, supervised by co-ordinator Karolyn Kosheluk. Preeceville School elementary students from kindergarten to Grade 6 were invited to the library, where they had the chance to meet the librarian, learn about the differences between the school library and the regional library, and participate in a fun activity. The guided tour was conducted by Kosheluk and Maureen Johnson, a library board member, on Jan. 30.
“The new area is wonderful. It is bright and very open,” said Pidherny.
The history of the library is documented in the Town of Preeceville’s history book Lines of the Past. The library was established in the early 1920s in the Sunny Brae School District by Mary Dewell. The Saskatchewan government offered a grant of $30 to any district that could gather 30 signatures at one dollar each to form a library.
Dewell travelled around in a horse and buggy to collect those signatures, leading to the formation of an organization known as the Mechanics and Literacy Society. She continued to serve as the librarian until moving to British Columbia. The library was subsequently relocated to Preeceville and housed in the old legion hall. When that hall was sold, the library moved to the rear of the old theatre, with Mrs. Cornish serving as the librarian.
When a building was purchased and moved to Preeceville to serve as the assembly room for the school, a room was donated to the library. Over the years, the library continued to move to different areas within the school, with the Sturgis School Unit providing rent-free accommodations for approximately 20 years.
Jane Archibald became the librarian in 1957 and served until her retirement in 1962. Mrs. Miller then took over the position, holding it for 13 years. Other librarians who followed included Inga Brown, Norma Appel, Faye Alberts, Sharon Brown and Pidherny, who has been the librarian since 2010.
In 1971, the library transitioned from a community library to a public library under the sponsorship of the Town of Preeceville. In 1976, the town council renovated rooms in the old nurses residence for the library.
In 1986, the library moved into the newly built Town of Preeceville administration building. In 1996, the town constructed a building in the downtown area specifically to house the library. Half of this building was designated for the library, while the other half was rented out as office space.
In 2018, the town had the opportunity to welcome a dentist to the area, prompting renovations of the office space for medical needs.The dentist expressed interest in purchasing the entire building, leading the town to decide, for financial reasons, to move the library back to the administrative building after the original library space became vacant.
