Did you know that our library started as a dream in the heads of group of library-loving Strathcona County residents? Through a petition to the county, this group made the case for a library board to be created in 1973, and for a library director to be hired in 1974 with the mandate to develop a local library. Fast forward to Valentine’s Day 1977, when the doors opened to a municipal library as part of the new County Hall Administration Building. Just five years later, in 1981, bookmobile service was established for rural residents.
Many things have changed about library service since then. Card catalogues gave way to an online catalogue, and vinyl records have been gone for so long that they’re coming back around! Yet books are still popular with SCL library patrons, and library programs are going strong. Our library is still a great place to visit: to use a computer or grab a coffee, to find information or your next great read, to build digital skills or confidence with a new hobby, or to meet or make a new friend.
If you’re living rural, swing by any of our bookmobile’s 14 regular rural stops, and if you’d rather use the library online, we have plenty of exciting digital resources for you to explore. And did we mention that library cards are free for Strathcona County residents? Sign up or renew online and wish us a happy birthday!
You can glimpse some old library photos here, or take a deep dive into the library's history through these interviews with those who were there.
