Squeezed under the bleachers of the Jasper Activity Centre, the municipal library has made the most out of its temporary home—thanks in large part to the leadership of Angie Thom, the newly appointed director of library services.
Unanimously appointed in April, Thom has worked for the library for the past 12 years filling a number of different roles, from children and youth programmer, to her most recent stint as the interim director, following Judy Krefting’s retirement last October.
But what really sets her apart is her desire to carve out a space that is more than your typical library.
“I like books, I like information, but libraries are more than just that,” she said. “In a lot of ways I think we’ve viewed ourselves over the years as sort of a living room atmosphere. You can come get a movie, get a book, sit down, chat with your neighbours, print something off, whatever it is.”
She credits the success of the library to her small team of part-time employees and more than 30 volunteers, including the board of directors.
“I’ve got a core group that come every week that help with inter-library loans, who shelve, who do the background stuff that makes it possible to exist.
“They have worked really hard in this location,” she said, adding that many people have stored boxes of books and pieces of furniture in their homes while the permanent library is under renovation.
As an Ontario native and graduate from the University of Western Ontario, Thom first visited Jasper when she was 24 years old, and after a number of moves back-and-forth finally decided to make Jasper her permanent home.
Married with two kids, she volunteered with the library for a number of years while working in the hospitality industry, before she opted for a part-time paid position with the library that allowed her to spend more time with her kids.
Twenty-five years later, she can now hardly contain her excitement when it comes to her new position and the newly revamped Library and Cultural Centre, which is slated to be complete by Sept. 1.
When asked what she is looking forward to most in the renovated building, she blurted out "windows"—followed by a long list of other services and amenities, including more space for children’s programming, wheelchair accessibility and greenspace.
In addition to better facilities, the library will also be sharing space with l’Association Canadienne Francophone de l’Alberta (ACFA), opening up the possibility for bilingual programming.
“The French association will be moving in with us—that’s exciting. The opportunity to do stuff in French and maybe bilingual programming, I think that would be exciting.”
With a newly renovated building and centralized services, Thom expects to see a jump in library users.
“We have lost users in this location,” she said, referring to the library’s temporary location on the corner of Bonhomme Street and Pyramid Lake Road.
Thom said the expanded Library and Cultural Centre is situated in a much better location, across from the Jasper Elementary School and closer to downtown.
She also expects heavier foot traffic because the Jasper Habitat for the Arts and Jasper Artists Guild will also be located in the same building.
Paul Clarke
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