The last 1,000 library books from the closed Fort Coulonge Library are being given away
Library books from a small town in the Pontiac region of Quebec are about to be checked out for the last time and with no due date.
"This used to be our library, unfortunately we had to close," said Fort Coulonge, Que. Mayor Christine Francoeur, while standing in the space that was formerly the library.
The town about a 120 km west of Ottawa is giving the remaining books away, after the library closed its doors for the final time in December, according to the mayor.
"It was a hard decision to make, it’s something we’ve been talking about for a couple of years already at the council table," she says.
The town has a population of about 1,300. Francoeur says the library costs around $42,000 annually to operate and, after years of declining use, a decision had to be made.
"We have less than three per cent of the population using our library and the ones that were coming in, most of the time was just to use the internet, not even to borrow books."
More than 5,000 books have been returned to a larger regional library network in the Outaouais. Approximately 1,000 books are left. Residents of the town only are invited to pick them up over two days this week.
"Residents of Fort Coulonge have already paid for these books in their taxes, so I think they should have first choice," said Francoeur.
She says this isn’t the first library in the area to close its doors — she adds that nearby Campbell’s Bay closed its library around two years ago.
Residents in the town have mixed feelings about losing their local library.
"It’s going to be a sad thing for kids around here," said one resident.
"I think it’s really important that we have that service. It’s awful that we don’t have it," said another.
One woman said, "I’m a person that didn’t go because we do everything with this today," as she points to her iPhone.
According to the mayor, residents can pick up books on Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m. at the library and administration building at 134 rue Principale, closing a chapter many wish had a happier ending.
"People that did use the library will be missing it a lot," said Francoeur.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'