Carbonear Pubic Library still the best deal in town

By Olivia Bradbury/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

If you think your local public library is nothing more than a quiet boring old spot full of books – that would actually be a pretty nice thing in some people’s minds – it turns out it’s a lot more than that. Just ask Carbonear Public Library librarian Tracey Vaughan-Evans, who has worked in libraries since 2009 and at the Carbonear branch since 2012.

librarian at the Carbonear Public Library, went into detail about what they offer their community.

The Carbonear library has over 4,000 patrons. Along with the books available for checkout, the staff also offer half hour-long story times for children six and under, a junior reading club, a book club for adults, a poetry program and a breastfeeding support group organized by NL Health Services. And those are just some of the activities.

The library also frequently hosts author events.

 “We do local authors, we do authors from away, and I’m very fortunate to have a library board that is offering these authors and poets an honorarium,” said Vaughan-Evans.

Among the authors who have visited and provided readings at the library are Tom Dawe, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Michael Crummey, Courtney Wicks, Nellie Strowbridge, and Patrick Collins. The events are well-attended — there were more people than chairs at the Michael Crummey reading, and Vaughan-Evans describes them as great experiences.

Vaughan-Evans said the library is a good place for bringing like-minded people together to share their passions and interests.

“It makes for an alive community,” she said. “It’s more of a community hub.”

And everyone at the library is treated equally, she added; all you need is a library card.

“We’re very lucky in that the community supports what we’re offering,” said Vaughan-Evans. “We have good attendance, the town will share our events on their webpage.”

She also credits CBC Radio and Weekend AM Heather Barrett for sharing information about the library’s events and programming.

“Because of where we are on the peninsula here in Carbonear, it’s not just people from Carbonear using our library,” said Vaughan-Evans.

The library has patrons from Trinity Bay, for example, who drop in during a banking or shopping trip to Carbonear.

“We’re all about being here for the public and trying to support our community and our public,” said Vaughan-Evans.

Besides paper copies of books, the library offers audiobooks and electronic books through the Libby app. Patrons can also get the NLPL (Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries) Connect Pass online to get free passes to cultural and recreational attractions around the province. The NLPL website can also help with job searches, digital skills, and learning languages

“There’s lots to having a library card. And it’s free,” said Vaughan-Evans.