The new library manager, Kerry Trottier, wants to encourage the community to make use of the large selection of services available through the St. Paul Municipal Library.
“The library is open to anyone," said Trottier. “It is a great resource, if you need a meeting room, books or a computer, we're here. I hope more people will come out and visit the library to see what we have to offer."
Trottier was born and raised in Medicine Hat in southern Alberta, but for the last 15 years she has moved, along with her husband who is a sergeant with the RCMP general investigative unit, to a variety of places in Alberta and northern B.C. Hopefully, they will be able to settle and stay in St. Paul for several years, she said.
When she first visited the St. Paul library, Trottier said the bright friendly building impressed her. There is so much open space with a nice meeting room and a wonderful children's area, she said. The library also has a full-time programmer and is open to any suggestions from the public about ways that they can use the space.
Before becoming a mom of two daughters, Trottier worked in business management but after having kids, she took a job in the school library.
“I just love the library," she said. When she saw the posting in the paper for the position, she knew it was a good fit for her skills. She is now looking forward to putting those skills to work expanding library services for the community.
The library website, www.stpaullibrary.ab.ca, not only has information about fees and services but also about times for kids programs such as story time, rhyme time and the adult book club. Patrons can also use the library from home by going into the website database and ordering the books they want.
“We are part of a 44-library consortium," explained Trottier, so almost any book that is ordered can usually be located at one of the libraries and transported to the St. Paul branch within a few days. Some people only come into the library to pick up and drop off books that are ordered, she said. E-readers are becoming more and more popular, she said, and patrons can either come in and download books or download them directly from the website.
“She is just a wonderful person," said Councillor Ken Kwaitkowski, the Town of St. Paul's representative on the St. Paul Municipal Library Board. He added that the board has met with her a couple of times in her first month of employment and she is very professional with great ideas to improve the services at the library.
For those who do not have access to a computer at home, the library has several computer stations and laptops with Internet connectivity for patrons to check email or do research.
“Some people said, can we start a Spanish group, so that people who speak Spanish can come, share ideas, read Spanish books and play Spanish board games, so we are going to get that started," said Trottier. Other people want to start a travel club, she added.
