I recently received copies of the 1953 and 1954 Medicine Hat Public Library annual reports. It is amazing at how little has changed in 65 years. It is true that inflation has transformed the dollar figures; the 1953 budget was a little under $26,000, which would surely warm the cockles of a 2018 taxpayer’s heart. To be fair, though, utilities cost $369.50. The relative proportions of everything are not far off today.
In 1953 the library completed a major expansion which included an “acoustically perfect” theatre. In 2017 the theatre was renovated and with the addition of some special panels it is more acoustically perfect than ever. The theatre is now bristling with electronic gadgetry. However, the grand piano pictured on the back of the 1954 annual report looks suspiciously familiar. I suspect the piano will be a better value than the electronics in the end.
The librarian of the day, Mr. Robert Block, was quite concerned with finances. I told you not much has changed! He was optimistic that the provincial government would contribute more (hope springs eternal) and he had some sharp criticism for city council and its “antediluvian system of financing.” The financial situation remains tight; levels of courage and candour in library administrators may have faded.
Libraries like to think they are moving beyond the old fashioned services of yesteryear, and it is true that Mr. Block emphasizes books and the answering of questions more than we would today. But that new theatre showed films in 1953 just like we do today (even if the films available in 1953 were sometimes “stodgy”). Mr. Block also mentions a “Teen-Age Room” (I thought my generation invented those!) and gives a really inspiring description of the library as the “Community Centre of Medicine Hat.”
“The Library saw within its walls many different cultural and recreational eventsÉ.Concerts, recitals, plays, exhibitions, displays, talks, public speaking contests, film shows, conventions and large meetings all took place,” Mr. Block reports. That has not changed. Just last night I was at our annual Monoporead event and I saw the children’s library bursting at the seams with families of every description. I was inspired by how lively and well used this library is (as I wondered how we could move that long line a little faster next year).
There is one more thing that has not changed. In 1953 Mr. Block thanked his staff for the “willing and whole hearted support they have given me, and their efficient, conscientious and loyal service frequently performed under difficult conditions.”
I extend the same thanks to the current staff.
Ken Feser is chief librarian at the Medicine Hat Public Library.
