Trail & District Public Library

History of the Trail & District Public Library

The Trail & District Public Library has been an important part of the Trail Community for over eighty years.

First formed in 1925, the Library has changed locations a number of times as it grew to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding community.

Through the efforts of Mrs. Lashley Hall, the first Trail Library was formed in the Spring of 1925. Space for the new Library was donated by the Trail Memorial Society in a building that had been erected as a memorial to Trail residents who lost their lives in the First World War.

The Chairman of the new Library Committee was Mr. Robert Gordon, and the first Librarian was Mrs. Annie V. Mason. The Library was stocked with 400 titles donated by the people of Trail, and $100 in donations. After only a few months of operation, the Library proved so popular that it had to be moved into larger premises in the Memorial Building.

In 1945 the Canadian Legion (formerly the Trail Memorial Society) was no longer able to share its building space with the Library. In return for moving premises, the Legion provided the Library with a small building on an adjacent site.

In December of 1957, after many years of hard work by Trail Library advocates, a plebiscite was passed which gave the City of Trail the authority to set up a Public Library Board. Library service would also be provided to Warfield and Tadanac.

In 1958, the Library once again moved premises, this time to the newly constructed Trail Memorial Centre, where the Library can still be found today. The official opening of the new Library was on April 30th, 1958.

In 1979, the Library Board commissioned a Library Consultant to evaluate Library Service in Trail. The ensuing report made a number of recommendations that resulted in improved Library service.

The Library was known as the Jean McCallum Library from the mid 1970's until 1989 when the name of the library was changed to the Trail & District Public Library.

In 1980, Library staff certified, and became members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 2087.

The formation of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary in 1982 resulted in a large increase in Library users, as residents of Fruitvale, Montrose, Rossland, and Area A and B were now eligible for free memberships.

The late 1980s and the 1990s have seen many changes in the Trail & District Public Library. Improved collections, extensive automation, and expanded programming allow the Library to provide a full range of services and materials to the people of the Greater Trail Area.

The Trail & District Public Library has received the following awards:

At the 2005 British Columbia Library Association Conference, the Friends of the Trail Public Library were presented with an Advocacy Award by the BC Library Trustees' Association.
The British Columbia Library Association Merit Award was presented to the Library at the 2000 BCLA Conference in Kelowna "in recognition of outstanding achievement for the project Winning the Referendum".
The Canadian Library Association/Rowecom Canada Marketing Award was presented to the Library at the 2000 CLA Conference in Edmonton for the Library's "Election Marketing Campaign".
At the 2000 British Columbia Library Conference, Joe Makse, Library Board Treasurer was presented the BCLTA Super Trustee Award for "Outstanding Service Towards the Development of the Public Library in Your Community".