The Perth & District Union Public Library is a busy library in the rural town of Perth, Ontario. We serve the Town of Perth and the rural Townships of Drummond/North Elmsley and Tay Valley.
The library has three small study rooms and two meeting rooms. These rooms are heavily used by our community, with over 2500 hours of use so far in 2025 for our study rooms and 1300 hours of use for library programs in our larger meeting rooms.
This grant would allow the library to purchase the technology needed to make all of our meeting spaces fully accessible as hybrid meeting spaces.
Our three small study rooms are free to use and are frequently booked for community group meetings or by people who work remotely. These gatherings can be in person, online or in combination as a hybrid meeting thanks to the power of technology. Currently people must bring their own devices and hardware to conduct online or hybrid meetings as we do not have any hardware (screens, cameras etc) available in these rooms.
Similarly, we have two larger meeting rooms that are used for library programs or may also be used by the community for a fee. The smaller room is set up as a hybrid meeting space, while the other larger programming space is not.
The library wishes to provide Storytime and other popular children's programs with a hybrid option for those who can't come to the library. These programs provide connection with other families and literacy and learning support for our youngest community members.
In rural areas, community, work and learning opportunities can be limited or geographically isolated. Here is the chance to provide connection in an inclusive space to everyone in our community at the library and at home.
The library is a vital public gathering place and our meeting rooms gives community members a place to work, meet, and collaborate.
This grant would give community members the technology tools they need to make their meetings fully hybrid and accessible to everyone, building capacity in our Town and Townships.
This will support community members who work remotely to continue to live and work in our rural communities.
This will support residents who need to access government or social services online. The library can help residents with limited digital skills book and attend virtual meetings, providing technical support and a confidential space to access essential services.
This will support our community members who cannot physically get to the library, and safeguard against social isolation, by providing them a way to attend library programs, connect with other community members, make friends, and connect with services.
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I’ve loved this library since childhood and everytime I walk through the doors, I feel a bit like that book obsessed girl all over again.
The library is the center of the universe of every community and I am so grateful ours is out of this world 🙂
I love how responsive this library is to the needs of the community.
I can’t imagine life without the library which offers so much to our community. This project would be a valued enhancement.
When in doubt, I head to the library. There is always an answer or information. Great resources and people!
Keep up the good work!