Altona Branch
Volunteers and patrons not only kept the library open, but they dreamed of an overall improved library service for the community. Progress was slow, but they persevered. They petitioned on behalf of the library; councilors promoted the value of reading at council meetings. Planting seeds. All paving the way forward to who we are today.
1988 was the beginning of an exciting new chapter as Altona library joined Winkler and Morden to become part of a much larger story that is known as the South Central Regional Library. “It is better to be without shoes than to be without books” This was a quote made at the library’s very first grand opening, in reference to them moving into the former shoe store, located in the Altona mall. |
Where would we be without a library. We cannot celebrate where we are now without recognizing where we have come from.
The library as we know it is a far cry from its dusty, book storage beginnings in the early 1970’s held in a residence’s basement. The book storage continued operating as a single unit relying completely on volunteers for assistance and for the libraries sheer existence to help better serve Altona with the gift of reading. |
In 1994 The SCRL took a giant step forward into the computer age. All three branches scrapped the traditional but cumbersome drawers of card catalogs. Replaced with “easy to use" databases and computer terminals.
June of 1999 proved to be another moving experience for the Altona library as they moved yet again into a much larger space of 4000 square feet. A grand opening was held a few months later…being their third such celebration since joining SCRL just a short 11 years earlier in 1988. March of 2000 a much faster and more efficient library future came in the form of the “the internet” as the Altona library began offering internet services for the public. |
Less than two years after joining SCRL, they moved once again, February of 1990, to a new facility in the Altona civic Center. This more than doubled its floor space to over 2700 square feet. The new library with front exposure and lots of window lighting was exactly what they were hoping for, more shelving, study carol’s, tables and chairs and office furniture.
At this point the Altona library had 5000 books in its branch with a total of 38,000 in the regional system. With extra space, collection was their number one priority. By 1990 the Altona branch membership was over 1000, circ numbers were high as well with 15,000 books, magazines or videos borrowed in the past year. |
In 2001 the residents of the Rhineland municipality made history and “One for the books” as they signed an agreement with the South Central Regional Library, formally joining the library region, providing the residents of Rhineland with free access to public libraries of Altona, Winkler and Morden.
In August of 2022 the Altona library once again made another huge move and has come full circle, moving its much larger collection consisting of over 30,000 items back into the Altona mall, close to where it all began back in 1988. Over the years we have shared much love with the community in the form of books and library services and friendships. What greater gift is there than to see people enjoying and being excited about the written word. |