Winkler Branch
South Central Regional Library started as the Winkler and Morden Regional Libraries. The Winkler Library opened to the public on Oct 20th, 1965.
Originally the library was located in the former Manitoba Telephone System building on Mountain Avenue. In 1966 the budget for purchasing books for the Morden and Winkler Libraries was just $3580.39 a year. On April 1st 1976 the RM of Stanley joined and South Central Regional Libraries was born
Originally the library was located in the former Manitoba Telephone System building on Mountain Avenue. In 1966 the budget for purchasing books for the Morden and Winkler Libraries was just $3580.39 a year. On April 1st 1976 the RM of Stanley joined and South Central Regional Libraries was born
 The original location of the Winkler Library, the Manitoba Telephone System building on Mountain Avenue.
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The current location of the Winkler library, on Main Street
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In 1981 the Winkler Library moved into a much larger space in the Winkler Civic Centre. In 1985 SCRL operated on a budget of $100,000 annually, employing two full time librarians, two assistant librarians and five part time staff members.
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As the library continued to grow, they started to look for a new space. Eventually the site of the former Bethel Hospital was decided on and the construction began on March 29, 2006 and on November 14, the library moved into the new space.
Since the building was across the street from the Civic Center, 1084 volunteers made a human chain, passing the books
from one building to the other. They managed to move 40,000 books in two days. The grand opening to celebrate the new library was held on Jan 27, 2007.
Since the building was across the street from the Civic Center, 1084 volunteers made a human chain, passing the books
from one building to the other. They managed to move 40,000 books in two days. The grand opening to celebrate the new library was held on Jan 27, 2007.
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The shelves in the library have moved around as new sections have been added and old sections with things like VHS tapes have been removed. In May of 2019 a plumbing issue caused a flood in the library resulting in damage to over two thirds of the building. Fortunately, not a single book was damaged. However, the damage meant that the library underwent an impromptu renovation as drywall was taken off, furniture removed and desks replaced.
In 2022 thanks to a generous donation, we were able to add a reading garden to the north side of the library and the outdoor space has been very popular with patrons.
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The Winkler Library currently employs a branch administrator, seven library clerks, one library assistant and four library pages. Our budget for purchasing books has increased significantly from $3580.39 for two libraries in 1966, to $47,550 in 2024 for the Winkler Library. Over the years changes have been made to the library, shelves have moved, sections have been added and removed and staff have come and gone but thanks to our patrons the library continues to grow.