Membership as a Friend of the Dundas Library is free. Please complete the special brochure available at the check-out desk. Tell us how you want to be a Friend and make a difference to our Library. A copy of the Friends Constitution and By-Laws is available. Please Contact the Friends.

President's Report for 2004-2005
Oct. 24, 2005
Annual Report for 2004-2005 by J. Nicol
Given at the Dundas Public Library

Library service in Hamilton celebrates its 115th anniversary this year. Dundas had its first library services through the Mechanics Institute in the 1860’s. In 1910, the Carnegie Library Building opened (unique among the 156 Carnegie Libraries built in Canada as the only one occupying a corner lot) and it served the town with library services for 60 years. The present library building opened in 1970. Thus, there is a long tradition of library support for approximately 145 years in Dundas!

As a recent idea for “Friends of Libraries” to volunteer their talents and energy to improve their local library in an active form, the Dundas Friends have shown a good library is necessary if a town is to foster its sense of community spirit.

Dundas is a town undergoing change. Its old central industrial base is changing to a residential base with an emphasis on “empty-nesters” and retirees. The main employers in the town are now institutions for long term care! The main-street shopping scene is healthy. The “Arts Community” in the town is vibrant. The library is seen as an increasing “walk-to” destination for many of its patrons as the town’s core population expands. Dundas is within walking distance from one of Canada’s leading (named Research University of the Year 2005) university. There are as many students at the University as there are residents in Dundas! The significance of the Dundas Public Library to mirror this population change is clearly apparent – of course having the library in the nearly plumb-centre of the town adds to its standing.

When the Friends started out in 1999, few of us saw past the immediate year. Well, we have just closed another year in attempting to help a good branch library become a little bit better. Our branch Manger and Librarian, Karen Peter, has been a strong champion of our endeavours, giving us her time and encouragement, which the Friends gratefully acknowledge. 

I am indebted to the support the Executive members have given the Friends. I acknowledge in no particular order:

• Donna Wignall
• Dianne Vickers
• Chris and John Maxted
• Joanna Emery
• Roland Weiler

Since the 2004 AGM we have held four meetings to conduct the business of the Friends. In addition the following activities were undertaken:

• Friends offered our services for the 2004 Count Week.
• Friends held a Local Authors talk in April (The Baltic Countries, given by Roland Weiler),
• Friends carried out the flower planting tasks (Spring, Summer and Fall) on the new library frontage planters.
• Friends ran the two-day long Cactus Festival Book Sale in August. 
• Friends supplied funds for the Dundas library to purchase:
• Chair for the Children’s Dept. ($685.0)
• Donation to Dundas Arts Week ($120.0)
• Frontage Planters (2) ($1,522.0)
• Book on the Baltic Countries (on behalf of Roland Weiler)

I have arranged to change our Friends website to a registered domain name: fodl.org or similar. Liam Whittle (our Webmaster) has offered to make this change at no cost to the Friends.  The work is underway.

Ideas for 2006:
Talk on Florence Nightingale –Sandra Hunter (Late Spring)
Book Launch planned for March, 2006 - Joanna Emery
Talk by a Geographer on the Atlas (Robert Morrow)

2005 Financial Report

The Friends of Dundas Library has recently released its 2005 financial report. You can download the word document to have a look yourself.