Jolys Regional Library Opens
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A library is usually quiet, but on July 22 this library was filled with chatter.
The Jolys Regional Library opened its doors on July 22 with people coming and going at its new location on 479 Turenne Street.
“It’s a generational library,” said Marc Proulx, St Pierre Jolys councillor and committee member for the Jolys Regional Library. “The library provides bilingualism.”
He said all generations are using the library, and people usually think libraries are for children, but there’s a big senior population at St Pierre Jolys who use the space a lot.
A smaller size than its previous building, the library is rotating its book collection seasonally. Some books will come out closer to its relevant time in a year, said Proulx.
“It took a little while, but we got it done,” he said laughing.
The new location shelves about 30,000 books featuring French, Christian, and childrens’ books.
He said they “got rid” of dated books that weren’t being read, like magazines.
One of the new things are library cards. A design contest is open from July 22 to 29 where the winning artwork will be featured on the cards.
Proulx said some residents are now returning books they have been holding onto since the closure.
The Jolys Regional Library closed to the public during school hours due to concerns of kids’ safety in September 2024.
“When they were talking about trying to close it or move it, I was very anxious about it. But I’m happy it’s finally coming to fruition,” said Luc Catellier, who’s lived in St Pierre Jolys for 10 years. “It’s a big hole in what I was doing. That was where I got books.”
“It’s important to have (a library) because people do read. Sometimes people can’t always afford buying books. They’re expensive,” he said.
Emika Gagner, 10 said they used to go to the Jolys Regional Library once a week and is happy the library is open again.
Gagner, who lives in Kleefeld, reads about four hours a day.
The grand opening had a steady crowd walking from the library to the Parc Carillon where there was food and activities like fire truck tours, reptiles, music, and bouncy castles.
