You are hereBackground

Background

A Grass Roots Initiative

Our community Library began as a grass-roots initiative in 2002, after a letter from 13 year-old Skawenniio Barnes, about the value of hometown libraries for students, appeared in The Eastern Door newspaper. Fueled by determination and generous donations, Kahnawakehro:non put their minds and muscle together, raised money, held book drives, gathered support and eventually set up an independent, non-profit, public library that provides programs and services for all. The library opened its doors on October 4, 2003 and has since grown to become a vital institution for everyone in Kahnawake. Current library membership, which stands at 1,300, steadily grows, as does the collection of nearly 13,500 books and other information resources.

The Library is Vital

Public Libraries are fundamental to communities and provide more than just books - our Library offers public computers with internet access, newspapers, magazines, periodicals, and community reports. Printing, faxing and photocopying services are also available. Unique to the library is a collection of books on local history, culture, and politics, Kanienkeha language resources and a network drive housing all Kahnawake history. The Library is a comfortable and welcoming place with valuable resources that encourage reading and learning, especially for children who enjoy year-round books clubs. Students research projects and the general public select and borrow from a vast collection of books and other reading material.

Children’s Book Clubs

Two of the main programs of the Library are the children’s Summer Camp and the After School Book Clubs. The goal of the book clubs is to introduce children to many forms
of literature and make them life-long readers. Reading is vital in every person’s life. reading expands the imagination, helps in the understanding of ideas, builds listening skills, helps in communication, increases attention span, develops self-expression, and lays the foundation to accomplish ambitions and life goals. Designed for ages 6 to 11 years, groups meet to read, socialize, create, and embark on an enriching journey. Each novel is researched, vocabulary is addressed, themes are discussed, plot predictions are made, and the children express their ideas creatively through their artwork. The children learn also about their surroundings; links from the stories are made wherever possible to Kahnawake & Mohawk culture, and crafts are often created with recyclable materials to raise awareness of our environment and protecting Mother Earth. Summer book club outings are excursions into the world of Kahnawake with its rich history and stories. For many children attending Mohawk immersion schools in the Community, book clubs offer an extra-curricular activity to help develop English literacy skills. The program is enriching to family and education, as it also encourages parents to get involved and read with their children at home.

Junior Teen Book Club

In 2010, the Kahnawake Library introduced the Scary Stories Summer Book Club to capture the interest of those junior teens ages 12 -14 years who are older and want to continue the joys of reading. They meet once a Week for 1 ½ hours for six Weeks during the summer months. The Scary Stories theme continues for the Summer 2011 session.

New Activities

In April 2009, the Library relocated to its central location on the Old Malone highway, a tremendous asset to future growth and development. The visibility and accessibility of the Library has encouraged new membership, the expansion of existing programs and the development of new ones. The Library is open seven days a week, historical exhibits have been organized and other educational & cultural organizations are networked to host lectures, courses and book launches. Further growth of this dynamic establishment is an exciting challenge that can be attained through further cooperation from the community and continued commitment of the Library Board, Staff and Volunteers.

Expansion Goals

The mission of the Kahnawake Library is to stand within the realm of education as a holder of community history and records and to provide a place for cultivation and learning while maintaining an atmosphere of leisure. Within the next 5 years we would like to accomplish the following:

•Solidify Library constitution, bylaws and policies

•Creation of a documentation center housing economic, social, political and health studies conducted about Kahnawake.

• Expansion of children’s programs to include Kanienke’ha and French content

• Development of cultural exhibits with access to complimentary research materials.

•Showcasing of writers, artists and champions from Kahnawake.

• Networking with universities to access library facilities and develop
mutual agreements for work study courses.

• Working with Kahnawake organizations to establish networking relationships and explore mutual areas of collaboration.

•Creation of a center for genealogy, birth records, death records, and cemetery records.

•Research, contact and prepare proposals for internal and external sources of core funding.

•Determine potential to operate a small business within the library
to assist in sustaining programs and services.

•Develop staff on a regular basis.

•Develop a communications plan to keep community informed.

Free workshops were held in 2010 to plan the direction of the Library. The community was invited and several participants gave input. A vision was successfully outlined and the work needed to fulfill that vision identified. A number of action plans were developed and groups were organized to work on a specific action plans in the new year. With clear goals and individuals willing to commit time and energy, we venture forward in 2011 with confidence and high hopes for the Library.

Funding Sources

Our current operating and programming budget is $145,000 annually and includes 3.5 employees with minimal benefits, part-time Library Coordinator, Librarian, Library Clerk, and Children’s Program Coordinator. The library does not have a source of core funding and it is a big challenge to secure funding for operations. Partial operational funding comes from Tewatohnhi’saktha and Continent 8, Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, and from donations and fundraising events. Grants from sources such as KSCS Brighter Futures, Tsi Iehwistaientahkwa- Caisse Popularie Kahnawake and Kanienkeha’ka Funding Association help to maintain regular programming, in particular, the highly successful children’s book clubs. Other contributions include financial accounting services provided by Tewatohnhi’saktha Small Business Services, and cable internet service provided by Paul Communications.
The library hosts two to three fundraising events each year, which have raised as much as $25,000. This would not be possible without the many volunteers who give their time to make these events successful. We are very grateful and acknowledge them, as well as our donors, as strong supporters who are indispensible to the advancement of the Library. it is anticipated that with the continuing growth of the Library, more substantial sources of funding will be needed each year. In order to maintain quality programming, provide staff with pension benefits, and operate effectively, it is projected that our annual budget will increase to approximately $160,000. As part of our strategic planning, we submitted library documentation to the Canada Revenue Agency to qualify to use the donation receipt number of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. Although this was approved in June 2011, procedures still need to be developed on how the Library can use this number. We look forward to submitting grant applications to outside organizations and foundations in our quest to seek funds to maintain operations and to continue to deliver quality programming.

We look forward to working with leaders, internal and external organizations
and the community to raise the profile of the library and maintain this valuable resource for our youth and the entire community.