About BPL
Librarian
Susan Hart
Board Members
- Bill Elliot Chair
- Barb Edwards Secretary
- Lois Miller Treasurer
- Ria Mack
- Elsie Christian
- Marilyn Farquhar
- Barry Epstein
- Tom Imrie Council Rep
History of BPL
Leila Sloan (nee Gordon); founder of the Billings Public Library
The Billings Public Library had rather humble beginnings. According to Willie Munro, daughter of its founder, Leila Sloan Gordon, it all began when her mother acquired a set of encyclopaedias in the late 1960s.
With seven children, the Sloan household was a busy place with friends coming and going constantly. At a time when the only resource students had in school was the old Book of Knowledge, the local children were soon lining up to borrow the encyclopaedias for school work. Many other friends and visitors were drawn to Leila's small collection of books and would often ask to borrow one to read, then return it the next week when they were done. From these small things, Leila's vision of a library for the township took root.
Breaking ground for the new library building
In 1968 Leila approached the township with her idea, and was granted $200 to buy books. Along with discarded books from libraries in Mindemoya and Sudbury, Leila set up her collection in the front room of her home, already set up with shelves since she had at one time used the room as a fabric shop. Despite living on a fixed income and raising her children, Leila managed to donate many hours and materials to make the new library work.
Ribbon cutting ceremony to open the library.
Far left: Reeve Aus Hunt; centre: Leila Sloan
The library would eventually move from Leila's home on Upper Street to the former municipal building on top of the hill on Main Street. Local volunteers kept the library open and functioning for some time at this location; however, it was becoming clear that the library needed a new, permanent home. The library was granted land for the new building on Upper Street, directly across the street from its first home in Leila's front room. Many volunteer hours later, in 1987, the Billings Public Library was completed and opened with much pomp and circumstance.
Library opening ceremony: inside
Still located at 18 Upper Street, across the road from Leila's former home, the library is thriving. With several thousand books, magazines, audio books, and movies, and three computers with high speed Internet, there's very little lacking in our little library these days—none of which would have been possible without one small set of encyclopaedias so long ago.
Community Access Program (CAP)
The Community Access Program (CAP) is a Government of Canada initiative, administered by Industry Canada, which aims to provide Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills they need to use it effectively. With the combined efforts of the federal, provincial and territorial governments, community groups, social agencies, libraries, schools, volunteer groups and the business community, CAP helps Canadians, wherever they live, take advantage of emerging opportunities in the new global knowledge-based economy. Under CAP, public locations like schools, libraries and community centres act as "on-ramps" to the Information Highway, and provide computer support and training.
The program plays a crucial role in bridging the digital divide; contributing to the foundation for electronic access to government services; encouraging on-line learning and literacy; fostering the development of community based infrastructure; and, promoting Canadian e-commerce. CAP is also complemented by its youth initiative, the Community Access Program Youth Initiative (CAP YI). The youth program provides employment opportunities to young Canadians between the ages of 15 to 30 in various CAP sites across the country.