West Branch Library

About

New Brunswick Public Library Service - Service des bibliothèques publiques du Nouveau-Brunswick

Story

The Saint John Free Public Library incorporated in 1883, was the first tax supported public library in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, hence the inclusion of "Free" in the title.
The Saint John Free Public Library consists of three branches, the central branch in the Market Square complex, East Branch in Westmorland Place and West Branch in Lancaster Mall. All of these libraries are under the Fundy Library Region, which is headquartered in Market Square.
Services
Information and reference services
Access to full text databases
Community information
Internet access
Reader's advisory services
Programs for children, youth and adults
Interlibrary loan
Free downloadable audiobooks
History
St. John Mechanics' Institute was one of a series of Mechanic's Institutes that were set up around the world after being popularized in Britain. It housed a subscription library that allowed members who paid a fee to borrow books. The Mechanic's Institutes libraries eventually became public libraries after the establishment of free libraries.
1811: New Brunswick’s very first library opened in Saint John in 1811 operated on a subscription basis with a fee being charged for the use of the collections.
1874: Plans for a free public library in Saint John were initiated by the President of the Mechanics’ Institute.
1877: Great Saint John Fire delayed plans for library.
1879: Colonel James Domville, member of council was actively involved in the procurement of a book collection for the use of the public library and to replace the collection destroyed by the fire.
Source
Description above from the Wikipedia article Saint John Free Public Library, licensed under CC-BY-SA full list of contributors here. Community Pages are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.
1874: Plans for a free public library in Saint John were initiated by the President of the Mechanics’ Institute.
1877: Great Saint John Fire delayed plans for library.
1879: Colonel James Domville, member of council was actively involved in the procurement of a book collection for the use of the public library and to replace the collection destroyed by the fire.
Source
Description above from the Wikipedia article Saint John Free Public Library, licensed under CC-BY-SA full list of contributors here. Community Pages are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.