by Jessie Bach

After a hiatus these past several months, it feels like it’s time to continue our virtual tour of Alberta’s public libraries. This month, we’re heading to Irricana, Alberta, located just off of Highway #9, about fifty kilometres northeast of Calgary. Irricana has a population of about 1,200 people and serves rural residents who live in the surrounding Rocky View County. Fun fact — according to Wikipedia, the name “Irricana,” is a portmanteau of the words “irrigation canal,” many of which are found throughout the area.

The people of Irricana love their local library. In a recent survey, one library user commented that the library is “a great place to meet new people and get to the know the community!” Another praised the library’s programming, stating “We love all the family activities the library runs.” The person at the helm of this beloved institution is Library Manager Papari Borthakur. I recently spoke with Papari to learn more about the Irricana and Rural Municipal Library and the exciting programs and services that it offers.

Jessie Bach: Tell me about the Irricana Library. What makes it a special place?

Papari Borthakur: The Irricana Library provides library services to the residents of Irricana and the surrounding rural population. We are a charitable organization dedicated to enriching lives and building community by ensuring universal access to information, learning, inspiration, and enjoyment. The library provides the community with free library memberships, access to library materials to borrow, interlibrary loans of books and other items from across Alberta, programming for all ages on a wide variety of topics, access to a public space with free internet and Wi-Fi, and so much more. We have a quality, professional, knowledgeable, and friendly staff to best serve our public. They work very hard to create an environment in which patrons have fun and enjoy what we offer.

We support and build literacy, create community connections, and provide cultural experiences in our community that go toward making our community stronger, healthier, and more resilient. For example, the library celebrates Alberta Culture Days in September and the Festival of Trees and Christmas on Main in December. The library provides important services for students, including free exam proctoring and the opportunity to earn their curriculum activity points through the library.

We also maintain partnerships with other local organizations like Community Links, Rocky View Employment Services, Rocky View Schools, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), the Town of Irricana, the Irricana Boys and Girls Club, Alberta Health Services, and many others. This allows Irricana and rural residents access to family health services, resources, learning opportunities, counselling services, community connections, and entertainment.

JB: What does a typical day look like at the Irricana Library?

PB: People come to check in and check out items, enjoy the programs we run for various age groups, use the computers and free Wi-Fi, read books, and more. Students use the library to finish their homework, and our partner organizations use the library to run their programs.

JB: When I checked out your April events calendar, I saw programs happening every day! What is your approach to programming and how do you come up with program ideas that appeal to your community?

 PB: All library services and programming are free to the public. We try to choose the programs based on seasons, and make sure there are programs for all different age groups. We also ensure we have programs that can be attended both in-person and virtually. The virtual story time program that runs every Saturday is a hit among younger kids, while our monthly Book Club has always been a favourite for seniors. For teens and adults, career counselling is provided once a month in the library.

Recently, the library received a grant for a Summer Student position and hired a local youth to run the Summer Reading Program. We’ve also received grants from FCSS to run a Senior’s Social Club, Newcomer’s Program, Parents and Tots program, and Popsicles for Positivity where children craft Kindness Rocks at the library that they can then exchange for popsicle!

Other highlights from our slate of programs includes the Girls Talk program, a Story Walk, life-size board games, jewellery and comic book making, a women’s conference, “Blind Date with a Book,” Rhymes, Songs and Story Time, and mental and physical health program for seniors.

JB: The library’s Let’s Start Gardening fundraiser just wrapped up. Tell me about this, and some of the other cool fundraisers your library has held recently.

PB: For the Let’s Start Gardening fundraiser, the library sold seeds to local gardeners in partnership with an organization called Make it Sow. The seeds were offered in themed packs such as the Pet Grass Pack, English Cottage Garden Pack, Strange and Fun Garden Pack, and more.

We hold a yearly holiday fundraiser in December called the Festival of Trees where we display beautifully decorated Christmas trees that are then auctioned off to raise money for the library. We also sell used and donated books throughout the year. All the money we make by fundraising goes towards operating the library so we can support the community effectively.

JB: What is the biggest challenge you face at your library, and how are you tackling that challenge?

PB: Keeping up with technology is a big issue. When I started working here, all the library administration was done manually, including the payroll. That has been changed now! A lot of seniors live in Irricana, and they often come to the library for help using technology like computers and cell phones. When COVID hit, the library started running many programs online, and took the opportunity to help the community make effective use of technology. We also ran Virtual Alberta Culture Days and a virtual Festival of Trees. Both the events were a huge success.

JB: Lastly, what do you love most about working at the library?

PB: The best part of this job is that it gives me an opportunity to work closely with the community and cater to their needs. If you love working with communities, this is one of the best places to start. I have worked with the Calgary Board of Education and many other school boards in different parts of the world — this job is very different yet very enjoyable. Irricana is a small community, and it was a learning curve for me when I joined the library in 2017 because I had mostly worked in urban settings. Now, I’ve gotten to know many people in the community by their first name and have learned their family histories. Sometimes, people come by the library just to have a friendly chat.

JB: Thank you Papari!

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