Fraser Valley Regional Library

Last updated
Fraser Valley Regional Library
FVRL wiki.jpg
Established1930 [1]
Branches25 [2]
Collection
Items collectedBooks, CDs, DVDs, Online Resources [3]
Size1,318,502 [4]
Access and use
Population served700,000 [4]
Members360,620 [3]
Other information
Website www.fvrl.bc.ca

Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) is a public library system in British Columbia, Canada, with 25 community libraries serving a population of 778,000, including over 360,000 library cardholders. [5] Established in 1930, it is governed by a board of elected officials who represent 15 municipalities and regional districts. [6]

Contents

History

Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) was established in 1930 in the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia (BC).

In 1927, the Provincial Public Library Commission organized a province-wide survey [7] of library services in BC. From FVRL's website,

The key finding from the survey was that large administrative library districts based on cooperation and resource sharing between municipalities and school districts should be created to serve BC’s rural communities that could not afford to provide a library service on their own. [8]

Demonstration project, 1930-1934

As a result of the survey, the Commission secured a $100,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to establish and maintain a rural library project for five years. In 1930, the library’s first director, Dr. Helen Gordon Stewart, launched the Fraser Valley Book Van, which served as the public library to the rural residents from Ladner to Hope. This traveling library displayed books along its outside shelves and travelled through the valley to small towns and villages, stopping at grocery stores, schoolhouses, and gas stations. The Book Van system operated in conjunction with local libraries in located in the larger towns throughout the valley. It covered an area of approximately 2,600 square km, containing 24 separate governing bodies. [8] Administrative headquarters for the project were located in New Westminster, while Chilliwack served as the main distribution center.

Creation of the Fraser Valley Union Library

To continue library services for the Fraser Valley after the Carnegie funds were exhausted, residents were asked to vote whether they wished to support the library through local taxes. A referendum was scheduled for January 1934. The timing was difficult since taxpayers were asked to vote in favor of higher taxes during a severe economic depression. Stewart and her staff launched a massive campaign of public meetings, handouts, posters, and newspaper articles to gain support. Twenty of the original 24 areas voted "yes" so the Fraser Valley Union Library created the first regional library system in North America. The first operating budget was established by the board at a per capita rate of 35 cents.

The resources of the Carnegie Demonstration Project were turned over to the new Library Board of Management on September 28, 1934, during a ceremony held in Chilliwack, BC. At this time, Stewart left the Fraser Valley to organize other regional libraries. Soon after, the library headquarters was relocated to its present location in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Present day

In 1951, the official name was changed to the Fraser Valley Regional Library District (FVRL). FVRL is the largest public library system in British Columbia.

FVRL is governed by a board of directors and financially supported by its member municipalities and through a Government of BC operating grant. Board members are elected officials of its member municipalities. [9]

Special collections

World Languages

The FVRL has allotted $80,000 per year to its World Languages Collection, which provides both adult and children's fiction and non-fiction books, DVDs, and CDs in languages other than English. The collection is split between the 24 branches and consists of over 42,000 items in 14 languages.

Lifelong learning programs

FVRL supports lifelong learning and literacy. To promote ongoing learning and literacy within the community FVRL offers various programs and workshops for all age groups from toddlers to seniors. Programs include:

Awards

YearAwardGiver
2011People's Choice Award (Chilliwack Library)Harrison Agassiz Chamber of Commerce
2011Inclusive Environment Award (Chilliwack Library) [10] Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards
2011Merit Award for Programs & Services (for the Festival of Aboriginal Arts) [11] BC Library Association
2011Sheila Nickols Heritage Achievement Award for Community History and Heritage Teaching (Maple Ridge Library) [12] District of Maple Ridge
2009Merit Award for Programs & Services (for Aboriginal Outreach Services) [11] BC Library Association
2006Merit Award for Programs (for the Reading Link Challenge) [11] BC Library Association
2006Marketing Award (Aldergrove Library) [10] Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards
2006Innovator of the Year Award (for launch of Live Homework Help) Tutor.com
2006W. Kaye Lambe Award for Services to Seniors (Maple Ridge Library) [13] Canadian Library Association and Ex Libris Association

Locations

FVRL has an Administrative Centre located in Abbotsford and 25 community branches located in 14 municipalities. [14]

MunicipalityLibrary Branches
Abbotsford Abbotsford Community, Clearbrook, Mount Lehman
Agassiz Agassiz
Boston Bar Boston Bar
Chilliwack Chilliwak, Sardis, Yarrow
Delta Ladner Pioneer, George Mackie, Tsawwassen
Hope Hope
City of Langley City of Langley
Township of Langley Aldergrove, Brookswood, Dean Drysdale, Fort Langley, Muriel Arnason, Murrayville
Maple Ridge Maple Ridge
Mission Mission
Pitt Meadows Pitt Meadows
Port Coquitlam Terry Fox
White Rock White Rock
Yale Yale

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Mainland</span> Region in British Columbia, Canada

The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05 million people as of the 2021 Canadian census, the Lower Mainland contains sixteen of the province's 30 most populous municipalities and approximately 60% of the province's total population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraser Valley</span> Geographical region in British Columbia

The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the North Shore Mountains, opposite the city of Vancouver BC, to just south of Bellingham, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbotsford, British Columbia</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the largest municipality in the province outside metropolitan Vancouver. Abbotsford–Mission has the third-highest proportion of visible minorities among census metropolitan areas in Canada, after the Greater Toronto Area and the Greater Vancouver CMA. It is home to Tradex, the University of the Fraser Valley, and Abbotsford International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilliwack</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Chilliwack is a city of about 100,000 people and 261 km2 (100 sq mi) in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about 100 km (62 mi) east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the greater metropolitan area.

Highway 1 is a provincial highway in British Columbia, Canada, that carries the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The highway is 1,047 kilometres (651 mi) long and connects Vancouver Island, the Greater Vancouver region in the Lower Mainland, and the Interior. It is the westernmost portion of the main TCH to be numbered "Highway 1", which continues through Western Canada and extends to the Manitoba–Ontario boundary. The section of Highway 1 in the Lower Mainland is the second-busiest freeway in Canada, after Ontario Highway 401 in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Vancouver</span> Metropolitan area in British Columbia, Canada

Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term "Greater Vancouver" describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the region governed by the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), though it predates the 1966 creation of the regional district. It is often used to include areas beyond the boundaries of the regional district but does not generally include wilderness and agricultural areas that are included within the MVRD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the Fraser Valley</span> Public university in British Columbia, Canada

The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), formerly known as University College of the Fraser Valley and Fraser Valley College, is a public university with campuses in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Hope, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1974 as Fraser Valley College, it was a response to the need for expanded vocational training in the communities of the Fraser Valley. In 1991, it became a university college, with degree-granting status. As the University College of the Fraser Valley, it grew rapidly, becoming one of the largest university colleges in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraser Valley Regional District</span> Regional district in British Columbia, Canada

The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. Its headquarters are in the city of Chilliwack. The FVRD covers an area of 13,361.74 km2 (5,159 sq mi). It was created in 1995 by an amalgamation of the Fraser-Cheam Regional District and Central Fraser Valley Regional District and the portion of the Dewdney-Alouette Regional District from and including the District of Mission eastwards.

This is page shows results of Canadian federal elections in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia. As defined for this article, the Fraser Valley includes the southern suburbs of Vancouver. Areas outside the Fraser Valley, namely the Fraser Canyon and regions to its west, are also included within one of the ridings. The largest of these ridings is the Chilliwack-Hope riding. This riding also includes most of the Fraser Valley until it joins the Okanagan-Similkameen and extends westward until outside Abbotsford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilliwack North</span> Provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada

Chilliwack North is a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was defined by the 2021 British Columbia electoral redistribution for use in the 2024 British Columbia general election onwards, with boundaries largely corresponding to a predecessor district called Chilliwack in use until 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Penner</span> Canadian politician

Barry Penner, is a Canadian lawyer and former politician in the province of British Columbia. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA), representing the riding of Chilliwack from 1996 to 2001, Chilliwack-Kent from 2001 to 2009, and Chilliwack-Hope from 2009 to 2012. A caucus member of the British Columbia Liberal Party, he served in several cabinet posts under premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark, including as Minister of Environment, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and Attorney General.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent, British Columbia</span> District municipality in British Columbia, Canada

The District of Kent is a district municipality located 116 kilometres (72 mi) east of Vancouver, British Columbia. Part of the Fraser Valley Regional District, Kent consists of several communities, the largest and most well-known being Agassiz—the only town in the municipality—Harrison Mills, Kilby, Mount Woodside, Kent Prairie, Sea Bird Island and Ruby Creek. Included within the municipality's boundaries are several separately-governed Indian reserves, including the Seabird Island First Nation's reserves on and around the island of the same name.

The Fraser Health Authority (FHA) is one of five regional public health authorities in British Columbia. It is governed by the provincial Health Authorities Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Envision Financial</span> Division of First West Credit Union

Envision Financial, a division of First West Credit Union, is based in British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1946, Envision Financial was established in 2001 through a merger between Lower Mainland-based Delta Credit Union, whose roots were in the fishing industry, and Fraser Valley-based First Heritage Savings Credit Union, which had historic ties to the farming and agriculture industries. First Heritage Savings Credit Union was the product of a merger between East Chilliwack Credit Union and Clearbrook District Mennonite Savings Credit Union in 1983. It is insured by the Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

Mount Lehman or Mt. Lehman is a small rural community located in the Fraser Valley of south western British Columbia, Canada. The community was established in 1874 and became part of the District of Matsqui in 1892. The District of Matsqui was incorporated into the present day City of Abbotsford, British Columbia in 1995.

Central Fraser Valley Transit System is a public transit system which provides bus services in the Central Fraser Valley area of British Columbia, Canada. Funding for the system is provided by the City of Abbotsford, the District of Mission, the University of the Fraser Valley and BC Transit, the agency responsible for planning and management of municipal transit systems throughout the province. Other than planning and managing bus routes, The Central Fraser Valley Transit System contracts out most of its bus services to FirstCanada ULC.

GHGProof is an open-source model designed to evaluate the impacts of land-use decisions on greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption at the community scale. It has been developed by Sustainability Solutions Group, a Canadian workers co-operative, and has been widely used in British Columbia since 2008, with regular revisions and updates from SSG's GHGProof pages. Reviews of GHGProof and comparison to other modelling platforms may be found in references.

Chilliwack is a city made up of several amalgamated villages and communities. The urban core has a decidedly north–south axis bisected by the Trans-Canada Highway. The city is bounded in north by the Fraser River, in the east by the Eastern Hillsides, in the south by the Canada-U.S. border, and in the west by the Vedder Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre</span> Hospital in British Columbia, Canada

Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre (ARHCC) is a 300-bed Canadian health care facility in the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia that houses the acute care Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH) operated by Fraser Health and the regional cancer facility operated by the BC Cancer Agency.

References

  1. FVRL History
  2. Branch Locations
  3. 1 2 Annual Report 2007
  4. 1 2 Annual Report 2009
  5. Claxton, Matthew (January 15, 2021). "Fraser Valley Regional Library budget not enough to keep up with booming population". Surrey Now-Leader. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  6. "Fraser Valley Regional Library Board of Directors - Members". fvrl.diligent.community. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  7. 1927-1928 BC Library Survey
  8. 1 2 "About FVRL". Fraser Valley Regional Library. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  9. "FVRL - Who We Are 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
  10. 1 2 "Previous Cultural Diversity Award Recipients". Cultural Diversity Awards. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  11. 1 2 3 "Past Award Winners". BCLA. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  12. "CHC Heritage Awards". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  13. "W. Kaye Lamb Awards, 2002 to Present [EX LIBRIS ASSOCIATION]". www.exlibris.ca. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  14. "Locations". Fraser Valley Regional Library. Retrieved 2024-03-31.