Located off Eaton Avenue in Selkirk, between Christie Avenue (to the south), Selkirk Municipal Office and Fire Hall (to the east), and Selkirk Central School (to the west), this structure replaced an earlier building, that of the Selkirk Free Library, opened by Andrew Lang in 1889. An earlier library predated that, first established at Selkirk in 1883. This structure was built around 1909 on designs of Winnipeg architect William Fingland, the library was built at a cost of around $20,000. The inspiration for its construction followed a conditional $10,000 donation by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), that the town provide a $1,000 annual operating grant. The main floor featured two large reading rooms, one for each gender. A tablet inside the library, unveiled in 1913, had a medallion affixed in memorial to Andrew Lang. The building was later demolished, and the site is now occupied by a shopping centre and parking lot.
Selkirk Public Library (1913)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Selkirk - Library 1.Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.14271, W96.87204
denoted by symbol on the map above
“Free Library for Selkirk,” Manitoba Free Press, 23 December 1902, page 2.
“New Selkirk Library,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 June 1908, page 1.
“Selkirk’s Library,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 June 1908, page 10.
“A reader’s notes [Selkirk Free Library],” Manitoba Free Press, 24 November 1913, page 13.
Selkirk: The First Hundred Years by Barry Potyondi, published by the Selkirk Centennial Committee, 1981.
“Librarian savors efforts in Selkirk,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 1989, page 2.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 30 April 2021
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