As I approached St. Albert Place on one of my frequent trips to the library, I paused to reflect upon the beautiful statue of Lois Hole that graces the plaza. The bronze statue depicts Lois Hole on a bench sitting next to a young girl hugging a book. Famed Canadian sculptor Barbara Paterson tried to convey the passion that Lois Hole held for education and literacy in the artwork she titled A Legacy of Love and Learning.
In Lois’s words, “Public libraries are, I believe, the most important institution to our country because everything else that’s good in our society must flow from knowledge. It opens our minds to all the diversity and the incredible possibilities that lay before us. The information to build a better world is all there, right on our library shelves but we all need to read it to make that dream a reality.”
It is our responsibility as citizens to stand up for the public institutions in our community, including our libraries. We have an obligation to ourselves and to future generations to keep life long learning and literacy alive.
I ask city council to reconsider the proposed cuts to the library’s budget so that Lois Hole’s legacy of love and learning may continue. It is an investment in a brighter, smarter future for the people of St. Albert.
As Lois Hole once said, “Support your library, and support all libraries, all your life. Use your library. Cherish it. Love it. Fight for it.”
Nancy Watt, St. Albert
