Skip to content

Nakusp library turns 100 years old

The instiution has more than books
24862925_web1_210422-NAL-library-100_1
An early shot of Nakusp’s Centennial building. (Contributed)

The library in Nakusp is 100 years old this year.

While the institution was registered in 1920, it did not open its doors until January, 1921. Since then it has been located in several different buildings around the community, including present day locations of the general store, CIBC and liquor store.

The library closed during the 1930s as the community could not afford to keep it open. The books were put into storage in the courthouse.

“It was our darkest hour,” said Claire Paradis, library director.

However, it re-opened before 1940.

In the mid-1990s, it expanded onto the main floor on the Centennial Building, where it is now located.

Paradis said libraries are essential for communities as they go beyond books. The Nakusp branch has snowshoes, computers, binoculars, radon detectors and moisture detectors for firewood.

The library hopes to have some kind of celebration this year to mark the occasion.

“But COVID has really thrown a spanner into the works,” said Paradis.

Regardless, the library plans to produce a booklet of the last 100 years and if in-person gatherings are still banned by late summer, it plans to host a virtual open house.