Town of Fortune

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A (Very) Brief History

The first efforts towards establishing a public library in fortune was at a meeting held on 23 November 1944. At a subsequent meeting, on 14 December 1944, W. Freeman Lake was elected as Chairman and Mrs. Lillian King as Secretary-Treasurer. Miss Mary spencer was accepted as the first Librarian and library hours were set at 7:30-9:30 on Wednesday evenings.

Actual library services were first provided out of the Masonic Lodge, using books that were sent home from England by H.B. (Bert) Mayo, Fortune's only Rhodes Scholar.

Meanwhile, in October 1946 the decision was made to erect a 'Memorial Library' in honour of those residents of the community who had served in World Wars I & II. A suitable piece of land was purchased from the United Church, at a cost of one dollar.

The community committed to $750 for the new building, while a $1,000 grant was received from Newfoundland Regional Libraries. donations of both cash and books were collected from the town's residents.

The tender of Messrs. Clayton & Roy Lake, local contractors, was accepted on 10 March 1949. Instructions were given on 12 April 1944 to begin work as soon as materials arrived. War veterans Walter Bennett and Roy Spencer laid the cornerstone on 8 May 1949. The official opening ceremony of the new Fortune Memorial Library took place at 3:00 pm on 11 November 1949.

Miss Margaret Bennett, third Librarian for the town, began her duties on 10 October 1950, with an annual salary of $75. This was increased to $150 in 1953, with Miss Bennett receiving retroactive pay. Salary for the next Librarian, Miss Hilda Bennett, was set at $180 annually, for the grand sum of $15 per month.

By 1969 the Memorial Library building was in need of costly, major repairs and had insufficient space for its expanding book stock. Arrangements were made to relocate the library to the second floor of the newly constructed Municipal Building - where it still remains.

Library services to the town have continued to improve over the years. A telephone was installed in 1974; book stocks continue to increase; and hours have also increased. In 1980 a Microfiche system replaced the traditional card catalog. By the year 2000 computers were being introduced, bringing the library up-to-date with the 21st century technology.

As part of the federal and provincial governments' plan to make the World Wide Web information highway available to all citizens, in 2002 the Fortune library became the Fortune Memorial Library Community Access Centre. It was officially opened on May 10, 2003.

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