The Pelham Public Library

Pelham Public Library Wins Awards

Angus Mowat Award of Excellence

The Pelham Public Library proudly announces the receipt of a 2005 Angus Mowat Award of Excellence for service to children. The Minister of Culture, the Honorable Madeleine Meilleur, made the presentation at the Ontario Library Association Conference on February 2nd. Pelham Public Library was recognized in the small library category for demonstrating excellence in the development and delivery of its children’s services. Over the past four years, service improvements have ranged from new furnishings and new collections at both library branches, innovative children’s and parenting programs, a new children’s mural to new teen area at the Fonthill Branch. These efforts have resulted in an increase of 45% in children’s material circulation and over 5,000 program participants ranging from babies to teens.

“The Library Board and staff are so pleased to see the public’s response to the children’s services improvements,” commented Stephanie Stowe, Library Director. “Everyone who helped us achieve this new level of service shares in the achievement of the Award of Excellence.” Thank you to the Pelham Public Library Board, the Pelham Art Festival, Early Years Ontario, the Pelham Municipal Council, Friends of the Pelham Library, Friends of Maple Acre, Niagara Community Foundation and the Pelham Public Library staff for their contributions.

Left to right: The Honorable Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Culture; Stephanie Stowe, CEO Pelham Public Library; Judy Abo Nassar, Children's and Youth Services Coordinator, Pelham Public Library.

(Photo courtesy of Ontario Library Assocation)

At a recent reception held by the Town of Pelham, The Pelham Public Library was recognized by Mayor Ron Leavens and Council. Tim Hudak, MPP for Erie–Lincoln and Dean Allison, MP for Niagara West–Glanbrook presented Stephanie Stowe, Pelham Public Library CEO, with certificates of recognition.

Peter F. Drucker Award

The Pelham Public Public Library Board is honoured to announce it has received the Niagara Area Peter F. Drucker Award for Innovation in Strategic Planning for its 2002 – 2005 Strategic Plan. The exceptional accomplishments of the volunteer Library Board in developing and fulfilling the goals of its strategic plan, was recognized Friday March 3, 2006 at the Niagara Center for Community Leadership Awards. The award is given to a nonprofit organization in recognition of a program that has made a difference in the lives of the people it serves and serves as a model for other organizations.

“We are proud that our Library’s strategic plan can serve as a model for others as a best practice.” Stephanie Stowe, CEO of the Pelham Public Library, stressed that both awards were the result of combined efforts of many organizations: the Pelham Public Library Board and staff; Library Friends groups, while supporters such as Early Years Ontario, HRDC, Trillium Foundation, Niagara Community Foundation and the municipality have all been vital to the library’s success.

Robert Winter, Pelham Public Library Board chair, commented “The reason for this library’s success is that everyone has the same goal: to make Pelham’s public library the best small library in Ontario.” The Pelham Public Library Board is undertaking a new Strategic Planning process and hopes to have a new Strategic Plan by fall 2006.