The Bracebridge Library has been awarded the Minister’s Award for Innovation by the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport.
According to a media release from the library, the award “recognizes successful new approaches that demonstrate a positive impact in a community and are of continued value to public libraries.”
The library was given the award for its efforts in putting together the party in the park that was held in June 2022.
“The library staff, board and community partners all worked hard to come together for this event, therefore this honour truly belongs to the entire town,” says Crystal Bergstrome, CEO and chief librarian. “The response and feedback we received was far better than we could have expected. The support of our community continues to inspire us to grow and innovate. We thank you all for the ability to showcase our library and our community on this scale and for the opportunity to serve Bracebridge every day.”
The event served as a way for the library to unveil its new brand but was initially conceived as a way to bring the community together and “reconnect with the library,” according to the release. There were a multitude of vendors at Memorial Park for the event as well as a few musicians.
“It is great to have recognition for all of the work that library staff put into making this event happen,” says Sarah MacNeal, technical services coordinator. “But the event wouldn’t have been successful without our partners in Bracebridge who set up their tents and brought food, activities, stories, firetrucks and ambulances; or without our community who came out to celebrate moving forward with us. The Party in the Park kicked off a year of great programs at the library and we are excited to continue to have events that are a little out of the ordinary.”
It’s noted at the end of the release that while the party was supposed to be a one-time event, the positive feedback the library received has pushed them to make it an annual event every June.