The Rossland Public Library serves a local population of approximately 3,556 residents.
The library opened in October 1939 on a shoestring budget with 250 donated books in a small building on Washington Street. Patrons were charged fifty cents a month to borrow from the library staffed only by volunteers.
In 1948, a part-time librarian was hired at 50 cents per hour. The library thrived in this location until 1949 when the original rent of $15.00 a month was doubled.
The search for a spacious, easily accessible, and affordable location led to the original jail at the Rossland Courthouse. The space was provided to the group free of rent, heat and light. The library served the community from that location for the next 32 years.
In 1981, a planned expansion of government offices required the Rossland Library to move once again. With funding from the West Kootenay Regional District, the old Chevron gas station in downtown Rossland was purchased. After a major renovation, the Rossland Public Library moved into its own building in 1984 on Columbia Avenue.
The present day library is a freestanding, modern, easily accessible facility housing a diverse collection of books, periodicals, CD books, ebooks, videos, music CDs. Services include public access computers with Internet access, and word processing, photocopying, and interlibrary loan services.
Source: the
Rossland Public Library website.
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