/Letters to the EditorLetters to the EditorTo the EditorElly MalcomsonPresident of the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library

Letters to the EditorLetters to the EditorTo the EditorElly MalcomsonPresident of the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library

To the Editor

I was delighted to read about the accomplishmentsof Michael Fay in the Minden Times editorial of Wednesday June 10. Acomplete list of Michael’s endeavours would have taken an entire issueof the paper but I do want to highlight one that was not mentioned.Around the year 2000 Michael and a small but dedicated group of people representatives from all eight branches of the Haliburton County Public Library met and agreed to work towards developing a constitution forFriends of the Library. This group started off as an advocacy groupwith some fundraising on the side. The Friends were incorporated in 2004 and have evolved to be an integral fundraising body that has supportedmuch needed enhancements to all the library branches.

In recentyears The Friends have understood the inequities created by the digitaldivide and have focused much of their attention on the Community ofMaking as well as e-books and downloadable audio. As Michael progressedinto ill health and was no longer able to read traditional books herelied on downloadable audio from the library for his sanity andentertainment much of which had been funded by the group he started.
Michael Fay was the initial Friends group’s guiding light. He led us throughall of the ramifications of establishing our first constitution. He wasalso our first president and always supportive of our goals. He was apassionate cheerleader for the library system as a whole and was alwayspositive and encouraging about what could be accomplished for thebetterment of the system and the community.

Elly Malcomson
President of the Friends of the
Haliburton County Public Library