Library project gaining support

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Edward Mesher has a dream of bringing books to the 9,000 residents of 14 Inuit villages in Nunavik, Que., north of the 55th parallel along the coast of James Bay and Hudson Bay. He even has a name for it: The People's Inuit Library. It is a project for which the Concordia University anthropology student is gradually gaining support and donations of books.

"In November 1999," Mesher said, "I spoke with Rev. Barry Clarke of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Lachine about the idea, and to my surprise he said 'You can start here; I have boxes of books if you want to send them up North.'" Another person who has contributed several hundred books to the cause is Anna Johanssen, the co-ordinator of the Green Ave. Community Centre in Montreal's Westmount district.

Mesher has also got the mayor of Kuujjuak, Michael Gordon, himself a McGill University political science graduate, on-side. Gordon is allowing the youth centre in the town of 2,500 to be used as a collection station for books and other resource materials as they arrive. Already Mesher says he estimates two pick-up truck loads of books have been collected.

"It was sometime late in 1999," said Gordon, "that Edward approached me and asked me if there would be a place to set up a little library, a little place for youth to access these books, and I suggested the youth centre might be a good possibility. Because we've got some space there and we need more things for the kids to do."

By mid-March, Gordon was looking for the first shipment to arrive soon, but because books were being flown in on a space-available basis, "it might take some time." He said, however, that some people in Kuujjuak who read a lot have told him they have some books they can donate.

Kuujjuak is the largest of the 14 communities they hope to be able to provide books for eventually. Two of the southern-most communities are mixed Cree and Inuit, Chisasibi being the one furthest south. Gordon says to get a library in place, there are several steps they will have to take.

"First we're going to have to get the youth centre kids to make shelves for the books," he said. "And once they're up on the shelves, we'll work out a system with one or two of the kids, to make sure that they're taught by the librarian at the school how to take care of it, how to record or whatever."

To begin with, the books will be available to the youth during the hours the centre is open. Later, when he books have been properly catalogued and a system is in place, they will be lent to people to read at home.

Mesher says that English and French books are welcome, as well as Cree and Inuktitut. He says because of the James Bay and Northern Quebec agreement, the communities north of the 55th parallel are not governed by Quebec's language laws. He says the second language for most people in the 14 communities is English.

Mesher, now a mature student at university, graduated from Dawson College in 1984 (the first person from Nunavik to do so), and formerly worked seven years in a group home in Kuujjuak as well as subsequently working as a co-ordinator in the provincial social services department. Now in his spare time he is a volunteer on the board of directors of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. He has had the concept of a library in mind for quite a while and he talks about it everywhere he goes.

On March 9, he said in a telephone interview with Windspeaker that he had just received some good news.

"The friendship centre in Montreal is going to be a contact place here." So anyone wanting to donate books for the Inuit library can call the friendship centre and leave their name and number, or deliver them to the friendship centre, where they will keep them for Mesher to pick up.

"What I'm thinking about doing," Mesher said, "is going after a charitable number, so I can get donations." That would go toward promoting the project, gas to run around collecting books, tape, boxes and possibly pay the helpers.

Transporttion for the books is being provided free, on a space available basis, by First Air, from Dorval Airport in Montreal to Kuujjuaq in Nunavik. Arctic Consultants Inc. is also offering space to pack the books. The actual collection, stamping and packing of the library materials is being done by Mesher, his brother Tom and a friend, Geronomo Inutiq, in Montreal. Edward got two stamps for the books made up in Kahnawake, Que., where he frequently visits.

Senator Charlie Watt has been approached to look for funding to support the venture and he too has agreed to see what he can do to help. Because the project is just starting, he has not done anything yet, but "I will be making a definite move," he said, "because it's something that is needed very heavily in every community in Nunavik. We need to start moving in the direction of establishing permanent libraries." The senator adds, "I don't expect to have any problem in terms of identifying money, where the money is going to be coming from."

He said whoever ends up with the responsibility for circulating books in each community will have to get together to establish a means to move books among the villages. It is too early yet, however, for the people to have considered transportation.

Anyone who is interested in this project can contact Mesher by fax at 514-848-2813;

or by e-mail at edwardmesher@canada.com.