One step inside the south end of the Niverville Centennial Arena and you won’t find skates, hockey gear, or the echo of slap shots; you’ll find stacks of books, sorting tables, and the start of something new for the town, their very first community “lending library.”
The project, led by Warren Britton, Director of Recreation and Wellness for Niverville, and Town Councillor Meghan Beasant, have spent recent weeks surrounded by towering piles of donated books and volunteers eager to bring the idea to life. For Beasant, the right word for what’s taking shape is important.
“This space will be what is going to be our, I think, ‘lending library’ is the term we’re leaning on the most. It just sounds the nicest. The idea behind it is the ‘bring-one, take-one’ idea, which is good too. Because, of course, any library is lending, but we’re not an official library.”
Niverville Town Councillor Meghan Beasant (left) and the Director of Recreation & Wellness for the town, Warren Britton (right), working together on the new Lending Library inside the Niverville Centennial Arena.
Tables piled high with stories
Right now, the space looks more like a giant book fair than a finished library. Tables are lined with rows of novels, children’s books, biographies, and even well-loved cookbooks. The books have come from all over, some from closets, basements, and storage rooms at the Niverville Community Resource and Rec Centre (CRRC), others from community members thinning out their own shelves.
“We’ve started sorting the books that have been donated; ones that have been stored in the Rec Centre or in various rooms around the CRRC for quite some time now,” Beasant said. “We’re loosely sorting them into categories such as mystery, crime, horror and thriller, fiction, nonfiction, and kids. Then based on the books coming in, we’ve added cooking and gardening, self improvement, romance, and then my personal favourite table, the ‘iconic table.’”
That “iconic” section is where the classics and cult favourites end up.
“Things like popular Stephen King novels, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, and even 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We got a really old copy that’s still in very good shape,” adds Beasant.
Tables piled high with books being sorted for Niverville Lending Library.
A careful check of quality
Sorting isn’t just about genre. It’s also about quality.
“We’re just going through quality control, looking at the actual quality of the book itself,” Beasant explained. “Is it in good shape? Is it ripped? Is it stained? I’ve learned that a lot of people like to highlight their books a lot. We are trying to find decent-quality books. We don’t want you picking up a book and having all the pages falling out on you, no matter how good the story might be.”
The group hasn’t yet decided which books will go out on the shelves first, since there’s no way to fit everything at once. The plan is to rotate books in and out as space allows, keeping the collection fresh for returning readers.
Southend of Niverville’s Centennial Arena is also used as the Golf Simulator space.
Transforming the arena space
The library will share space with golf simulators, but while the library is open, the golf simulators will stay quiet.
“When you walk into the room we’re using, we call it the South End room, you’ll see it’s a multi-use space. We’ve fixed up what used to be a small storage office into a little library with permanent shelves along the walls. I’m hoping to get rolling carts or shelves with wheels so that when the library is open, we can roll everything out into the bigger space.”
The dream is to create an atmosphere where people of all ages feel welcome.
“We’ll have tables and chairs for people who want a quiet place to sit, hopefully some comfortable seating for those who’d like to relax and read, and a little kids’ table and chairs so children can colour while their parents or grandparents browse,” Beasant said. “With the cold and rainy weather coming our way, I’m hoping we can have this nice space filled with books and quiet for people to come and relax.”
Down the line, the group hopes to use the backroom’s small kitchen as a café.
“That café goal is definitely a combined goal of not just a vision of the library, but of this space in general,” Beasant said. “I can’t say when that will happen, but eventually we do hope to provide something a little extra.”
Volunteers and community support
Volunteers are the backbone of the project, and Beasant is quick to acknowledge both their help and the ongoing need for more.
“We have a few volunteers who help out on days that suit them. We all only work together one day a week; otherwise, we just come when we can. I tend to be here alone, but I can tell people have been by because there are more and more books stacked up,” she said. “Then once we’re officially open, we’ll be looking for more help, because the hours of the library will depend on volunteer availability. Daytime, evenings, weekends, we’d love to cover all the different times people in Niverville might want to come.”
The long-term plan is to post consistent hours so residents don’t have to “guess and hope” that the library is open.
Donations keep coming
The library is open to most kinds of book donations, though with a few exceptions.
“You never want to say no to books,” Beasant says. “But we are saying no to magazines, no DVDs, and no encyclopedias. As much as encyclopedias are full of information, we don’t want to end up with five full collections of Britannica.”
The only real requirement is that donated books are in decent condition. Names inside covers should be crossed out if donors want them removed, and Beasant encourages people to pass along books of any genre.
Dedicated Lending Library space in the southend of the Niverville Centennial Arena under construction.
A space for everyone
For Beasant, the project is personal. Even though her own children are older, she remembers when a space like this would have been invaluable.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “Even though my kids are in school full time now, I imagine how great this space will be for parents with little kids during the winter, or for seniors who don’t have the means to leave town but want a nice place to sit, read, or visit with friends. It’s a starting point. I know it’s not a full library, but it’s a very exciting time that there is now a space in Niverville for books. Where else can you start but with a space for books?”
Unexpected treasures
After having already sorted through thousands of donated books, Beasant says she’s found several quirky surprises, little glimpses into the lives of past readers.
“I’ve found an airplane ticket stub from 2003, a recipe written on the back of a newspaper clipping, Canadian Tire money, hockey cards, even crocheted hearts,” Beasant said. “One of my favourites was a holiday recipe booklet from Winnipeg Hydro in 1989. If you think about what you use as a bookmark at home, well, it all showed up here. I now have a whole stack of little bits of people’s lives that came in with their books.”
Looking ahead
As the finishing touches come together, excitement is building for opening day. The lending library is expected to welcome its first visitors soon, just in time for colder weather.
“We’re starting small, but the possibilities are endless,” Beasant said. “And right now, it’s just so exciting to see Niverville finally have a space for books.”
Niverville’s library is holding a grand opening and open house event on Monday, October 27, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a tour of the space, special readings by local dignitaries and more.