On April 2, 1999, Nunavut became the newest Territory in Canada. It covers an area of 2,121,102 square kilometers or 882,133 square miles from about 110 degrees longitude to Davis Strait which divides Canada and Greenland. The top of Manitoba is one of its southern borders and it goes to the top of Ellesmere Island, and includes the North Magnetic Pole. Populating that vast area are just over 29,000 people served by 11 libraries.
Initially, their Library System is not set up to receive donations.
Therefore, in December 2002, we completed arrangements for $1,000 worth of books to be billed to Arrow in the Arctic in Calgary and delivered from a wholesaler in Kitchener, Ontario, to the Nunavut Library System. The funds were taken from the proceeds of the Ninth Annual Great Geranium Sale held by the Calgary Alumnae Club.
They were delighted that 55 hard covered books would be distributed to their 11 libraries, already catalogued. They chose two substantial junior non-fiction titles that would encourage kids to read about their country and three easy readers that will make good parent-child reading selections, from authors that they know are very popular with all their junior readers.
Their Head of Technical Services wrote, "Although the list isn't long, this means 55 items added to our system that we could not have otherwise afforded, provided by the kindness of Pi Beta Phi's Arrow in the Arctic."
The Canadian Philanthropies Committee can use the same route to assist this fledgling Library system in the far North.
In December, we received an email advising us that, thanks to Arrow in the Arctic, each of the 11 libraries in the Nunavut system will receive the following:
Items for parents to read with/to their kids, plus this year, the Canadian Medical Association's complete book of mother and baby care. The easy readers ordered were mostly Canadian (Franklin says I love you, Paulette Bourgeois; Zoom, Robert Munsch's latest--the main character in this one is a disabled kid shopping for a super-speedy wheelchair; Good Night Sam by Marie-Louise Gay) except for Where's Spot by Eric Hill, which is just very popular and a perfect first book for babies.
We very much appreciate your continued support.
Head of Technical Services
Nunavut Public Library Services
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