[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12612]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              DEDICATION OF THE ST. IGNACE PUBLIC LIBRARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2005

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
dedication of a small town public library that was once a vision for a 
better place to learn and discover. The vision became a dream and today 
the vision is a reality. It can best be described through the words of 
the American Writer Normal Cousins--``a library, to modify the famous 
metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of 
ideas--a place where history comes to life''. On June 18th, 2005, the 
City of St. Ignace, Michigan will dedicate their new library that will 
serve as the central location to explore historic knowledge, current 
cultural awareness and unlock future technological advancements.
  To fully embrace the significance of the work and commitment that 
went into the completion of this new library, we must understand the 
humble beginnings of the original public library in St. Ignace. In 
1924, the first library began as a Civil League Library in the old City 
Hall comprised of only 100 books donated by the local League. For a 
short time following, the books were transferred to the LaSalle High 
School Library. However, upon the completion of the new Municipal 
Building in 1940, the Civic League was given a new home for their 
growing collection of over 1,000 volumes.
  The League understood that if the library was to continue to grow at 
the successful rate it had been, they would need an oversight group to 
maintain the collected works, so they established a Library Board in 
1944. Within a short 10 year period, the library had 4,000 volumes and 
a circulation of 10,000. In 1969, when the Civil League dissolved, the 
Library Board continued on with a new mission of creating a building to 
permanently house their library resources.
  Fourteen years later, in 1983, the 10,000 volume collection moved out 
of City Hall and into the Spring Street building where it would stay 
until 2005. In 1993 the library received its first computer and one 
year later began providing Internet access. Today, the St. Ignace 
Public Library has a circulation of over 22,000 books, videos, audio 
books, and CD-ROMS and has access to six computers.
  The library informs me that over the past 10 years they have watched 
their ciruculation grow by 57 percent. They have issued roughly 2,000 
library cards. Between the influx of people and learning materials, 
their 2,600 square foot building could hardly keep up with the growth. 
The new library, being dedicated this Saturday, is 6,600 square feet 
and contains a larger children's section and expanded computer 
facilities. In addition, the library will contain a community room for 
programs, lectures and public use making this library today's new town 
square that will bring families together to share, learn and grow.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the United States House of Representatives to join 
me in congratulating the St. Ignace Library Board, Funding and Building 
Committee and Steering committee for continuing the strong legacy of 
growth for the library and the vision to see it through. This nearly 
$1.5 million structure took many partners to accomplish. This was 
financed through private donations, foundations and state and federal 
grants as well as in-kind support went into making this happen. I was 
happy to be able to earmark two grants in the federal appropriations 
process for $175,000 and $225,000 to help the vision of this amazing 
project go from dream to reality.
  Just as the City of St. Ignace is the northern home to the Mackinac 
Bridge that connects to our neighbors in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, 
this library bridges and connects to neighbors next door and across the 
globe. Local residents now have the opportunity to connect with their 
neighbors through learning and activities while also connecting to 
those around the world through better access to technology. I applaud 
the St. Ignace community for their commitment to this great 
accomplishment that is clearly bridging them to the future.

                          ____________________