The Vulcan Municipal Library recently received the Reading to Build Community award at the Chinook Arch Regional Library System’s conference.

Library manager Connie Clement and program coordinator Jenn Lievaart accepted the award March 1 during the Southern Alberta Library Conference in Lethbridge.

The award recognizes that library staff have gone above and beyond in connecting with the community.

The library’s Readers Build Community program met the criteria for the award – collaboration with the community and the program benefitting the community.

Every Wednesday morning Lievaart volunteers her time to read poems and stories with seniors at Vulcan’s Extendicare. She brings copies of the poems and stories, reads some of the material herself, and then gives the seniors an opportunity to read as well. They then talk about what they have read.

Donna Anderson originally started reading to the seniors at Extendicare. Anderson, who reads to a group on Tuesdays, asked Lievaart if she would like to volunteer.

“She was in the library one day talking to Connie, and I just volunteered to do it,” Lievaart.

The library could use more volunteers for the program.

“Our goal is to get more readers and eventually get into individual rooms of people who can’t leave their beds,” said Lievaart.

A meeting is scheduled to take place today (Wednesday) at 1 p.m. at the Rainbow Literacy and Learning Society to provide information to those interested in volunteering.

“They really open up and it’s just a way for them to be more active and more social,” said Lievaart about the seniors.

Anyone interested in reading to seniors at Extendicare is asked to contact the library at 403-485-2571.