The Windsor Public Library is partnering with Windsor Regional Hospital to explore the possibility of creating an innovative and jointly operated library service at the proposed new acute care hospital on County Rd. 42 and the 9th Concession.
The Windsor Public Library System has nine locations and is looking to expand services in South Windsor to meet the needs of that part of the City that does not have convenient access to library services. In addition, the new acute care hospital planning to date already envisions a library within the new acute care hospital.
Library CEO Kitty Pope says the new hospital site is ideally located to serve residents in this area, as well as neighbouring county residents, and provides the impetus for collaboration on many unique and mutually beneficial ground-breaking projects.
“The concept is an information hub that brings our customers inside a state-of-the-art, regional healthcare facility and promotes further partnerships and collaboration,” says Pope. “Right now, 40% of the reference questions the library receives are health related. This location gives us a unique opportunity to partner with medical professionals and offer new services to the community.”
The Board of Directors for both Windsor Regional Hospital and the Windsor Public Library, as well as the Program and Services Steering Committee for the Windsor-Essex Hospitals System, all support the continuation of the due diligence process. Further discussion about the specifics including physical space, operating model, etc., will be part of the Stage 2 planning process for the new Windsor-Essex Hospitals System.
“Right now, we are waiting for approval to move to stage two in the planning process,”says David Musyj, President and CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee. “Once that happens, we can take this vision and explore the countless ways this partnership can benefit our patients, staff, visitors, partners in medical research and education and the larger community. It is an innovative partnership and it highlights the unique opportunities the new regional hospital will create.”
I believe it is a very worth while endeavor to seek space for a library facility in the new hospital . And may I advocate that this facility would arrange for volunteers to visit the patients to seek their desires for reading material for those whom are immobile.
Just a suggestion for the library staff responsible for book purchasing to consider visiting the website : http://www.westlib.org this is the web site of the Westmount Library in Westmount Quebec which is a city community within Montreal. The reason I suggest visiting this site is that the selection of books provides a variety on particular subjects inclusive of multiple perspectives which I discovered is lacking in books available at the Windsor Public Central Library.
Just to give you an example if you key in your subject catalog ” Federal Reserve Board” and the do the same for Westmount library subject search , one of the books available at Westmount library is ” The Creature from Jekyll Island” by Griffin G. Edward. Oh course Westmount Library carries all the titles the Windsor Library has on the subject and more as well on the Federal Reserve Board. And you will discover this availability is wide spread in many other subject titles. It is most enlightening to read perspectives beyond official government spin and propaganda that is all to often the most salient perspective in subject matter at the Windsor Public Library. Thus I would encourage you to peruse the catalog at the Westmount Library for titles on various subjects so the Windsor community may have access to the same knowledge that is available to the Montreal metropolis through their Westmount Library!