About VCL

Welcome to Vegreville Centennial Library!

Land Acknowledgement

The Vegreville Centennial Library is located on lands that fall under Treaty 6, 1876. The Nêhiyaw-Askiy (Plains Cree), Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux), Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot), Michif Piyii (Métis), and Cree people have all called this area home. We are all Treaty people and will continue to work towards reconciliation. As part of our dedication to reconciliation, we are steadily increasing Indigenous representation in our collection. We encourage folks to deepen their knowledge and understanding by utilising resources like the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

History of Vegreville Centennial Library

Vegreville Centennial Library has served the town of Vegreville and surrounding area since 1920. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) instituted a library (Vegreville Public Library) in the Public Rest Room located in the Alberta Hotel. The Library Board was appointed with personnel changing frequently, but until 1970 the current mayor usually acted as chairman of the library board.

In the early years, the library was sponsored by the WCTU and the Women’s Institute which raised money through teas, concerts, etc., and by soliciting financial help from both municipal and provincial governments. Over the years, the library was housed in several locations and experienced challenges along the way. During the depression, the premises closed on May 1, 1938. The library re-opened on October 15, 1938, at another site (the basement of the Civic Building on 50 Avenue just west of the Post Office) with a new board. For the next ten years, the IODE managed the library and raised money, obtained grants, and voluntarily manned the library. In 1967, a welcome initiative from both municipal and provincial authorities made regular grants available on a per capita basis from both municipal and provincial authorities.

Over the years, the library has been housed in several locations until the move to its current location at 4709 50 Street. The grand opening of the Vegreville Centennial Library was celebrated in September 2005, and was dedicated to the people of Alberta to commemorate Alberta’s 100th anniversary as a proud member of Canadian Confederation.

2020 was our 100th anniversary and planning for a Centennial celebration was underway in 2019 when – whoops! COVID derailed that. Our library was closed to the public in mid-March 2020 until we were allowed to re-open for curbside pickup only (no patrons allowed in the building) until June 2021. Gradually, government restrictions were lifted allowing a restricted number of people in the library at any given time; and by January 2022 we were able to resume full service for our patrons. That was a time that will be not soon be forgotten.

Compiled from ‘Vegreville in Review’ pages 86-88.

Banner image credit: Fogal Photography