When Klara Oyler joined the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library (HCPL) early during its formation in 2003, she quickly learned that rural branches are about more than book rentals and family storytimes.
Having grown up and spent the bulk of her career in the city, Oyler said the Friends group was one of the first she engaged with after relocating full-time to the Highlands. She connected with the late Michael Fay, who spearheaded the Friends’ formation.
“We wanted to be involved so we could make the library much more accessible and a bigger part of the community – Michael seemed to really feel the library had a much bigger role to play than it was playing,” Oyler said.
Then, the Minden Hills library was crammed into what’s now the Welch Room at the cultural centre, while the previous Haliburton facility was located beside town hall on Mountain Street. New buildings for each opened in 2009, with a Wilberforce branch opening in 2014. Today, there are eight branches Countywide.
President Gwen Pennylegion said the group’s mandate is to raise money and advocate for HCPL. They support programs, services and materials not funded through the library’s operating budget.
Since its inception, the Friends has funded early literacy materials, children’s learning computers, STEM learning tools, book club sets, special book collections, e-book readers, assistive reading devices, radon detectors, karaoke machines, ukuleles, easels, bean bag chairs and more.
The group raises money through two core annual fundraisers – a springtime ‘Friends Café’ that features a talk with a local author, and a late fall event with a renowned author. This year’s is happening Nov. 1 at the Haliburton Legion, with former CBC Radio host and journalist, Carol Off, discussing her new book True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Front Lines of Canadian Sovereignty, which came out Oct. 13.
They’ve attracted some big names in recent years, including Joy Fielding, Linwood Barclay, C.S. Richardson, Linden MacIntyre, R.H. Thomson, Judy Fong Bates and Michael Redhill, Oyler said.
The Friends also host two major book sales a year at the Dysart and Minden Hills branches. All in, the Friends expects to invest upwards of $15,000 back into the library system this year. Pennylegion, who joined in 2016, said priorities are set by HCPL librarian, Andrea Brown.
“Libraries are not just about books – they’re a community resource. People who cannot afford a computer, or can’t access high-speed internet, they come here. It’s a safe place to be if it’s too hot or cold outside,” Pennylegion said.
A former teacher, Oyler said the average middle-class child in Canada can have up to 3,000 hours of literacy under their belts before they start kindergarten. For many, libraries are a key source for new reading material.
Starting out with a dozen members 23 years ago, the group has grown to 87. They ran a ‘love your library’ initiative in May to draw community attention to the library.
“We wanted to bring a focus on what libraries actually do in 2026, because it’s totally different now than even 10 or 15 years ago,” Pennylegion said.
“A library is important because it provides equal access to information and resources, fosters education and literacy, serves as a community hub and supports economic activity. It offers free education materials, internet access and programs, which helps individuals with job searching, skill development and staying informed,” she added.
Oyler said rural libraries were identified as essential hubs connecting residents to needed services by the Eastern Ontario Regional Network during the affordability and governance structure review study submitted to the County over the summer.
“They talked about how we’re in a very poor area and we still expect everybody to still do everything digitally – even voting in elections – when some haven’t got the availability,” Oyler said. “A few years ago, people were talking as if libraries are becoming obsolete. But I think they’re more important now than ever, especially in an area like Haliburton County.”
