Submitted by the Selkirk and District Community Foundation
February was I Love to Read Month, but at the Gaynor Family Regional Library (GFRL), love for reading is a year long affair.
The library is a welcoming place for kids already and with the expansion to the children’s section getting underway soon, parents are going to have a hard time getting their kids to leave
The library that serves Selkirk, St. Andrews, St. Clements and the Village of Dunnottar is one of the most well used libraries in the province. If we read the GFRL’s story so far, we would learn that it was built 13 years ago and has been a treasured spot for young readers, students and adults whose love of the library necessitated an expansion.
In 2024, there were more than 149,000 visits to the library, more than 5,400 children showed up and 50,000-plus items were borrowed.
When space previously used by the local planning district was vacated, the opportunity arose for the library to expand. The Story Continues – the Gaynor Family Regional Library Expansion Campaign was born and a fundraising effort to hit $1.3 million in community donations was launched. Member municipalities contributed $1.2 million of the $2.8 million project.
The Selkirk & District Community Foundation granted $100,000 over two years to the library.
Meredith Boerchers, Foundation Executive Director, says the value of the library to the communities it serves is undeniable and data points in the Foundation’s Vital Signs 2025 report show that usage of the library has remained constant over the years.
“Vital Signs showed that the number of items checked out from the Gaynor library was 6.4 per capita in 2016 and in 2024 it actually rose slightly to 6.5. In Winnipeg and the rest of Manitoba, items checked out dropped by almost half,” Boerchers said.
“That shows that people in our communities make use of the library, enjoy going to the library and will be happy to have more space when the expansion is complete.”
The expansion will take the library from 11,000 square feet and 5,000 shared square feet to a total footprint of 22,500 square feet.
Ken Kuryliw, Director of Library Services, says the library breaks old stereotypes of what a library is – sure, you need to exercise a certain amount of quiet consideration for others, but it’s more than a study and reading place, it’s where the community gathers.
“We’re not a shushing library,” Kuryliw said.
“Yes, we support literacy and learning, but we’re also a place to hang out and escape to and meet friends, without necessarily needing to spend money.”
The expansion will add another 6,000 square feet and include more space for youth programming and events and more study cubbies. It’s a massive project that is scheduled to begin at the end of March and wrap up in the fall.
Along with the expansion, there will be improvements throughout the entire space. Tens of thousands of books will be moved and new study areas created and the goal will be to have the library open throughout the vast majority of the construction. It will require staff and users to work and read around the construction, but Kuryliw is hopeful they can do it.
“The goal is to limit library closed days to under 10 over the six months,” he said.
Parkwest Projects Ltd., who built the library in 2013, have been awarded the contract to do the expansion. Phase 1 and 2 will both be done this year, along with other improvements to the parking lot, accessible walkways for the decks and interior blinds.
Kuryliw said support for the project came from many directions.
“The incredible community support from donors, municipalities and the Province of Manitoba made this project possible. We have basically reached our fundraising goals with only $10,000 of the $2.8 million left to raise in 2026,” Kuryliw said.
“This amazing project would not have been possible without the amazing support of the Selkirk & District Community Foundation and critical community donors that helped encourage the municipal and provincial support. We are very excited by the expansion and what it means for the region and can’t wait until the fall.”
SDCF funds support learning and literacy all year long. There are four designated funds at SDCF that support the GFRL. They are:
Libri Fund: Supports general operations, collections management and capital projects at the Gaynor Family Regional Library
Mooring-Griffioen Selkirk Library Fund: Supports inter-library loan services and costs, and/or adds to book collections at the Gaynor Family Regional Library.
John Mytz Memorial Fund: Supports general operations, collection management and capital projects, at the Gaynor Family Regional Library
Lawrence Paquin Estate Fund: Provides assistance to the Gaynor Family Regional Library and the Marine Museum of Manitoba (Selkirk).
