THUNDER BAY -- The Ontario Library Association has honoured the contributions of Mary J.L. Black, the librarian for the former Fort William Public Library between 1909 and 1937.
Black also became the first female president of the Ontario Library Association in 1917.
The association recently presented the Thunder Bay Public Library with a plaque that memorializes Black.
The plaque is engraved with these words: Miss Black was a fearless library leader of her time who introduced innovative approaches to library services and exerted significant influence in support of culture, education and the library profession beyond her own city. Miss Black led a remarkable career as Chief Librarian, Fort William Public Library, now known as Thunder Bay Public Library, 1909 – 1937.
Thunder Bay's chief librarian, John Pateman, noted in his acceptance speech that work is underway on a new book to celebrate the history of library service in the community between 1876 and the present.
The working title, Bright Symbols: A History of the Thunder Bay Public Library, is taken from an article published in 1924 in which author T. Morris Longstretch referred to his impression of the Fort William library under Black's direction.
Longstretch said "The bright symbols of intelligence and taste shone everywhere, and later, as I roamed through the wide wilderness of Ontario with successive borrowings from these stacks in my pocket, I had occasion to be thankful to those who had stood behind Miss Black as she created this refreshing oasis in the adjacent desert."
The book will be launched in 2020, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the amalgamation of the Fort William and Port Arthur public libraries.
