On Thursday, April 15, 2010, a library offering books mainly in the German language opened at the Germania Hall, 15 Bennett Street, Pembroke.
“We have had a collection of books available to Germania Club members for many years,” said Germania Club President Marie Zettler. “As part of our mandate to preserve the German language and culture, we are making it make it available to anyone who is interested.”
To get it ready for accessibility by the public, a committee has been meeting weekly to re-organize the books.
“The original collection has been augmented by many donations over the years,” said Mrs. Zettler. “Although the books have not been catalogued in a formal sense, we have used Dewey Decimal headings as guidelines and have arranged them alphabetically by author within these headings.”
The large collection of fiction, in both paperbacks and hardcover editions, ranges from the popular Karl May Canadian western books that have inspired many German youth to visit this country, to books by classic authors such as Hemingway, Tolstoy, Balzac, and Chekhov, and Solzhenitzyn. There are also children’s books, music books, and books on travel, health, science, and politics, to name only a few.
“We also have German language teaching textbooks for those wishing to study the language,” said Ms. Zettler. “Also, our library will be an excellent resource for those who already have a working knowledge of German who would like to improve their skills through reading.”
Beginning April 15, the library will be open and staffed by volunteers every Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. [This changed in the fall of 2011 to “by appointment.”] Both Germania Club members and non-members can register as users free of charge.
“Come in this Thursday to meet our committee, have a cup of coffee with us, and see what we have to offer,” said Mrs. Zettler. “Through this library we are hoping to enhance our role as part of the culture of this community.”