Waterfront Centre to house Whycocomagh’s first library
December 22, 2025
Readers of The Participaper could soon be perusing their favourite municipal magazine at the new library at the Whycocomagh Waterfront Centre.
The Municipality of Inverness County is partnering with the Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) and the Whycocomagh Waterfront Centre Association to establish a library in the lower level of the community centre.
“I think it’s extremely important that the county is behind it with us,” says Terry Gillis, secretary of the Waterfront Centre Association, noting that her group has been advocating for library services for about four years. During much of that time, she adds, the Municipality has been conducting a review of library services in the county, so the time was right for this partnership.
The Municipality has already collaborated with groups in Mabou and Chéticamp to establish ECRL branches in those communities, but this model is a unique one, says Morgan Murray, the director of Culture and Community Development with the Municipality.
“This is different in that council has agreed to fund and operate this library and we’re in partnership with ECRL, where they’ll provide the collections, access to online materials and e-books, and borrow-by-mail, and all the other things they do at other library branches,” Murray explains. “So, in terms of library services, you’ll get the same thing you’ll get everywhere else.”
“This is a pretty unique situation in that it’s the first municipally funded library in Nova Scotia, outside of Halifax,” he notes. “So, it’s a bit of a learning curve.”
A visitor information centre (VIC) operated out of the centre this summer for the first time. Murray says that VIC will be one of the services provided by the librarian, who will be a municipal employee, and that it will now serve visitors year-round, making it the first of its kind on Cape Breton Island.
The Municipality will also use the new library as a place to provide municipal recreation equipment, so that a patron might be able to take out a pair of skis simply by using their library card.
“We’re hoping we can expand those services to the other branches too,” Murray adds. “But being municipally led and funded, we can kind of launch those in Whycocomagh.”
He says the municipal council has been prioritizing the growth of the municipality, and attracting newcomers, so that it can maintains services and keep communities thriving.
“Libraries are seen by council and by municipal staff as being the cornerstone of that,” Murray adds. “They’re a place for people to spend time together and to build community, and for newcomers to connect to the community. We see it as a great opportunity to help the community grow and thrive.”
Being able to address the needs of the community is the key, according to Gillis, who says she’d like to see neighbouring communities like Little Narrows or Blues Mills consider this their library.
“Right now, there’s nowhere in the village to go if someone wants to do some photocopying or faxing, or anything along those lines,” she says.
She says a group of local mothers has expressed interest in holding weekly children’s reading circles, and that the new library could also eventually house much of the material compiled by the Whycocomagh Historical Society, so that patrons could research their genealogy. “We’re hoping that through time, we’ll be able to incorporate many of those needs the community has.” STOP
A grand opening event will take place this winter and will be promoted through the municipality’s website and Facebook page.