Plans for new library in development

After a long period of uncertainty, a permanent residence for the Skawenniio Tsi Iewennahnotahkhwa Kahnawake Library is in the works.

“I’ve been here for 21 years, and it’s been quite a roller coaster. So, to finally settle down somewhere where it’s permanent, we don’t have to move yet again, it’s been a long time coming,” said senior library clerk Shelley Diabo.

It would not be the little white house across from the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center, where the library has been for a few months, since the building they had been occupying since 2009 on the Old Malone Highway was condemned.

Instead, a new building, on the site of the old Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KOR) building - which was formerly the site of the Karihwanoron School and Step by Step - is being planned.

The lot has stood empty since the building was demolished in 2023.

A new building wasn’t something the library could manage on its own.

That’s where Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Jeffrey Diabo came into the picture.

“Initially, I got involved with them, because even though we condemned the building, there were no efforts made to get them out of there,” said Jeffrey.

Frustrated by what he perceived as a lack of action from the administrative side - including the trailers that had been talked about for months to store the books never materializing - he decided to take matters into his own hands to try to help them out.

He collaborated with community members who managed to raise money for a steel building, a partnership which included Sylvia Gregoire Thomas, who Jeffrey described as the “face” of the project.

“It’s because it’s the community, and the community uses the library a lot, whether it’s for books, whether it’s for computers, because not everybody can have computers at home, or even Wi-Fi,” said Thomas, who added that she was offered to be a part of the library on a deeper organizational level a few years back by Shelley, but had to turn it down due to health issues.

“She’ll call me, ‘So what’s going on with the library? How’s everything going?  So, it’s nice to know that we have that support,” said Shelley.

“That’s why she felt strongly when she thought the library was going to close down. She got in touch and we told her what was happening, and she said we need a permanent library for the town.”

With that money, plus an amount the library itself had set aside, the plan was for the MCK to help support the project - a public-private partnership of sorts.

It was MCK grand chief Cody Diabo and David Diabo, the MCK Lands portfolio chief, who suggested that the site of the old Cultural Center site be used for the library.

“That’s a prime location, it’s in the centre of town, and it’s nice. It’s in the back, but not too far, where children get off the bus. The bus passes right by there. We have elders who come to the library, who walk to the library, so we can’t have it way out of town. So, I’m glad that it’s going to be on that property. It only makes sense,” said Shelley.

Jeffrey said that council would like the building to be a two-story multi-use building, with the library occupying the ground floor and other spaces on the higher floor being for the MCK.

The library will, however, still stay 100 percent independent from the MCK.

This is all in the very early stages of development, as a taskforce to analyze how to turn the current one-story floorplan into a two-story multi-use building needs to be done, along with figuring out the costs, both monetarily and in manpower.

That means no building for at least two years.

At first, the library held a one-year lease on their current space, which began in March, but Jeffrey said after discussions with the hospital, they’ll be able to use the space for longer than that as their permanent home gets developed.

“It’s very important, because we’ve been in limbo, not knowing what was going to happen. So now, knowing that we have something permanent coming out, I mean, it’s a relief,” said Shelley.

Melanie Phillips-Kirby, the children’s library coordinator, said that they had Jeffrey to thank for that relief.

“We greatly appreciate all that Jeffrey has done for us, because if it wasn’t for Jeffrey stepping up, we wouldn’t be here right now,” she said.

“We might still be in the old building working,” added Shelley.

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