The staff of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library were saddened to learn of the passing of Mary Lloyd-Jones of Sydenham. Mrs. Lloyd-Jones was a great supporter of the public library for many years. In 1963, she was one of a group of citizens who began campaigning for the establishment of a county library. In 1968, as deputy reeve of Loughborough township, Mrs. Lloyd-Jones was instrumental in getting the Frontenac county council to pass the County Library By-law, which created the Frontenac County Library (FCL) system. (In 1998, the FCL amalgamated with the Kingston Public Library to create the seventeen-branch Kingston Frontenac Public Library.)

On January 1, 1969, the Loughborough Memorial Library in Sydenham became an FCL branch. It was open 8½ hours a week and had about 7000 volumes. In 1976, the library moved to what was originally John McConnell’s blacksmith shop on George Street in Sydenham. (It is now the Memory Lane Tea Room and Flower Shop.) The building was owned by Mary Lloyd-Jones and her husband Alun. Mrs. Lloyd-Jones convinced her husband to rent the lower part of the building to the library, plus she had it renovated and gave the library a ten-year lease. The library remained there until moving to its current location in 1985.

Mrs. Lloyd-Jones continued to be a supporter of the Sydenham branch, and saw it grow to have 21,000 items and be open 29 hours a week. In 2003, I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Lloyd-Jones and learning about the history of the Sydenham library. She was a special guest at our December 2003 party celebrating 100 years of library services in Sydenham. She continued to support and use the library until she died, and will be missed by all.

A reminder that we at KFPL have proposed changes in hours at all rural branches (except Sharbot Lake , Sydenham and Storrington). We are not cutting hours; rather we are suggesting moving about some hours in a way we believe will make it more convenient for all residents to visit their local branches. Full details are on our website www.kfpl.ca. You can also fill out a questionnaire available at your local branch, or call or e-mail me (549-8888, ext. 1500; jcoles@kfpl.ca) by April 1. All feedback is welcome!