The Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, minister responsible for the Provincial Library Service, announced today that after a long search the province has been successful in filling the position of French Services Librarian. Chantele Bellemare, formerly of Montreal, began work this week supervising the staff and activities related to the provision of French-language services across the province.
In welcoming the new librarian Minister MacFadyen indicated that the province is committed to assisting the Francophone and Acadian community across the province. "We value language as a part of our culture and we see libraries as an important element in the protection of the French language in Prince Edward Island," says Minister MacFadyen.
Ms. Bellemare has a master's degree in library studies from the University of Montreal and has experience in public and corporate libraries. In addition to her responsibilities concerning French-language services, Ms. Bellemare also has responsibility for the Rotary Regional Library in Summerside. Her office will be in Summerside.
The Provincial Library Service operates French-language libraries in three locations across the province: Abram Village, the Carrefour cultural centre in Charlottetown and the new cultural centre in St. Eleanor's. In addition, the Library system maintains French collections in a dozen smaller libraries and has French language materials available throughout the system.
The Provincial Library Service is a division of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.