New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, N.B., 1989.108.774

The Manse, Newcastle, New Brunswick, c. 1930

photographer: Dr. Louise Manny

silver print, 12.5 x 17.5 cm

Dr. Louise Manny Bequest, 1970

The Old Presbyterian Manse (Lord Beaverbrook's childhood home) opened as a public library in 1953 under Louise Manny's management. She furnished, equipped and administered the library from 1953 until her retirement in 1967, corresponding regularly with project patron Lord Beaverbrook. From her vantage point at the library, Manny could see what literary needs were most pressing in her community. She kept an eye on the public school curriculum and insisted that her library hold two copies of each book on the reading list, which she felt embraced "not nearly enough Maritime Province books." She secured a variety of books for "heavy" and "light" readers, and she stocked the library with recordings, films, a gramophone and projection machine. Most of the library's clients were children.