Community comes together for human chain library move

A library in a community west of Edmonton is on the move, and it's moving in a very unique way.

Volunteers in the Hamlet of Wildwood created a human chain Wednesday, to move more than 12,000 books to the library's new location.

The current Wildwood Public Library is 58 years old and has outgrown its space. The former county office has recently been renovated to become the library's new location. It offers about 50 percent more space than the old Wildwood library.

So, stack by stack, books were passed from person to person, down the line to the new location. About half of Wildwood's population of 250 turned up to help with the move; some young, some old, some in uniform. There was even one family with four generations represented.

"We're here with my grandfather, Bo Erickson, and with my Aunt Judy. I'm also here with my three children," says Kim Brodersen, a Wildwood resident.

She says it's a great way to get involved in the community and is happy to see so many people out to help.

"Things like this just, really are a good day in Wildwood and we really love being here."

The human chain is believed to the be the first of its kind in our province. Alberta Archives has no record of anything like it.

"We are making history here today in Alberta, because we are the first human chain library move in Alberta," says Donna Mudge, who proposed the idea to the library board.

"I had seen it on TV, done in Hawaii, and I thought, 'what a neat idea'," Mudge says. "I think they had about 2,000 people, but they had to go a mile and a third, whereas we've only got to go one block."

Organizers know it would have been much easier to pack up and move the books in a truck but say that would take away from the community experience.

"We've got a very active community that likes to volunteer and we want them to feel an ownership of their own library," says Ann Myrholm. "At last count it was 184, actually 181, but there's been more volunteers come since."

Volunteers were entertained by music during the move, and enjoyed a barbeque afterwards, for all of their hard work.

Watch the human chain:

With files from Laurel Clark.