A unique partnership between Saint Mary’s University and Halifax Public Libraries reached a milestone anniversary this fall, with 45 years of shared learning through the ‘University Classes for Everyone’ program. A birthday celebration took place November 23 at Halifax Central Library to mark the occasion.
“It is remarkable, as we understand it, that there is no other partnership quite like this between a university and a library or library system in Canada,” Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Saint Mary’s President and Vice-Chancellor, said in his remarks at the event
The program has delivered 158 courses since 1977, mostly in the past and present Spring Garden Road library locations. Saint Mary’s students take the courses for credits toward their degrees, while sharing the experience alongside members of the public who are able to attend the classes for free.
People of all ages enjoy the courses for “pure curiosity, and that is a beautiful thing,” said Åsa Kachan, Chief Librarian and CEO for Halifax Public Libraries, adding that the downtown library location has also given many university students from around the world a sense of connection to where they live.
“As you know at Saint Mary’s, we very much place a premium on the value of engaging with the community,” said Summerby-Murray. “It’s part of what we mean when we talk about creating a world without limits. It includes ways in which we bring the sense of research, discovery, innovation and problem solving into the wider community, into the world around us.”
For both students and members of the public, lifelong learning in the arts and humanities is central to being an active citizen in a democracy, said Kachan.
“It helps us understand the world around us, it offers up new perspectives, it challenges us to think critically. It helps us understand the past, and imagine a different future. As we in our society are faced with so many challenges, it is the social sciences and humanities that will help us respond to those, and provide the context for thinking about how we respond to big issues like climate change and health care and disinformation,” she said.
A history of shared learning
The program has come a long way since its early days. Some library patrons weren’t quite sure what to make of it at first—some even shushed the professors in the first year or two!
“Luckily, the early champions of this program stayed firm and here we are 45 years later,” said Kachan.
Those champions included John Battye, director of Continuing Education at Saint Mary’s in the 1970s, and Joan Brown Hicks, then coordinator of community services for Halifax Public Libraries, who forged the initial partnership.
The breadth of subject matter has been vast through the years, with courses covering everything from “Media Psychology” and “Historic Dynamics of Clothing and Fashion” to “Literatures and Cultures of the African Diaspora” and “Anthropology of the COVID-19 Pandemic”.
The celebration was well attended by library staff, professors, former students and members of the public who attend classes. They were all treated to a mini-lecture, “Exotic for Whom? Decolonizing the Grocery Aisle," presented by Dr. Rohini Bannerjee, Associate Vice-President, Diversity Excellence.
“I love teaching at the library … long may it continue!” Dr. Tim Stretton, a history professor, said during the reception afterward. The diversity of community voices adds a whole other level of adrenaline, enthusiasm and expert knowledge to the class discussions, he said. “They ask really good questions, and their enthusiasm is worth its weight in gold.”
What’s up next?
Coming up at Halifax Central Library in the Winter 2023 term, ENGL 1230: Literature and the Environment will be taught with two different approaches. Prof. Raymond Sewell will bring an Indigenous perspective to the subject, focusing on symbolic literature and culture, while Dr. Renée Hulan will bring a climate change focus to the course.