The origins of the library go back to the late 1950s when Mabel Crawford worked at the Shaw Store. Mabel loved books and wanted to share them with others, so she dedicated a shelf at the store to books that people could borrow.
When Gwen and Don Yansen sold the store, the books moved to the home of Mabel’s brother, Frank Fowler, and his wife, Elsie. Frank built book cases and Elsie served as librarian. But people didn’t feel free using a private home as a library and decided a separate library building was needed.
The Shaw Island Library and Historical Society was incorporated in 1966. In the summer of 1967, Babs and Malcolm Cameron and Zora Gross each bought one-acre parcels kitty-corner from the Shaw School and donated the land to the society. Malcolm Cameron, an architect, donated his services to design the library and Zora donated the log cabin, part of which had been the island’s first post office, which became the museum. Henry Hoffman and his uncle, Loyal Hoffman, finished work in the summer of 1970 and the library and museum were formally opened August 22, 1970.
The first addition to the library–the children’s library–was opened in 1978. The back room was completed in 1985. The back building, which provides work and storage space for the library and historical society volunteers and is linked to the main library by a breezeway, was completed in 2003. All three projects were undertaken by longtime Shaw Islander Skip Bold.
The library and museum have about 2,000 visitors each year. They check out approximately 1,200 books and an equal number number of videos. The library also has a selection of magazines and local newspapers, a copier and a computer with internet access (and WiFi access) available to all members.