7 - Wednesday, March 1, 1989 - Capilano Chronicle Spas: ty he Cap woman heads city’s biggest library FOR CAPILANO resident Madge Aalto, becoming the touch,’ she said. director of the Vancouver Public Library was the realization of a goal she had set for herself as Aalto, 47, grew up in West Van- couver where her schoolmate Judy was the daughter of Peter Grossman, then head of the VPL. “Some day in the back of my mind I knew that I would grow up and be the director of the. Van- couver Public Library,” recalled Aalto recently. Today Aalto heads a library that boasts 300 regular staff members, almost 300 part-time and casual employees, 19 branches and an annual budget of $16 million. And if that’s not. challenging - enough, consider her next project: planning a new central library for Vancouver, one that’s at least twice the size of the existing one. “It’s now beginning to wear out,”” Aalto said of the 32-year- old, £23,000 square-foot building at the comer of Robson and Bur- rard. ‘‘There's no room for people and very little room for books."" Pians for the new library are still a child. in the early stages, but Aalto says she hopes to see the new facility open by 1995. In this and in other library mat- ters, Aalto reports to an II- member board — ‘‘they’re my boss’’ consisting of repre- sentatives from the school and parks boards, a mayoral ap- pointee, and eight members from the community at large. “It's a very active and aggressive ~ board — which ! iike,”’ Aalto said. Although Aalto must spend much of her time on the telephone and in meetings, she says it is im- portant to her to get to know her staff and she also personally re- ponds to many donations and let- ters from the public. “I love the phone calls and let- ters I get from people in the com- munity because it keeps. me in IRENE JOHNSON teaches women how to stay fit and limber using ballet movements. Jounson offers classes for a range of age groups § at Highlands Community School. Teacher shows how to keep fit at the ballet barre IF SWEATING it out in an aerobics class doesn’t appeal; there is a gentler, more graceful way to keep fit and enjoy the pleasure of moving to beautiful music at the same time. .: Irene Johnston’s Keep Fit Ballet _ Classes. at. Highlands » School ':have been | attracting women of all ages for the past 10 : “It’s a form of exercise that’s a little different,’’ says Johnston. . For-.some, the combination of : stretching, ; floor work and barre _ work is a Way of keeping up with * bailet training in the past. And for those women who have: never taken ballet, the classes have : proved. not: only inlay se ibut : 3 offers’ ‘two seas “ “Monday nights,.the first, at 7:30 p.m. is attended by: women in their 50s up to their 70s. : Be ‘They find it's a great way to : ‘tone. up. — ,and ° you should. see 7=them™ jump,” says Johnston, who ‘is also in her 50s." - #2 A’: class «for. younger. women Hows, Mondays, at 8: 30 P. me It. , Community is a little more rigorous and features more ballet exercises. The next 10-class session starts ‘ff April 3, when Johnston is planning to add another Tuesday evening class for the older group. Johnston, who also spends some of her time looking after her grandchildren, trained as a ballet dancer under some top. dance AA member of the B.C... Ballet. -Club in her youth, she represented +: the B.C. Bailet School out east and ‘attended the Banff School of Fine. ’ Arts. Johnston danced in Vancouver : night clubs during the '50s. and performed a number of times at \.[ Theatre Under the Stars. For. information about Johnston's » classes, contact her at 988-7329. * a Aalto recently received a postal tribute from a man visiting Van- couver from the United States. In complimenting the Vancouver library, the man wrote that to compare the VPL to libraries in the States is not even comparing apples te oranges. — rather, “‘emeralds to chewing gum.”’ MADGE AALTO ... “I am pas- sionate about public tibrarizs.”’ Another favorite story of Aalto’s is the Christmas card sent to the Business and Economics department of the library. From a single mother, the card thanked the staff for their assistance — due to the informa- tion she had gleaned from their shelves, she said, she was recently able to find a job. ‘The example illustrates Aalto’s strong belief in the importance of people having free access to in- formation through the vehicle of a public library. “} am passionate about public libraries,’’ she emphasized. Seeing them as a ‘‘non-threaten- ing public service’’ that serves everyone, ‘‘literally from the cradle to the grave,’’ Aalto said that as each of the Vancouver branches caters to a very different reading public, library staff *‘try to have collections reflect the needs and interests of the local com- munity.”’ An avid reader herself since an early age, Aalto worked approx- imately 20 years in Toronto CALL THE SERVICE EXPERTS DISCOVER THE FUN . -OF CROSS STITCH » Ps We have everything you need ¢ to get started * MARCH CLASSES FORMING NOW! Kits - books - fabrics - DMC Large selection of frames and mats, custom framing , hand-crafted gifts. A: Stitch ‘a 440 West 12th St. N.Van. Open Tues.-Sun. 986-2278 Time Deg libraries, moving to Victoria about four years ago to accept a position as director of the public library there. The reason for the move back west? “Can you imagine living anywhere else?... Toronto was flat, hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and I wanted to come back to B.C.” After 3% years in Victoria, Aalto applied for and received her current position. Her first day on the job at the VPL was March 31, 1988: ‘I thought it was a courtesy of the board not to ask me to start on April Fool's Day."’ Starting her day at 6 a.m. and usually not finishing until 7 or 8 p.m., Aalto doesn’t have much time left over for pleasure reading, but when she has the chance her first choice at the bookshelves is science fiction. “It’s my favorite reading for fun,’’ she said. 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