By Lori-Anne Little [1]
STIRLING – All you need to sign out the sound of music is a library card, thanks to a new section of the Stirling Public Library [2] where you can borrow musical instruments.
The Musical Instument Lendin Library [3], or MILL, opened Jan. 8. Anyone in southern Hastings County, eastern Northumberland County or Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township [4] can sign out instruments.
Music-library founder James Reid with one of the instruments that can be borrowed, a guitar made in Germany in the 1950s. Photo by Lori-Anne Little, QNet News
The MILL is nestled in the back corner of the Stirling library, right next to the teen literature section. It houses 60 instruments, but James Reid, its founder, said that for the size of the community the MILL supports, he would like to have about 700.
The MILL was based on a similar library in Kingston called the Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library [5]. Reid, a guitarist who lives in Stirling, said that when he heard about that library and the joy it was bringing the people it served, he wanted to be a part of something similar. Playing music makes him happy, he said, and he wants to share that joy with others.
“Our job is putting instruments in people’s hands, and putting smiles on their faces,” said Reid.
Among the instruments at the library are guitars suitable for any playing skill, mandolins, banjos, keyboards, clarinets, flutes, horns and saxophones. There are also three drum kits.
All the instruments were donated by members of the public.
“We’ve got good instruments, we’ve got not-so-good instruments, we’ve got novice-level instruments, we’ve got middle-of-the-road instruments. We had a fabulous man, an old bandleader, (who) gave us this beautiful, beautiful old born – a 1952 Bucher Aristocrat (trumpet) [6] and tenor saxophone,” Reid said.
He’s spent three years planning and bringing the MILL to life, but says it still has some growing to do. He’s seeking more help from the community in the form of donations of musical instruments (Reid says it doesn’t matter if they are broken) and music books. He’s also looking for volunteers, especially those with special skills like instrument repair and fundraising.
The project has been well received so far, Reid says.
“I don’t think I have ever seen another project that has had so much community support. It’s like nobody has a bad thing to say about this.”