Something had to be done. But a library is not a widget factory. Almost 100 years before the idea caught on in Quebec, Hugh Fraser believed in free access to books, and he bequeathed the money to make it happen. The Fraser-Hickson Institute is on Kensington at Somerled Aves., diagonally opposite an SAQ outlet. It's an intersection where N.D.G. residents seek comfort for body and soul.
Business is good at the liquor store.
The library, however, has cash problems. We haven't told our story well, so there' s some catching up to do. Dinsmore, chief librarian Frances Ackerman and I played catchup in the library's stately, wood-paneled boardroom yesterday. Antiquarian volumes in glass-enclosed cases and Hugh Fraser's classic rolltop desk offered mute testimony to the distinguished history of a Montreal cultural institution. In addition to books, periodicals, videos and audio tapes, the Fraser-Hickson offers computer courses, Internet access and a separate library for children, who will continue to borrow books free.