A Library Find Itself in the Middle of Border Disputes

These are strange times, which gives rise to this story of a library caught in the middle. It involves international borders, a famous author, and a most unusual library. The border is that between the United States and Canada, the author popular Canadian mystery writer Louise Penny, and the library the Haskell Free Library.

The Canadian-American border is the longest in the world, over 5,500 miles in length. What makes it even more remarkable is that the border is undefended. It is not manned by guards, blocked by thousands of miles of walls. Americans and Canadians have long been the best of friends and allies, sharing much in the way of culture and fundamental values. Border crossing is among the easiest and fastest in the world. We haven't had any serious skirmishes since the War of 1812, when Canada was still a British colony.

However, the U. S. has seen more strained relations with several nations over the last few weeks, as America placed tariffs on products from other countries. For Americans, most of whom are far removed from Canada and have few interactions with Canadians, it may not seem like a big deal. For Canadians, almost 90% of whom live within 100 miles of the American border, the impact is more keen. Canadians have regular interactions with Americans, buy American products, and are influenced by American culture. It's like having your brother or sister placing a tariff on you. It hurts.

Among those feeling the pain is Canadian author Louise Penny. She wrote, “I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but given the ongoing threat of an unprovoked trade war against Canada by the US president, I do not feel I can enter the United States. At least not until that economic sword, that could throw hundreds of thousands of Canadians (as well as Americans) into poverty, is removed completely. There are, of course, other things the American president is doing that make visiting the USA unpalatable.”

Penny continued, “With that in mind, I am so sorry to say that until things change, I cannot do in-person events in the United States. Which means, for the first time in 20 years, not touring the USA. Please understand this decision is not meant to punish Americans. This is about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with my fellow Canadians.” As a result, she cancelled her U.S. tour. Rather than appearing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, she will be in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa. She invited Americans to attend her events in Canada. She also expressed the belief that political issues will prove transitory.

That brings us to the unusual library, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. That is where Penny's tour will conclude. What is distinctive about the Haskell is it is located on the border – literally. The border runs through the library, part in Canada, part in the U.S. The main door is in America, with a sidewalk running along the side that leads Canadians to the front door. No one checks for Canadian passports at the front door, nor for American passports to see the books. It is sometimes called “the only library in the U.S.A. with no books” because the books are on the Canadian side of the library. A black line on the reading room floor marks the border (see the image).

Construction began on the Haskell in 1901. The library is on the ground floor, while a theater is located on the second and third floors. The theater opened in 1904, the library in 1905. It was a gift of Martha Stewart Haskell and her son, Horace, to the towns of Derby Line, Vermont, and Rock Island (now part of Stanstead), Quebec. They wanted people from both sides of the border to have equal access so they placed it right on the border. For years it has been a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the people of the two nations. While relations are no longer so tight between the two capitols, I have no doubt they still are between the people of these two towns. As Louise Penny says of the Haskell Library, “It is the physical reflection of what we believe. That what happens politically is one thing, and transitory. What happens in our hearts is indestructible.”