Activities

Link to 2010 Calendar

Oct31/2010

Geocache Activity 951

FIND 880

IDENTIFICATION

GC1FG92

"Da" Book

N 50° 02.425 W 110° 40.890

Difficulty 2; Terrain 1; size small; Creator: DoBar Date First Hidden: 8/28/2008 Date Last Found: 10/12/2010
Medicine Hat

Description
The co-ordinates will take you to the front doors of the Medicine Hat Public Library. The history of publicly accessible libraries in Medicine Hat actually dates back to 1890, with the establishment of the ‘Reading Room’ behind St. Barnabas Anglican Church. It was the brainchild of Reverend Walter Garnet Lyon, who initially planned a Church Library. Plans were changed in favour of a non-denominational community subscription library. Public announcement of the planned library was recorded in the Medicine Hat News on 17 July 1890. Subscriptions were called for, fund raising events undertaken, and donations of library materials were accepted from both parish members and the broader community. Construction of a building behind St. Barnabas Church on Montreal Street (Fourth Street) began in October, and the official opening ceremony was held 5 December 1890. The ‘Reading Room’ was short-lived. Some parishioners believed that subscribers from England and eastern Canada had donated on the understanding that a Church Library was being established; issues of responsibility, ownership, and liability were raised. Bishop Anson ordered the Church to end the community library by either selling the library to the community or by assuming direct ownership. In January 1892, the Church agreed to assume ownership of the building and refund the money donated by subscribers who were not Anglican parishioners. The need for a public library in Medicine Hat did not go away, of course. There are records from 1909 showing the citizen agitation for a public library. The Medicine Hat News spurred the cause, insisting in a 1912 editorial that a library was a necessity and not a luxury, and that it was the city's duty to provide access to books for its citizens. Public-minded citizens added their voice to the campaign until the city passed a bylaw in 1914 establishing a library board and initiating the creation of a library. In November of the following year, the library opened its doors, proudly displaying its collection of books in two rented rooms in the Huckvale Block. The library had a start-up grant of $500 from the city; $300 of that, along with books generously donated by Medicine Hat citizens, was used to establish that initial collection. The next year the library was instructed not to spend more than 50 cents on each book. The librarian, Hugh Hassard, earned $25 a month. At the same period, teachers were being paid $60 a month, suites rented from $15 to $25 a month, and twenty-three bars of Lifebuoy Soap cost $1. Times were so tough that one librarian was even asked to perform janitorial duties so the library could lay off the janitor. The library grew rapidly, outgrowing the Huckvale Block and three other locations in quick succession. Finally the library moved to more stable quarters, the former Bank of Montreal building on the corner of 3rd Street and South Railway. This building remained the library's home until 1964. Much happened during that 36 years. Services (and space) were extended to include a children's library, a meeting room, a film and music collection, and a Teen Room. Library activities were well reported in the local paper, and the odd scandalous story helped to add a touch of drama. By the late 1950s, the library was occupying the full building and required more room for its collections and services. There was much discussion over a new building, with the few voices in opposition dramatically outnumbered by the vociferous support. The result? An overwhelming vote in favour of a new library built on the riverbank amid much excitement. The new building led to greater use, the development of more library programs and services. Only two short decades later discussion once again began for more library space. The 1980s also saw the development of the Shortgrass Library System, with Medicine Hat Public Library as its resource centre, and computerized circulation of materials. Nineteen ninety-three saw the realization of ten years of negotiating, and the opening of an expanded library incorporating the original 1963 building but nearly doubling its size. Nineteen ninety-eight and 1999 were the beginnings of the true intertwining of electronic resources with more traditional library resources through public internet access and access to electronic subscriptions. Info from library history book, as received from Rachel Sarjeant-Jenkins The cache is really too small for trades but there are two gift certificates for membership to the Library. If you will use the membership feel free to take one of the certificates to the information desk. Library policy applies. If you wish, you may purchase a gift certificate for membership and add it to the cache. I have rated the difficulty as 2 because you will need to rely on the clues to find the cache. Library hours are: Monday - Thursday - 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday - 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sunday - 1:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Hint 1) Cache is located in "Fiction" section of library as they do not have a mystery/drama section.
2) The book was published in 2004 and made into a movie in 2006 directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou;
3) Movie set in the Louvre in Paris, France;
4) The movie is about a murder inside the Louvre and clues in paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years.
5) The novel and subsequent movie have provoked a popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. The novel has been extensively criticized by Catholics and other Christians as a dishonest attack on the Church. It has also been criticized for historical inaccuracy.
6) Although the book is purely fiction, many people think it fact.
7) The name of the cache holds a clue.Need more clues? Email me for the name of the book!

Comments

PLANNING

The goal today was to drive to Medicine Hat and focus on the geocaches in the central downtown area. Four of these caches were puzzle caches and I wanted to see if I could find the necessary information to use later in solving the puzzles. I had a list of 13 possible searches but I ended up with 4 finds, 2 DNFs, info. for the 4 puzzles, and 3 that I never tried to find.

OUTCOME

1:10 PM. This was my 5th search. I had spent over an hour between this search and my previous "find" by visiting 4 other "puzzle" cache sites in the downtown core to obain additional information that may help me solve the puzzles and determine the actual coordinates for those containers.
Here is my posting to this geocaching.com website:

My first library cache. A great idea. Signed Da Book. TFTC.

Here is a photo of the inside of Da Book:

I am now 4/5 for today.

Link to 2010 Calendar

Link to Index

GC1FG92	"Da" Book	N 50° 02.425 W 110° 40.890
	Difficulty 2; Terrain 1; size small; Creator: DoBar Date First Hidden: 8/28/2008 Date Last Found: 10/12/2010	Medicine Hat
Description	The co-ordinates will take you to the front doors of the Medicine Hat Public Library. The history of publicly accessible libraries in Medicine Hat actually dates back to 1890, with the establishment of the ‘Reading Room’ behind St. Barnabas Anglican Church. It was the brainchild of Reverend Walter Garnet Lyon, who initially planned a Church Library. Plans were changed in favour of a non-denominational community subscription library. Public announcement of the planned library was recorded in the Medicine Hat News on 17 July 1890. Subscriptions were called for, fund raising events undertaken, and donations of library materials were accepted from both parish members and the broader community. Construction of a building behind St. Barnabas Church on Montreal Street (Fourth Street) began in October, and the official opening ceremony was held 5 December 1890. The ‘Reading Room’ was short-lived. Some parishioners believed that subscribers from England and eastern Canada had donated on the understanding that a Church Library was being established; issues of responsibility, ownership, and liability were raised. Bishop Anson ordered the Church to end the community library by either selling the library to the community or by assuming direct ownership. In January 1892, the Church agreed to assume ownership of the building and refund the money donated by subscribers who were not Anglican parishioners. The need for a public library in Medicine Hat did not go away, of course. There are records from 1909 showing the citizen agitation for a public library. The Medicine Hat News spurred the cause, insisting in a 1912 editorial that a library was a necessity and not a luxury, and that it was the city's duty to provide access to books for its citizens. Public-minded citizens added their voice to the campaign until the city passed a bylaw in 1914 establishing a library board and initiating the creation of a library. In November of the following year, the library opened its doors, proudly displaying its collection of books in two rented rooms in the Huckvale Block. The library had a start-up grant of $500 from the city; $300 of that, along with books generously donated by Medicine Hat citizens, was used to establish that initial collection. The next year the library was instructed not to spend more than 50 cents on each book. The librarian, Hugh Hassard, earned $25 a month. At the same period, teachers were being paid $60 a month, suites rented from $15 to $25 a month, and twenty-three bars of Lifebuoy Soap cost $1. Times were so tough that one librarian was even asked to perform janitorial duties so the library could lay off the janitor. The library grew rapidly, outgrowing the Huckvale Block and three other locations in quick succession. Finally the library moved to more stable quarters, the former Bank of Montreal building on the corner of 3rd Street and South Railway. This building remained the library's home until 1964. Much happened during that 36 years. Services (and space) were extended to include a children's library, a meeting room, a film and music collection, and a Teen Room. Library activities were well reported in the local paper, and the odd scandalous story helped to add a touch of drama. By the late 1950s, the library was occupying the full building and required more room for its collections and services. There was much discussion over a new building, with the few voices in opposition dramatically outnumbered by the vociferous support. The result? An overwhelming vote in favour of a new library built on the riverbank amid much excitement. The new building led to greater use, the development of more library programs and services. Only two short decades later discussion once again began for more library space. The 1980s also saw the development of the Shortgrass Library System, with Medicine Hat Public Library as its resource centre, and computerized circulation of materials. Nineteen ninety-three saw the realization of ten years of negotiating, and the opening of an expanded library incorporating the original 1963 building but nearly doubling its size. Nineteen ninety-eight and 1999 were the beginnings of the true intertwining of electronic resources with more traditional library resources through public internet access and access to electronic subscriptions. Info from library history book, as received from Rachel Sarjeant-Jenkins The cache is really too small for trades but there are two gift certificates for membership to the Library. If you will use the membership feel free to take one of the certificates to the information desk. Library policy applies. If you wish, you may purchase a gift certificate for membership and add it to the cache. I have rated the difficulty as 2 because you will need to rely on the clues to find the cache. Library hours are: Monday - Thursday - 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday - 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sunday - 1:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Hint	1) Cache is located in "Fiction" section of library as they do not have a mystery/drama section. 2) The book was published in 2004 and made into a movie in 2006 directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou; 3) Movie set in the Louvre in Paris, France; 4) The movie is about a murder inside the Louvre and clues in paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years. 5) The novel and subsequent movie have provoked a popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. The novel has been extensively criticized by Catholics and other Christians as a dishonest attack on the Church. It has also been criticized for historical inaccuracy. 6) Although the book is purely fiction, many people think it fact. 7) The name of the cache holds a clue.Need more clues? Email me for the name of the book!
Comments