Margaret Dunn Valleywood Collaboration Studio officially open

3D printer, Cricut machines, recording studio, and more at updated branch

By Zachary Roman

Caledon residents can take advantage of some of the latest and greatest technology at the newly-renovated and recently-opened Margaret Dunn Valleywood Collaboration Studio.

On April 29, the Caledon Public Library (CPL) hosted an official grand opening ceremony for the Collaboration Studio. It began at 11 a.m. with coffee and refreshments, and representatives from municipal and provincial governments were in attendance.

There was a great turnout from members of the Dunn family for the event, who came to see the updates to the branch named after their late family member. The community room at the front of the branch was soon filled with community members too. 

The CPL's CEO and Chief Librarian, Colleen Lipp, began the opening ceremony with an Indigenous land acknowledgement before sharing how excited she was to be in a room with so many supporters and partners.

She welcomed Amarjot Sandhu, MPP for Brampton West; Sylvia Jones, MPP for Dufferin Caledon and Deputy Premier; and Doug Maskell, Ward 3 Councillor and acting Mayor of the Town of Caledon for the day. Lipp then welcomed members of the CPL board and members of the contractor teams that created the Collaboration Studio.

“We're also joined today by the family of Margaret Dunn, for whom this branch was named when it first opened in 2006. At that time, we couldn't even imagine how library services would evolve and shift in the years ahead,” said Lipp. “3D printers and laser printers were the stuff of science fiction, and now maker and media technologies are core library services… a means for public libraries to bridge the digital divide and support the development of job and entrepreneurial skills.”

The Margaret Dunn Valleywood branch is now home to a makerspace with tools like Cricut machines, a computerized sewing machine, 3D printer, and traditional arts and crafts supplies. The branch is also home to private meeting rooms, a soundproof recording studio, and computers with audio and video capture and editing software. The branch also remains a pickup and drop-off location for all CPL materials. 

Sandhu spoke after Lipp at the opening ceremony and said libraries are fundamental to a community's well-being and people's quality of life. He said libraries bring people together, play an invaluable role in supporting education, and promote learning and literacy for all ages.

“Our government is proud to invest in the community… the (Valleywood) branch is the first in Caledon to offer new services and technologies to support learning, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and better bridge the digital divide,” said Sandhu. “With the collaboration studio, residents will be able to build their skills and exercise their creativity… after years of hard work, dedication and collaboration, I'm thrilled to see this project finally come to life.”

Sandhu, a Member of Provincial parliament, thanked the Municipal and Federal government for their partnership to make the Collaboration Studio a reality. Federal and Provincial governments supported the Collaboration Studio through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Jones spoke after Sandhu and said it was a great honour to be joining everyone for the grand opening of the Collaboration Studio. She said when the different levels of government work together, communities benefit and the Studio is a great example of that.

Maskell spoke next, on behalf of Mayor Annette Groves and his colleagues on Caledon Council.

“The Margaret Dunn Valleywood collaboration studio… is a creator's dream,” said Maskell. “Thank you to all those at all levels of government and in the community that have made this space possible.”

Tony Maxwell, the newly-elected chair of the CPL board and he shared greetings after Maskell.

Maxwell explained that Margaret Dunn, who the branch is named after, served on the CPL board for 16 years. For 11 of those years, she was the Board's chair.

Dunn was one of the founders of the Friends of the Caledon Public Library, and even after she stepped down from the CPL board, Maxwell said she worked tirelessly to support the library.

“It was her strength of character and determination that resulted… in the establishment of library services in Valleywood,” said Maxwell. “It's nice to see the Dunn family here, it's a really wonderful and fitting tribute.”