A man in eastern P.E.I. who is running what he calls Canada's Smallest Library is trying to get Guinness to declare it the smallest in the world.
The library in Cardigan, operated by John A. MacDonald, sits in a building that measures 3.5 x 3.5 metres, and holds about 1,800 books. A lifetime membership costs $5, and it runs on an honour system. If you sign out a book, you're expected to bring it back.
Alexandrea MacDonald, who helps her father in the library, says they get a lot of traffic from both locals and tourists.Alexandrea MacDonald, who helps her father in the library, says they get a lot of traffic from both locals and tourists. (CBC)MacDonald's 12-year-old daughter, Alexandrea, helps out at the library, and she sees a lot of drive-by traffic from both locals and tourists.
"I think that when they see that, when they're driving by, they're thinking, oh, maybe they're just heading on the way to Montague Library, but then they think, 'Oh, Canada's Smallest Library. That's pretty cool. I'm going to go check that out,'" she said.
"I would say that there's a very good selection of books here."
MacDonald has contacted Guinness World Records, but officials said there isn't a category for the world's smallest library. MacDonald is hoping the organization will consider creating one, and that his library will win the title.