The Meadow Lake Library, located at 320 Centre Street in Meadow Lake, is a branch of the Lakeland Library Region, which serves northwestern Saskatchewan. (Image Credit: Meadow Lake Library)

By Kenneth Cheung

A familiar face

After decades in Meadow Lake, librarian Audrey Marsh steps away from a role she ‘fell into’

Mar 26, 2026 | 12:08 PM

Even without a photo, most people in Meadow Lake would recognize her.

She’s the one behind the desk who helps when the printer won’t work, when an email won’t load, or when a reader can’t quite remember the name of a book, only that it had a blue cover.

If you’ve spent any time in the local library, you’ve likely met her.

After more than a decade at the Meadow Lake Library and more than three decades in the community, Audrey Marsh is stepping away from a job she never planned to have, but never wanted to leave.

“I moved here 33 years ago, maybe 34… in the early 90s, 1992, I think we moved here,” she said. 

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Marsh’s path to the library wasn’t planned. Like many people in small towns, she stepped into the role when the opportunity came.

“Honestly, I was lucky enough to just fall into it,” she said. 

“I worked at Home Hardware for many, many, many, many years. But then there was an opening to work at Jubilee School, and so I took that.” 

After joining the school, she spent a couple of years working in the system, including time helping with a Grade 1 reading program, before moving into the librarian role.

And something about it stayed.

“Librarian is the best job I’ve ever had.” 

That sense of purpose carried her through 12 years at Jubilee School and, later, into the public library, where she has worked since 2014. 

Ask her what made it meaningful, and her answer returns to the same place, the people.

“My favourite part of this job is serving the patrons, meeting the public, and finding them something they want to read or helping them with their photocopying or whatever other services we do here at the library.” 

It’s honest work, the kind that rarely draws attention, but shapes a community all the same. A question answered. A problem solved. A familiar face who knows where to look.

“The best part of my job is serving the public with those services.” 

There were other parts, too. The behind the scenes rhythm of the job includes schedules to manage, books to order, and accounts to keep in balance.

“Patrons first, but the rest of my job is pretty good too.” 

Through it all, the library remained what she believes it should be.

“The libraries are for everybody. Everybody’s welcome at the library,” she said.

In Meadow Lake, that space has never been guaranteed.

“There are memorable things. In 2017, they tried to shut down the libraries, and all of the library patrons in Saskatchewan protested it, and they did not shut it down,” she said. 

More recently, she said there were attempts to cut library hours, another reminder of how fragile those spaces can be, even in communities that rely on them.

Still, she kept coming in each day.

“Coming to the library every day always makes me smile.” 

There isn’t a single moment she points to as the highlight of her career. Instead, it’s the accumulation of days.

“I love working with the staff here. It’s a wonderful staff. And I love the work I do. And what’s not to love about a library?” 

Now, as she prepares to step away, the shift feels less like an ending and more like a return.

“It’s been a wonderful 12 years, and now I’m going to be a library patron, so I’m sure I’ll see everybody around anyway.” 

In a library that is home to about 13,000 to 15,000 items, she won’t be hard to find. 

Maybe in the adult fiction section, her favourite, browsing mysteries, thrillers and suspense.

“I have too many favourite books. I can’t name one.” 

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com