Border-straddling library raises $140K for renovations after U.S. limits Canadian access

Sylvie Boudreau says she is full of gratitude after receiving thousands of donations and over $140,000 to help renovate the entrance of the Stanstead, Que., library that straddles the border with the United Stats. 

"It is crazy. It's overwhelming …I have contractors starting working," said Boudreau, president of the library's board of trustees. 

Built in 1904, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House needs to renovate an emergency exit to become an accessible main entrance for Canadians after the U.S. government announced it is limiting access to that entrance, which is located steps into Derby Line, Vt.

As part of those restrictions, Canadians need a library membership to access the building through the entrance that's located on the American side of the border. And come Oct. 1, those restrictions will get even tougher.

Boudreau says the library will open a side entrance to the Canadian public on Tuesday but is already looking to build a proper door soon after.

Launching a Go Fund Me campaign on Friday, Boudreau says the library already surpassed its goal.

"All that money in that short time, I've never seen something like that," said Boudreau.

"There's no words strong enough to say thank you to everyone. And I never thought in my wildest dream that this would happen."

She says this shows that the library will continue to be a place of unification, "even if some are trying to divide us."

The building has been declared a heritage site in both countries and has long been considered a symbol of harmony between Canada and the U.S.

Until now, the library was considered a neutral location, allowing Canadians to visit without having to go through the procedures of a normal border, with patrol officers ensuring that visitors go back home once they exit the library. 

But on Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said during the decades it has allowed customers of the library to access its sidewalk without inspection, the area has witnessed a "continued rise in illicit cross-border activity."

Until Oct. 1, non-library members attempting to enter the U.S. via the sidewalk next to the library will be redirected to the nearest port of entry — an approximately three-minute walk from the library, it says.

As of Oct. 1, all visitors from Canada wishing to use the front entrance will be required to present themselves at a port of entry to enter the library from the United States, said CBP.