The Nelson University Centre (NUC) asked Nelson city council at its November 21 meeting to store 55,000 books remaining from the David Thompson University Library and to find a suitable academic use for the books.

The NUC has stored the books at a variety of locations since 1984, most recently in the basement of a business on Baker St.

Out-going NUC president Morgan Dehnel told council that the books cannot remain in their current storage space and he reminded council that the books are legally city property. A 1994 agreement between the NUC and the city stipulated that the ownership of the books would revert to the city if the NUC dissolved as a society, which it did more than a decade ago.

The books were originally part of the library at Notre Dame University (closed in 1977) and its successor institution the David Thompson University Centre (DTUC) which was shut down by the provincial government in 1984.

The books fill 3000 boxes and require 2000 to 2500 square feet for storage.

Notre Dame and DTUC existed on the site currently occupied by Selkirk College’s Tenth Street Campus.

Council made no decision on Monday, referring the matter to management staff for a recommendation.