As the closing date for certain library branches in Annapolis Valley nears, the board overseeing them is rallying to explore any remaining possibilities to keep their doors open.
The Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) board operates 11 branches, five of which are slated to close on July 20 due to a “significant funding shortfall.”
Branches in Kentville, Port Williams, Hantsport, Lawrencetown and Middleton are on the chopping block.
The announcement was made early in June, and the closures will eliminate nine full-time-equivalent positions. The board says employees have been offered transition support.
The library board had asked all eight of its partner municipalities to increase funding contributions at a meeting in January, hoping to bring in roughly $350,000.
Kentville is one of the board’s partners. The town spends $42,000 a year on libraries and was asked for an additional 50 per cent contribution, or $21,000.
“Every little bit is a strain, we’re pulled in every direction,” says Kentville Mayor Andrew Zebian. “For me and my council, $21,000 is an investment in the town and we realize the importance of the library.”
He says after the meeting in January where the board asked for additional funding, there was no additional dialogue for months.
“I do have issues with the way this rolled out,” says Zebian.
Dave Corkum, mayor of Kings County, says they were asked to pay an additional $165,000 on top of their yearly $500,000.
He says they ended up meeting the board halfway, agreeing to $85,000.
“Right now, we’re currently waiting, I guess, to see where it’s going to end up between the library board and the province,” says Corkum.
On Monday, the library board met with funding partner municipalities to review the situation.
At the meeting, Zebian asked the chair of the board to consider pausing the closures to give the libraries more time.
“After July 20, once the doors close and the shelves are empty, those branches are most likely going to be closed for good,” he says. “If there’s any hope of saving them right now, the power lies within the hands of the board members.”
The AVRL held a meeting with provincial staff on Wednesday to explore the possibilities of keeping the branches open.
After Zebian’s request on Monday, the board will hold an extra meeting next Monday at 6 p.m. at Wolfville Council Chambers.
“The meeting will discuss the possibility that the five branches scheduled for closure may be able to be kept open for an additional short time while discussions with the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage and municipalities continue,” reads a statement from the board.
“I’m hoping at that meeting, there will be enough support from the library board to pause the closures,” Zebian says.
“We’ve got a very short window of time here, so I’m encouraging people to reach out to their appointed rep on the library board and their municipalities and advocate to pause these closures right now,” he adds. “Let’s not lose these branches.”
The board is roughly $200,000 short of what it asked from its partners, and without provincial funding increases, it says it won’t be enough to prevent reductions and closures.
The Nova Scotia government spends more than $16 million each year in support of libraries, according to the province.
In an open letter dated June 3, the Council of Regional Libraries (CORL) wrote to the minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage to request an increase to a core provincial operating grant of $12.78 million.
The minister, Dave Ritcey, says additional funding from the province is out of the question.
“No, that’s not happening,” he says. “We’re asking the same thing… for these branches to remain open. We’re here to work with AVRL and the library system as well as our municipal partners.”
Julia Merritt, CEO of the AVRL says she hopes for sustainable funding because libraries are critical parts of communities.
“You combine these operational increases with a static funding formula and you arrive at a gradual erosion of the budget’s ability to cope with the services that are being asked of it,” she explains.
The CORL points out libraries are used by many different Nova Scotians. Students find educational programming, seniors can find social opportunities and newcomers or low-income residents can access Wi-Fi and printers for essential tasks.
“Without meaningful provincial investment, other library regions may be forced to make similar decisions within the next one to three years,” the council wrote to the minister. “The consequences of these reductions will extend far beyond library walls and will be felt throughout communities across Nova Scotia.”
Source: CTV Nova Scotia