The message was clear.
“What do we want?”
“Sustainable funding!”
“When do we want it?”
“Now!”
The chant, by nearly 100 people in front of Annapolis MLA David Bowlby’s Middleton office June 12, was almost as loud as the car and truck horns of passing motorists supporting the call for adequate funding for public libraries.
Continue reading “Nova Scotia: Middleton rally urges sustainable funding for libraries – now”
Public libraries in Nova Scotia are relying more heavily on fundraising to make ends meet as provincial funding fails to keep up with increasing expenses.
Most public libraries in the province are required to raise three per cent of their operating budgets, but some are now far outpacing that goal, raising 10 per cent or more.
“We are smashing that target out of the water,” said Ashley Nunn-Smith, the CEO of South Shore Public Libraries, which raises 11 per cent of its operating budget through fundraising and grants.
Continue reading “Nova Scotia: Public libraries relying more on fundraising to balance books”
The Nova Scotia government says that the board responsible for libraries in the Annapolis Valley needs to better explain to the public why it has decided to close several branches.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the organization says the “deeply upsetting” decision to close five of 11 library locations was needed to stay afloat despite years of staff reductions and program cuts.
“This is the most difficult decision that a library can make,” Julia Merritt said in an interview Tuesday.
Seven-year-old Alice Arsenault, from Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, says she’s been sad and worried since learning last week five libraries in the area will soon close.
The Kentville branch is where Arsenault takes part in chess club, and the Hantsport library is one of her favourite places to read, she said. Both are among those scheduled to shut July 20.
Regional libraries are “where I like to do all the things. And they’re trying to shut down the Hantsport library, which is extremely special to me,” Alice said in an interview with her mother Krista Arsenault in Middleton, N.S., on Friday.
The 11-branch Annapolis Valley Regional Library system announced that five of their branches will close next month due to a lack of funding. The non-profit organization says the decision was made after the provincial government confirmed there will be no increase in provincial library funding in the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Dear Premier Houston,
The news of the closures of five branch libraries in the Annapolis Valley Regional Library system was met with distress and disbelief by the members of our association. APLA represents approximately 400 library workers and library supporters across the Atlantic region. I am writing on their behalf to ask that you reconsider the proposed cuts to Nova Scotia libraries, which are not only foundational to communities, but also critical to our regional economy.
The importance of libraries in our province cannot be overstated. They are essential to lifelong learning and skills development for Nova Scotians of all ages. The loss of community libraries, especially those with youth-focused education initiatives, will reduce access to creative learning opportunities across the province. Beyond the immediate impact on these particular branches and their immediate communities, these cuts threaten long-term negative impacts on cultural life, social cohesion, and the broader economy of Nova Scotia.
The consequences of these cuts will be felt immediately. All libraries – public, academic, and special – are essential to the province and its well-being. While the Minister of Community, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage stated that “library funding was not cut,” the elimination of emergency bridge funding effectively reduces operational capacity, particularly for rural and regional libraries already coping with rising material costs. For many communities, even modest funding losses translate into reduced hours, fewer programs, delayed acquisitions, and staffing shortages. Libraries operate in partnership; when
cultural programming shrinks, libraries are left to absorb increased demand with fewer resources. The closing of the 5 branches in the AVRL system is a direct result of underfunding our library systems.
While we acknowledge the fiscal pressures facing the province, it is difficult to accept that reductions to libraries will benefit Nova Scotians in any way. We would like to emphasize that libraries can also be considered a cornerstone of a well-functioning democracy as illustrated by the following example from one of our members:
During an international advocacy tour through several post-Soviet states, a group of about 80
international library professionals witnessed communities celebrating libraries as fundamental
pillars of freedom. Local and national politicians frequently met with the group to extol the
virtues of open information.
In one capital city, the Minister of Culture spoke proudly outside a major national library facility
then under construction. At the time, it stood in stark contrast to the severe funding rollbacks
occurring within the participant’s home country’s national institutions. Even the smallest rural
communities ensured they maintained a local branch, sometimes sharing a single room with a
civic office or local storefront.
This warm reception was rooted in the collective memory of decades under authoritarian rule, a
time when access to information was strictly restricted and privileged. To these populations,
modern libraries directly represented democracy. A functioning democracy requires equal
access to information, serving as a societal equalizer for those lacking computers or internet access.
In contrast, during a subsequent visit to a Southeast Asian nation recovering from
historic, violent totalitarian rule, the systemic execution of library workers had completely
decimated the local information infrastructure, leaving remaining historical collections restricted
to select officials.— (Anonymous, personal communication, June 3, 2026)
The concerns we raise here are widely shared across the services we support and the communities we serve. We respectfully urge you to reconsider and properly fund libraries, recognizing the profound and lasting impact they have on individuals, organizations, and the broader economy of Nova Scotia. We thank you for your attention to this matter and remain ready to engage in constructive dialogue toward a resolution.
Sincerely and on behalf of the APLA membership,
Terri Winchcombe
APLA President, 2025/26
The Nova Scotia cabinet minister responsible for library funding has requested a meeting with the board of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library in the wake of news that five library branches will close due to funding shortfalls.
“We’d like to sit down and have a meeting with them and see where those gaps are,” Dave Ritcey, minister of communities, culture, tourism and heritage, told reporters following a cabinet meeting Thursday.
Ritcey’s comments come one day after he received a letter from the Council of Regional Libraries, which represents the province’s nine regional library systems.
The letter called for the province to increase funding as the libraries struggle with rising costs due to inflation.
Opposition MLAs say the closure of five libraries in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley will be devastating to the communities they serve and that the Houston government should try to keep them open.
As of July 20, branches in Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Port Williams and Middleton will shut down. The Annapolis Valley Regional Library Board said its decision ultimately came down to increasing costs and limited funding.
“When you think about the essential service that is no longer going to be provided in the Valley for the communities, for the families, there’s going to be a loss of jobs within those particular locations,” NDP MLA Suzy Hansen told reporters in Halifax on Tuesday.
“I think the government has a responsibility to keep these spaces open for community and for families, and it shouldn’t fall under their cruel cuts they put forward in this year.”
The Village of Lawrencetown, N.S., is pledging to keep its library open after the Annapolis Valley Regional Library Board said it would shut the branch down, along with four others, this summer.
The board said the branches in Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams will shut down on July 20 due to a “significant funding shortfall.” The move will eliminate nine full-time-equivalent positions.
The board runs 11 libraries in the Annapolis Valley.
The Annapolis Valley Regional Library Board is closing five branches in Nova Scotia this summer due to a “significant funding shortfall.”
The board, which operates 11 branches in the Annapolis Valley, said it is facing a “structural funding deficit” that cannot be overcome with incremental changes.
On July 20, the branches in Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams will close their doors. Services will be consolidated into the remaining six branches.
These closures will eliminate nine full-time-equivalent positions. The board says the affected employees have been offered transition support.
“While this decision is deeply difficult, the long-term vision is to protect the Library’s ability to serve the region by focusing resources into a smaller but financially stable library system that can continue to support literacy, learning, digital access, and community connection,” a news release from the board reads.
The board asked eight municipalities for additional contributions to the 2026-2027 budget, but despite the extra support, they say they still have to make these changes.
The board says they have seen a 40 per cent increase in circulation in the last 15 years.
“These decisions are not being made because libraries are no longer being used,” said board CEO Julia Merritt. “They are being made because the current funding model has not kept pace with rising demand, inflation, and operating costs.”
Source: CTV News Nova Scotia
The following letter was sent to Anna Burke, Acting NSCC President:
**********
The news of the sweeping elimination of all campus librarian positions and a library Director at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) was met with shock and distress by members of our association. The Atlantic Provinces Library Association (APLA) represents library workers and supporters across the Atlantic region, all of whom believe that librarians are critically important to student success in postsecondary institutions. I am writing on their behalf to respectfully ask that you reconsider this decision and reinstate these positions.
As reported to CBC News, these decisions were made “while keeping program delivery and student support top of mind.” Library staff provide essential services to both faculty and students that cannot be replaced or replicated. Librarians and library technicians contribute to the institution in unique but equally vital ways, working together to ensure students receive
informed professional guidance, reliable access to resources, and responsive service. The sudden decimation of campus librarian positions will leave your frontline technicians unsupported. It will significantly impact student learning and faculty applied research and innovation projects. This decision not only undermines the importance of librarians in the delivery of library services, but it also will have long-term negative impacts on the students you aim to support. A library is an integral part of a campus community, and its staff are irreplaceable. The decision to eliminate campus librarians cannot be reconciled with the claim that “leadership had a ‘laser focus’ on maintaining programming and student support.”
The inspiring work coming out of NSCC over the years has clearly demonstrated that librarians are essential to the operation of your libraries and to the success of your institution. Moreover, these layoffs are not, in fact, rooted in NSCC’s values and principles per your Strategic Plan; namely, accessibility, student and employee success and public accountability. We stand with the Atlantic Academic Union and their concern about how this will impact the students of NSCC. If, as Acting Vice President Stacey Baillie claimed, “[NSCC] students can expect and will get the best programming, the best supports and services that will help them prepare for college, succeed while they’re at college, thrive in their programs, and ultimately find meaningful careers in the workforce,” then it is imperative that these positions be reinstated.
Sincerely, on behalf of the APLA Membership,
Terri Winchcombe
APLA President, 2025/26
