As part of their 125th anniversary celebration, the Sisters of St. Martha of Antigonish are donating 125 books to communities they have served over the years. The Cape Breton Regional Library was part of that outreach and received their books on April 23 – World Book Day.
Source: Cape Breton Post
Employees at Cumberland Public Libraries have voted 100 per cent in favour of unionizing.
Aldon Brewer, an employee, said there had been informal discussions about unionizing for months. In the wake of some staff members being told in February that their hours would be cut, staff decided to move ahead.
“Losing money is never a good time,” said Brewer, a shipper who drives between the seven different branches to deliver books.
Following last week’s vote, staff are electing a president for the new Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees, Local 24, which will represent 21 Cumberland Public Libraries workers. From there, employees will seek a contract.
“We’re not asking for the moon here at this point,” said Brewer. “I’d really like just for us to get a status quo [collective bargaining agreement] where what we have is what we get to keep.”
Denise Corey, the library director of Cumberland Public Libraries, said provincial funding is not keeping up with inflation, putting the library under pressure to make cuts.
“I understand staff need job security,” she said. “Job security is important and it’s not something that I can guarantee for them right now.”
This union already represents Halifax and Annapolis Valley libraries.
Corey said she hopes to work with the union, adding that together they could approach the province and “have them recognize that this position is too precarious for public libraries to continue.”
Cumberland Public Libraries isn’t alone in its financial struggles. The last time public libraries had a budget increase was in 2020.
This has forced some libraries to cut hours and programs, halt hiring, and stop adding materials to collections.
In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the provincial Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said it would not be appropriate to comment on the unionization.
Libraries did receive $1.6 million in emergency funding from the province, split between two fiscal years.
Adam Davies, another library worker whose hours were cut, said the union will also help workers advocate more efficiently with their own library board, which makes decisions about the library’s priorities, reviews provincial funding, and sets policies.
“There just seemed to be a profound disconnect,” he said.
CBC News asked the board for comment but didn’t receive a reply.
Source: CBC Nova Scotia
Literacy Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University’s Department of Information Science, and Yorkville University are inviting individuals with direct experience in literacy-related work to participate in a survey on literacy in Nova Scotia:
https://surveys.dal.ca/opinio/s?s=83388
Help in sharing this survey with colleagues, partners, or networks who may be eligible to participate will be greatly appreciated. Hearing from a wide range of literacy-related professionals and volunteers across Nova Scotia is essential to ensuring diverse perspectives are represented.
About Literacy Nova Scotia
Literacy Nova Scotia is a non-profit organization that advances literacy for Nova Scotians by supporting access to quality literacy, essential skills, and lifelong learning opportunities. As part of this work, Literacy Nova Scotia is developing methods to assess literacy in ways that are flexible, equitable, geographically relevant, and culturally considerate.
About the survey and eligibility to participate
This survey aims to gather diverse perspectives on literacy across Nova Scotia. You are eligible to participate if you self-identify as having direct experience/involvement (within the last five years or present) in paid or unpaid literacy-related work in Nova Scotia. This may include roles such as:
The online survey consists of 25 questions and will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Participation is anonymous, and your name is not required.
Your perspective is important. Your insights will help inform the development of more inclusive and effective approaches to understanding and supporting literacy across Nova Scotia.
The survey will close on Friday, May 1st, 2026, so we encourage you to respond at your earliest convenience.
Find the survey link here: https://surveys.dal.ca/opinio/s?s=83388
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact LFNS@dal.ca
The HRM budget meeting is happening on Tuesday, and supporters are asked to email the HRM’s clerk office at clerks@halifax.ca with the subject line: Please Print and Distribute to Councillors and Mayor for the Budget Meeting.
While your own words are appreciated, please feel free to use the letter copied below.
Thank you for your support!
Save School Librarians
**********
Dear Mayor Fillmore and Councillors,
I am writing to urge you to restore the Supplementary Education Fund for Library Support Specialists (LSS) during the final budget vote on March 31.
These 98 specialists are not an optional enhancement; they are essential to our schools. They provide:
I ask that you prioritize our students’ education and future by maintaining this funding. Please do not let a jurisdictional dispute between the city and province result in the loss of these vital positions.
School librarian Kristen Welbourn says it is horrible to feel uncertainty over who pays for her job and how much longer she might have it.
Welbourn was among a crowd of about 40 people who rallied outside Halifax city hall on Tuesday evening to urge the municipality to keep funding in place for school librarians.
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) pays for about 75 library support specialists through the Halifax municipality’s supplementary education fund, which is unique in the province.
The HRCE and Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) are currently negotiating a new memorandum of understanding guiding how the supplementary funding is spent, and no final decisions have been made public yet.
Although there’s uncertainty around her future as a school librarian, Kristin Welbourn is certain of one fact: she loves her job.
“It’s one of the most rewarding jobs,” she told The Chronicle Herald. “There’s so much more to it than just books. I help our community raise great kids.”
But a recent decision by Halifax regional council could see funding for Welbourn’s job in jeopardy, with dozens of other librarians across the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) sharing concerns about their livelihood.
Halifax Regional Municipality was asked to comment on the potential cuts to HRCE’s funding, which were originally shared by Education Minister Brendan Maguire on social media, but wouldn’t confirm them.
In our commitment to transparency and to supporting Nova Scotia’s arts and culture community, we have prepared and sent an open letter this morning to the Premier and Members of the Nova Scotia Legislature regarding the proposed provincial budget cuts.
We encourage you to share the attached letter and social posts widely within your libraries and throughout your communities.
__________
March 6, 2026
Open Letter Regarding Proposed Provincial Budget Cuts in Nova Scotia
Dear Premier Houston,
The news of the impending cuts, specifically towards arts and culture, to the Nova Scotia provincial budget 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 these sectors that are not only foundational for the community, but are critical to our regional economy.
The importance of arts and culture in our province cannot be overstated. Art programs and cultural organizations are crucial to lifelong learning and skills development for Nova Scotians of all ages. The loss of community arts programming, especially youth-focused education initiatives, will narrow access to creative learning opportunities across the province. Beyond the immediate impact on these sectors, 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 in our libraries. All libraries – public, academic, special – rely on a vibrant local publishing ecosystem to build collections that reflect Nova Scotian voices and stories. Reductions to publishing grants and cultural funding weaken the very supply chain that sustains literacy, local authorship, and access to diverse Canadian content in our communities. 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 managing rising costs of library materials. For many communities, even modest funding losses translate into reduced hours, fewer programs, delayed acquisitions, and staffing shortages. Libraries and arts organizations operate in partnership; when cultural programming shrinks, libraries are left to absorb increased demand with fewer resources.
While we acknowledge the fiscal pressures facing the province, it is difficult to accept that reductions to arts funding represent prudent long-term solutions. Cost savings achieved through deep cuts – specifically to arts and culture, are offset by broader economic and social consequences. The question must be asked: will the projected savings outweigh the cultural vibrance and energy of local publishers, theatres, galleries, and festivals? Youth will lose access to creative and educational opportunities. Emerging writers and artists may be forced to leave the province in search of sustainable support. The arts sector contributes significant GDP and supports thousands of jobs across Nova Scotia. Weakening this sector undermines not only Nova Scotia’s cultural vibrancy but economic adaptability.
The concerns we raise here are shared widely across the sectors we help to promote, and the communities we serve. We respectfully urge you to reconsider these proposed cuts, recognizing the profound and lasting impact they would have on individuals, artists, 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,
Terri Winchcombe
APLA President
Change is coming to Halifax’s North Memorial Public Library where no significant renovations have been completed since its opening in 1966.
The $34.5 million project will modernize the library, lining up the building’s accessibility features with the Rick Hansen Foundation’s gold standards and improving the building’s energy efficiency.
“It is a major renovation but our goal is to keep it familiar to the community,” said Megan Gainer, director of facilities with Halifax Public Libraries.
Gainer said the library has about 1,000 users per day with only one program room and one small meeting room, both of which are booked around the clock. The renovations will double the space accessed by the public by making use of the building’s lower level which has become a private area for library services such as the IT department.
“The plan is to actually take over that whole lower level again and give it back to the public,” Gainer said.
The project’s design is being guided by public input to ensure the library’s historic and community value is preserved through the renovations.
The library was built around the same time African Nova Scotians were displaced from the city’s historic Africville community. It became an important community space and saw the birth of the Black History Association in 1987. The library continues to be important to the community today; in 2019, the space was used to discuss illegal and discriminate street checks by police.
“The residents were displaced, they were put into a home that didn’t feel like home, and so they really turned the library into their home,” Gainer said. “We want to make sure that it remains that familiar anchor within the community, so things will change but things will also stay the same.”
The project is still in its design phase which is expected to wrap up this year. The plan is to begin renovations in 2027 with a 2029 completion. During that time the building will be closed but a separate, temporary location will be leased nearby so the public can continue to have library access.
A community engagement session will be held at the library on Saturday, Feb. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. to discuss the project and receive feedback from the community. There is also a survey available on the project’s website.
Source: CBC Nova Scotia
This year’s provincial budget is defunding Nova Scotia books.
The Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage sent letters yesterday informing Nova Scotia publishers that it is eliminating a $700,000 fund that helps local publishers publish new books by local authors.
“It’s drastic and devastating,” says Nimbus manager Terrilee Bulger. “Books are an important pillar of our culture. This budget decision by Premier Tim Houston’s government will mean that fewer Nova Scotian creators will get their books published. Not only that, Nova Scotian publishers will be forced to lay off staff, and spend less on local freelancers.”
Nova Scotia publishers release more than 100 new books, most by local authors, every year.
“We need a government that will defend Nova Scotia books, not defund them,” adds Bulger. “New books are vital for local booksellers and their business. They bring people to public libraries too.”
Continue reading “Nova Scotia: Budget defunds Nova Scotia books, authors, publishers, booksellers”
An Amherst, N.S., public library employee warns that reduced staff hours will slow services and book deliveries between libraries, negatively impacting users.
Adam Davies, a library assistant at the Four Fathers Memorial Library, told CBC News on Friday that he received a letter earlier in the week telling him and seven other employees they will be working 10 per cent fewer hours.
“We’ve taken on so many other responsibilities, especially after COVID,” he said. “A lot of our public libraries are focused on social cohesion. We’re focused on well-being. We were really developing programs that engage our youngest readers.”
The person responsible for children’s programming at the branches saw their hours cut, said Davies.
The cuts affect employees who work at the headquarters for Cumberland Public Libraries, of which there are seven branches.
“The job is pretty full and pretty demanding and there’s lots of things to do … We’re not having the time to get these things accomplished,” said Davies.
Continue reading “Nova Scotia: Amherst library employee says cuts will hurt users”
