News

The head of a regional library service in western Nova Scotia says that without increased funding from the province and municipalities, branches will have to reduce operating hours and services, and even cut staff or close some locations.

The Annapolis Valley Regional Library considers the situation so grim that it is placing posters in its 11 branches asking people to contact their MLA and municipalities and “share [their] story about why the library matters to you.”

“The library board is very aware of the time-sensitive nature of making these [funding] decisions,” said Julia Merritt, the CEO of the regional library that serves West Hants, Kings and Annapolis counties.

“We want to make sure that people have enough time, enough notice to be able to have this conversation with their elected officials should they wish to.”

For Temma Frecker and her children Nico, 9, and Teo, 12, potential cuts could have a big impact on their lives. The New Minas family goes to the library at least once a week, and the kids quickly go through comic books and graphic novels that they take home.

“There’s no way that I could afford to keep my kids in books, the quantity that they read,” said Frecker, speaking about the importance of the library system. “It’s something that we rely on so much.”

Earlier this year, the Council of Regional Libraries, which represents all nine regional libraries, asked for $1.6 million in emergency funding from the province to stabilize the public library system.

The province provided a top-up of $800,000 for the 2024-25 fiscal year and another $800,000 for the current fiscal year.

The libraries have also asked for a change in the funding formula, saying the current system was designed before 2020 and doesn’t take into account inflation that followed the pandemic and the uptake in use in recent years.

Libraries get 71 per cent of their funding from the province, 26 per cent from municipalities and need to fundraise the remaining three per cent. The exception is libraries within Halifax Regional Municipality, which are primarily funded by the municipality.

The Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library posted information on its website to explain to library users what could change in 2026 if it does not get “sustainable funding from the province.”

Eric Stackhouse, the chief librarian for Pictou-Antigonish, says he wants the public to know ahead of time before their resources change.

“I don’t know where people will go” if libraries start cutting programs or reducing hours, he said.

Ashley Nunn-Smith, the head of the Council of Regional Libraries, said with the provincial deficit forecasted to hit $1.2 billion, she’s aware libraries may face a challenge getting the funding they need.

Still, she hopes the province will hear them.

“There was no significant additional investment when economic times were good,” she said. “Now that times are tough and the province is facing a large deficit, decades of underinvestment have really left libraries unable to weather the storm.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said in a statement that it values the role libraries play in communities and it acknowledges their financial challenges.

“We’re still early in the provincial budgeting process, and the financial situation remains challenging. Libraries’ requests and concerns have been received and will be considered as government prepares next year’s budget,” the department said.

The department could not accommodate an interview with CBC News.

As for Frecker’s children, the two boys are helping in whatever way they can. Over the weekend, they did a bottle drive through their neighbourhood to raise money for the libraries.

They both said they’d be disappointed if the libraries they go to in Kentville and Port Williams had to change how they operate.

“I’d be sad,” said 12-year-old Teo. “Not only because they had to cut down their staff, but also because that would mean that the situation is so dire that they just can’t keep up the people that they have.”

Source: CBC Nova Scotia

Call for Proposals: Ungrading in Credit-Bearing Library Instruction: Alternative Assessment Practices

About the Book

Ungrading in Credit-Bearing Library Instruction: Alternative Assessment Practices invites readers to rethink traditional grading and adopt strategies that prioritize reflection, feedback, and student agency. This book will be published through the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association.

Editors will write an introduction exploring the role of librarians as educators, the limits of conventional grading, approaches such as contract, specifications, and standards-based grading, and ungrading’s alignment with critical information literacy and equity. They will also provide a conclusion synthesizing key themes, envisioning the future of ungrading in library instruction, and offering a quick-start guide for educators ready to experiment with these transformative practices.

Contributed Chapters

Core chapters feature case studies of real-world applications, from minimalist integrations within traditional systems to comprehensive ungrading models. Contributors will share practical strategies, examples, and candid reflections on challenges and lessons learned. This section could also include essays on theoretical approaches to alternative assessments.

Call for Proposals

We seek case study chapters that explore ungrading and alternative assessment approaches used in credit-bearing library instruction, whether integrated within traditional grading structures or used as the dominant approach. Chapters should share practical strategies and examples of ungrading or alternative grading methods, such as contract, specifications, or standards-based grading. We are also interested in reflections on challenges, considerations, and lessons learned during implementation, as well as discussions that connect assessment practices to pedagogical values like empowerment, exploration, and lifelong learning. While most chapters will explore courses in which the librarian is the primary instructor, we also invite chapters that explore librarian partnerships with disciplinary instructors who use alternative assessment approaches.

Submission Guidelines

Use this proposal submission form to submit a proposal. The form will require:

• Author name(s), job title(s), email(s), and institutional affiliation(s)
• A working chapter title
• An abstract of approximately 300–500 words outlining your chapter focus and approach
• A current CV or list of publications

Proposal due date: January 31, 2026, 11:59 pm ET.

Chapter Guidelines

Tentative Chapter Length: 3,000-6,000 words

Tentative Timeline:

• Proposal due date: January 31, 2026
• Proposal notification date: March 1, 2026
• First draft due date: May 31, 2026
• Final draft due date: August 30, 2026

Accepted authors will receive detailed chapter guidelines and timelines.

Contact Information

Join us in shaping the first book dedicated to ungrading in library education and help inspire a shift toward learner-centered assessment practices.

For questions and inquiries, email: ungradingbook@gmail.com

• Megan Benson, Assistant Head of Instruction and Outreach, Binghamton University
• Andrea Brooks, Associate Professor, Head of Education & Outreach Services, Northern Kentucky University
• Robyn Hartman, Associate Professor, Information Literacy Librarian, Fort Hays State University
• Lindsay McNiff, Learning and Instruction Librarian, Dalhousie University

 

There’s a new library serving the Advocate Harbour, N.S., area less than a year after the previous branch was demolished due to safety concerns.

Carly Cleveland of the Advocate District Development Association said the condition of the local community centre had deteriorated. The Cumberland Public Libraries branch was in the basement.

“Ultimately it came down to a determination that the building was, in fact, not safe for community occupancy,” Cleveland said.

Demolition began in May. “So, that was a really kind of dark time in our community.”

Cleveland said the development association’s first priority was to return library services to the community, located more than 90 kilometres from Amherst.

However, space in the community was limited and did not meet the municipality’s standards.

A decision was made to construct a building that is less than 1,000 square feet to house the library. Cleveland said the eight-month project cost about $118,000.

The building is on pillars so it could be relocated in future.

“Our community members are a huge part of what has made this possible,” she said. “So, we really appreciate them.”

The project received $26,000 in grants from both the Municipality of Cumberland and Christie-Smith Community Fund, in addition to interest-free loans and private donations.

“There’s a whole crew of people down there that have been involved in this from Day 1 and they have worked extremely hard,” said Cumberland Mayor Rod Gilroy.

Gilroy said library services were offered at the fire hall in Advocate Harbour on an occasional basis in the interim.

The development association plans to build a larger community centre that will also include a bigger kitchen, gym and a space for events. It will be attached to the library.

Gilroy said council is expecting to discuss financial support to replace Advocate Harbour’s community centre in next year’s budget deliberations. The municipality is also working on an approximately $3-million community centre in Parrsboro on the heels of a nearly $2.2-million library branch completion in Pugwash.

Cleveland said there is no timeline for the Advocate Harbour community centre, which could cost up to $5 million.

A grand opening ceremony for the new Advocate Harbour library branch is planned for Nov. 22.

Source: CBC Nova Scotia

New Brunswickers can now access free radon test kits at libraries across the province.

The provincial government is partnering with the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council and NB Lung to provide the free kits, which include a 90-day test and information about radon gas.

The province says radon tests should be conducted during the colder months, when people typically keep their windows and doors closed.

The New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council will analyze the tests and provide the results.

“Our team of radon-certified scientists have been working hard over many years to ensure that families across New Brunswick have access to reliable, accurate radon testing,” said Diane Botelho, the council’s CEO and executive director, in a news release. “We don’t just test; we educate, guide and feel the duty to help protect our communities.”

According to the province, one-in-four New Brunswick homes have high radon levels, with radon exposure being the second-leading cause of lung cancer in Canada.

“With this program, New Brunswick is poised to be a leader in preventing preventable lung cancer as the first province to implement free access to testing,” said NB Lung president and CEO Melanie Langille. “High radon in a home is fixable, but you must test to know if your radon is high.”

According to Health Canada, radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally when the uranium in soil and rock breaks down. It is invisible, odourless and tasteless. High radon levels in homes can have a negative impact on a person’s health.

Source: CTV New Brunswick

Nearly 100 library workers across three school districts in New Brunswick are once again fighting for their jobs.

Layoff notices went out Friday, just before the Thanksgiving weekend.

It’s the latest move in a months-long battle between the provincial government and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

“I guess they want to go and fight this out for a third time,” said Theresa McAllister, president of Local 2745 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

That fight began after the original layoffs in April, when the districts said they had to make up for a $43 million budget shortfall from the province.

In July, the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board sided with the workers and found the government violated its duty under labour laws to bargain in good faith, negotiating contracts knowing layoffs were looming.

The province was ordered to reverse library staff layoffs and a decision to reduce the working hours of school administrative assistants.

But after weeks of the government failing to comply, the Court of King’s Bench stepped in and ordered the workers be reinstated.

Instead, the province applied for a stay of the labour board decision but failed just days before the new school year. Emails began popping up in library worker inboxes that afternoon, advising them to return to their old jobs.

McAllister said she believed that after all of that, the workers would be safe for the remainder of the school year. The union planned to hold a vote on Oct. 16 on the new tentative agreement.

But just before the long weekend, the province sent out notices of layoffs that will be issued once the collective agreement is ratified.

“We thought we had the guarantee of hours and weeks, but they are not agreeing with that,” she said. “So all the people that were originally laid off at the first round are now being placed back into layoff.”

McAllister said she is now in meetings to discuss next steps.

A statement from Anglophone West School District spokesperson Paul MacIntosh said that 26 library workers and 83 administrative assistants are affected by the recent staffing decisions.

“Individuals who are laid off from these positions will all have the opportunity to exercise staffing rights within their collective agreement to secure other positions within the bargaining unit,” the statement said.

“It is the intention of ASD-W to not continue with library hours when they are in a legal position to do so. All the impacted administrative assistant positions will be reposted as vacancies with the new associated hours.”

CBC News asked for an interview with Education Minister Claire Johnson, but the request was turned down, as were all other CBC requests for Johnson since June.

In August, Finance Minister René Legacy said in a statement that “should a stay not be granted, government intends to proceed with the layoffs of the library workers again once we are legally in a position to do so.”

The statement went on to say that in an effort to improve reading and math scores, the province wants to see more resources in the classroom, and those plans “do not include library workers as they do not provide direct support to students.”

McAllister disagreed with those comments, and so did a report from Child and Youth Advocate Kelly Lamrock last month, slamming the province’s budget ‘fiasco’ that led to the layoffs.

Lamrock said the government talking points “had a dubious relationship with the truth,” and the department had no plan to steer more resources into classroom teaching, while the cuts deprived teachers of resource staff they’d relied on.

The government message “seemed more designed to gaslight than to illuminate,” the report said.

According to documents obtained by CBC News after a right to information request, the layoffs were the result of a calculation that was rushed through without considering the impact of the losses on the schools, staff or students.

CBC News requested records, including communications, correspondence, email attachments, reports, memos, and minutes related to the elimination of library positions. It specifically requested the research, planning and rationale behind the decision.

In the 150-page package, there were letters from staff, parents and community members urging the government to reconsider.

There were also media requests, internal discussions about how to handle them, and pages counting up positions, hours and salary totals, but no similar accounting of the impact on students and their learning.

McAllister said members are dealing with a lot of mixed emotions, and called this latest layoff a “kick in the teeth.”

“They say they’re always looking for consistency and less movement and the impacts on the kids,” she said. “Hogwash. If they cared, they wouldn’t be doing this.”

Source: CBC New Brunswick

Breaking Barriers/Brisons les Barrières

Proposal Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025

The APLA 2025 Conference Team invites proposals for consideration for presentation at the 2025 In-person Annual Conference from June 10-13, 2025.

Our theme is: Breaking Barriers/Brison les Barrières.

Libraries have always been at the forefront of democratizing knowledge, fostering inclusion, and supporting their communities in overcoming obstacles. With our theme, Breaking Barriers, we aim to explore how libraries are challenging traditional boundaries, embracing innovation, and empowering individuals and communities. The APLA 2025 Conference seeks to address the challenges and opportunities in breaking down barriers, whether they are cultural, economic, digital, or educational.

Presenters are responsible for their own registration, lodging, and travel.

We want perspectives from students, public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries, health libraries, special libraries, archives, non-profit organizations, student support departments/organizations, community groups and more!

We are seeking presentations in the following format categories:

• Pre-Conference Workshop (time to be determined)
• Hour Presentations (45 mins with additional 15 mins for questions)
• Half-hour Presentation (20 mins with additional 10 mins for questions)
• Interactive panel discussions (60 minutes)
• Micro Talks (5-10 minutes)

Proposals that do not fit the above timeframe and structure will be considered by the team but selection is dependent on schedule, logistics and other proposals. We also encourage you to join Micro Talks or give presentations to discuss previous or on-going research or barriers you have broken.

Submit your proposals, via PheedLoop (APLA Conference 2025) by Monday, February 10th, 2025.

Include the following information:

• Title
• Type: Pre-Conference Workshop, Hour Presentation, Half-hour Presentation; Panel, Micro Talk
• Name, title, institution of presenter(s)
• Two-sentence bio of the presenter(s)
• Abstract (250 words or less)
• Language of presentation
• Suggested track (eg. Public library, Cataloguing, School library, etc.)
• Contact information including email, address, and phone number.

Presenters will be notified by Monday, February 24, 2025, via email, if they are selected to present at the conference.

We request that presenters make their presentations available on the conference website.

Questions? Email conference@apla.ca for more information.

The APLA membership drive is on! An association is only as strong as its membership, and we need YOU to join us in our efforts to promote library interests and support colleagues throughout Atlantic Canada. Do you have colleagues who haven’t joined us yet? Now’s the time to spread the word and help recruit new members to amplify our voice!

Join or renew your membership between June 2022 – June 2023 and your name will be entered in a draw for a great prize package.