Kentville’s mayor says a key meeting to pause five Annapolis Valley Regional Library branch closures still has not been scheduled, and he is worried time is running out.
Branches in Kentville, Hantsport, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams are still slated to close July 20.
Mayor Andrew Zebian has been pushing for a special AVRL board meeting to pause the closures and give funding partners more time to secure the money needed to keep the branches open.
As the Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) prepares to shut down nearly half its branches due to financial pressures, at least one affected community is refusing to let its library die.
The AVRL announced last month it will close five of its 11 locations on July 20: Hantsport, Kentville, Port Williams, Middleton and Lawrencetown.
In Lawrencetown, N.S., local leaders say they are already taking matters into their own hands by preparing to transition to an independent, volunteer-run model.
Prince Edward Island residents who don’t have internet access can now borrow portable Wi-Fi hotspots from provincial libraries.
The Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Foundation bought the 20 hotspots over the last year through fundraising and a $20,000 grant from the Rotary Literacy Foundation of PEI.
Anyone 16 years or older with a library card can borrow the devices, according to a news release from the province.
“Adding these devices to our collection will help provide Islanders with fair access to the internet,” said Robin Croucher, minister of education and early years, in the release. “It’s a good way to bridge the digital divide so that Islanders without access can better participate in society and enjoy the advantages of being on-line.”
The devices will have content filters to block illegal and malicious content. Overdue devices will have their internet data shut off remotely.
Source: CTV News PEI
Contact info@bookclubsforinmates.com to get involved.
The Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library Board has launched a new fundraising initiative to help offset rising costs.
According to a June 23 news release, public libraries are busier than ever. As costs continue to rise, and expectations for library services, programs, and resources keep growing, funding pressures are increasing.
Core provincial government funding for public libraries has remained unchanged since 2020.
The newest Annapolis Valley Regional Library board member says he wants to give the biggest push he can to save branches that are slated to close.
The regional library board’s chief executive officer Julia Merritt announced a major restructuring of services on June 1, including the closure of the Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Middleton, and Port Williams branches effective July 20. Nine full-time equivalent positions will be eliminated.
“Closing them should be a last resort, not a first resort,” Kentville Mayor Andrew Zebian said.
Vacant provincial appointee positions on the Annapolis Valley Regional Library (AVRL) board are not the reason why the decision to close five branches wasn’t communicated in advance to government officials.
Following the June 1 announcement of the branch closures, Kings North MLA and Finance Minister John Lohr was among the government officials to issue statements on social media.
The statement said he was “surprised and disappointed by AVRL’s decision to close half of their library services. Everyone has the right to be upset and ask questions, including why the decision was made.”
The members of Neuro-GLAM-orous Canada invite you to participate in their fourth annual free online conference.
Conference Date: August 21st, 2026
Location: Online (registration forthcoming)
Time: 1:00 pm-5:00 pm Atlantic Daylight Time
Proposal deadline: July 2nd, 2026
Potential Topics:
The theme of this year’s conference is Hopepunk: Neurodiversity, GLAM, and Neurodivergent Knowledge Justice
“Knowledge justice is based on the principle that each person has the equal capacity to be knowledgeable, yet this right is often denied to individuals based on the social identities they hold. It also involves recognizing that some knowledge systems, particularly those of Indigenous peoples, have been purposefully ignored, eliminated, or silenced.”
What is Knowledge Justice? – Knowledge Justice in the Helping Professions
Knowledge justice impacts us as neurodivergent information practitioners through our practice, and in our communities and workplaces. It asks us to consider how we work professionally and personally to counter misinformation and address inequities as information professionals.
Hopepunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction and art that focuses on optimism, gentleness, kindness, and collaboration as effective weapons in the fight to create a better future.
This year we invite submissions that respond to how the concept of Hopepunk shows up at the intersection of information professions and neurodivergence. Of particular interest is how we can engage with Hopepunk and knowledge justice themes to build sustainable affirming communities in the face of job cuts, funding cuts, gaslighting, lack of inclusion, and injustice.
“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
– G.K. Chesterton
Presentations, panels, and lightning talks may relate to, but are not limited to:
For those interested, the conference will conclude with a “Five Minute Fascinators” event where participants are invited to talk about a special interest for five minutes and why they think it is so interesting. If you are interested in participating, a call will go out less formally the day of the conference.
After the conference there will be a channel created on the Neuro-GLAM-orous Canada Discord server for ongoing discussions and follow up to discussions raised during the event and where links to recordings will be posted.
Guidelines
We invite proposals for individual presentations as well as for panel submissions.
Presentations and panel discussions can be pre-recorded or delivered live.
For individual presentations, please submit:
For complete panels, please submit:
At Neuro-GLAM-erous Canada we believe that the personal and professional are political, and encourage participants to think of themselves as whole beings. The sphere of vulnerability this creates will require tact and understanding. While this is a space to learn and be vulnerable; however, harassment, bigotry, and bad-faith actors will not be tolerated.
Submit proposals:
By form: NeuroGLAM 2026: Conference Call for Proposals – Fill out form
Or return attached template to: neuroglamcon@gmail.com
Direct questions to: neuroglamcon@gmail.com
Additional information can be found here
Officials with the Nova Scotia government and Annapolis Valley Regional Library have agreed to another meeting as the book is set to close on five branches next month.
The library’s board announced plans on June 1 to close branches in Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Port Williams and Middleton as of July 20 due to funding pressures.
Julia Merritt, CEO of the regional library, said in an interview Monday that the next meeting has yet to be scheduled. But she said without an increase in funding, the closures will go ahead.
Kentville’s mayor says the town should have been part of any talks about the future of its library before the branch was selected for closure.
The Kentville Library is one of five Annapolis Valley Regional Library branches slated to close July 20.
Branches in Hantsport, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams are also scheduled to close.
