Your local library could be facing an uncertain time if you live in places like Pictou County, Antigonish or New Glasgow.
Chief Librarian for the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Libraries, Eric Stackhouse tells our newsroom, they are facing a $190,000 shortfall in their budget for next year after some unexpected bumps in the road.
“We went into COVID and inflation and so we’ve had a couple of emergency type of one-time increases over the last two years. But now, the funding formula is coming to an end on March 31.”
The current agreement they have is approved by the province and is split three ways between Nova Scotia, the municipality and library board and is about to expire.
Sackhouse says they started to look at a new budgetary formula about a year ago.
“The priorities were staffing, salaries, collections and technology.”
However, he says, the provincial budget did not have an increase for public libraries this year, so there was a lack of discussions on funding, and this means staff will feel it.
“One of the biggest impacts is in the increase of minimum wage for our staff. A large part of our staff members are just above minimum wage.”
In addition to that, Stackhouse says, they also need to build back their collections after cutting costs due to inflation.
What can they do?
First, they have made the government aware of the predicament they are in and have requested emergency funding.
After that, Stackhouse says, they can go to the municipality. They have already reached out to local MLA’s.
“That will be tricky if there’s no provincial funding in there as well. The other thing can do is cut that out of our budget…and in a $2.1 million budget, $190,000 is quite a bit.”
If they don’t get the money?
Cutting the budget for Pictou to Antigonish libraries nearly in half would result in cuts to hours, programs and services.
Stackhouse says so many people rely on what they offer, and this is a big disappointment.
“People don’t realize how much we’re used for. Accessing government services online, assistance to virtual health, [and we] help bridge the technology barrier. We’re doing tax clinics right now. It just goes on and on and is continually growing every day.”
He says they are asking for $1.5 million for the whole province. If they don’t get the money needed, tough decisions will have to be made.
“We absolutely understand where the government is right now. We all do. We know what’s happening in the world and south of the border. It’s quite clear. But we would say is, in times of uncertainty and particularly when people’s pocketbooks are hurting, they turn to libraries more.”
They would need the money in a number of weeks.
