Nova Scotia·NewThe 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.Libraries suffering after ‘decades of underinvestment,’ says president of provincial associationListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Temma Frecker’s children, Nico and Teo, go to the library at least once a week. (Temma Frecker)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.”Julia Merritt is the CEO of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library. (Zoom)Earlier this year, the Nova Scotia Library Association, 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. A photo of the Murray Family (Pictou) Public Library & deCoste Culture Hub, one of the libraries in Eric Stackhouse’s region. (Patrick Callaghan/CBC)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, president of the Nova Scotia Library Association, 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.”Eric Stackhouse, chief librarian of the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, said his library needs a sustainable funding model. (Patrick Callaghan/CBC)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. Frecker’s kids did a bottle drive in their neighbourhood to help raise money for the libraries. (Temma Frecker)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.” MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORGiuliana is a journalist originally from Lima, Peru. She is interested in stories about rural Nova Scotia, science, the environment and more. If you have any story tips, you can reach her at giuliana.grillo.de.lambarri@cbc.ca.
N.S. libraries ask users to contact MLAs, municipalities about impending cuts
