By Cheryl Jahn

Libraries urge better funding

Apr 5, 2022 | 2:46 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Every day hundreds of people avail themselves of the city’s two libraries, whether it’s this one, the Bob Harkins Branch, or the one in the Nechako Branch in the Hart. And libraries provide an invaluable service to the public. COVID highlighted that.

“Whether it was providing access to the internet and computers so that patrons could register for government supports and register to get vaccinated. We’re supporting the objectives of the province and they helped set those standards and strategic priorities for libraries. There were all kinds of different support that the library offers to the community,” explains Paul Burry, Library Director.

During the pandemic, the library switched up service delivery, to move online. The library has taken and will take measures to make it a very popular place for the public. But the funding allocation from the Province hasn’t budged in a decade, stubbornly sitting at $14 million. A campaign is now underway to change that. “We’re trying to advocate for $22 million for 2022,” says Burry. “So that’s the amount of funding from the province to fund public libraries. Right now, that amount is $14 million and hasn’t moved in more than ten years. That $14 million is divided among over 70 different library systems in the province.”

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Council recently approved allocating nearly four million dollars to library operations. That’s up from $3.6 million in 2019. Thank Goodness for that, says Paul Burry. But it has also approved a resolution by the Board of Trustees. It recognizes all that Burry outlined and concludes that “…the Board urges the Government of British Columbia to maintain financial support at a sustainable level.”

But Burry says the Provincial Government has a role to play in providing functioning, stable operations.

“One role that the provincial government can play is in ensuring we maintain a core level of standards for all libraries. There are all different sizes of libraries all across the province and in very small communities.” He says the current funding model makes it extremely challenging to provide services to the community in a consistent manner. in a consistent manner.