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Write your elected officials!
Twice a year, I attend a meeting of the ABCPLD, or the Association of British Columbia Public Library Directors. Last Thursday’s meeting was held in conjunction with the annual BCLA, or British Columbia Library Association, conference.
On top of the overabundance of acronyms, much of what we talk about in these meetings are of little interest to the general public, and I won’t bore you with it. One thing that came up at ABCPLD, though, is critical information for all library users.
The upcoming Provincial Election may have a huge impact on the continuation of financial support for public libraries via the Public Library Services Branch (PLSB). BC’s elected officials will have some hard decisions to make in the establishing of the Provincial budget, including whether or not funding levels will be maintained for current programs and projects, including various grants to individual libraries as well as provincial initiatives such as BC OneCard, Sitka, and the databases I wrote about in my last column. A few weeks ago I wrote about these wonderful programs and how lucky we are to live in BC because of the high level of support we get from the province. It’s ironic that, a few days later, I sat in a meeting where we were informed that that same support may be in jeopardy. The Provincial budget won’t be approved until some time in June, and funding streams that we have depended on for decades may be at risk.
I do not envy the government officials who will be required to decide what programs will be funded and which won’t. Every agency is in need.There is no doubt, however, that the use of libraries goes up in hard economic times, and our library is a case in point. The number of people using library resources to look for work or other support as the result of layoffs or other hardships is remarkable. Our basic computer classes are in high demand, and we get requests daily for more advanced assistance. Due to the number of people in the library on any given day, we often run out of places to sit. I’d like to thank the Friends of the Whistler Public Library for funding and ordering additional seating, which will arrive in a few weeks.
I urge you to write to the Premier and other elected officials to express your support for maintaining funding of the PLSB and other public library programs. You can call, write or email your representatives, and if you need help finding names or contact information, I suggest you contact – guess who? The public library, of course.
Lauren Stara, Library Director