Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Funding for British Columbia Libraries gains shoutouts from area MLA's

The Province announced some additional funding for
Libraries across BC on Friday.

Friday's announcement of funding for Libraries across the province is getting some additional push from NDP MLA's in the Northwest, with both Nathan Cullen and Jennifer Rice making note of the distribution of 45 million dollars to all of the province's 71 Public Libraries.

The one time grants will be in addition to the annual operating funding that libraries receive. This will give libraries flexibility to address local priorities, including longer hours, bigger digital collections and better access to literacy and lifelong learning opportunities. 

Funds will be distributed to libraries by March 31, 2023. 


If the plan is an equal distribution of the 45 million dollars, that would be an additional 633,000  and change for the Prince Rupert Library.

The full announcement from the Province can be reviewed here.

The Library was also part of the Current City of Prince Rupert Budget planning presentation of last week, with needs for Heating improvements noted as part of the Capital Spending requests from CFO Corinne Bomben. 



Some news from the Library made for some conversation at the most recent City council session, with councillor Teri Forster advising Council that the Library had recently completed its Strategic Plan.

So far no details have been released related to that Strategic Plan and the vision that the Library Board may have for the facility and its future.

The Prince Rupert Library has been in its Sixth Avenue West home since January of 1971, and renovated in 1982 and again in 1987.
 
In recent years the aging facility has seen a number of repairs required for its aging infrastructure.

Some of its history can be reviewed here.

The topic of replacement for the Library comes up for discussion from time to time with some unique ideas put forward towards what a new House of Reading should look like, though few steps forward have been found yet towards that goal.

More notes from the Legislature can be reviewed here.


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