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Internet funding maintained for libraries throughout province
News, Mar 8, 2010
Jennifer Vardy Little

NEW GLASGOW – Library users in Nova Scotia are breathing a sigh of relief after the Department of Education confirmed Friday that it will continue to cover the costs of the Internet in public libraries.

Eric Stackhouse, chief librarian at the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, said his organization has been concerned for quite some time that the province would pull its support, leaving PARL and other libraries with a tremendous shortfall.

A task force report completed two years ago called on the province to pump a significant amount of money into libraries to help address shortfalls in the collections of books libraries are able to offer, as well as allowing them to invest in new technologies.

As recently as last week, Stackhouse feared the government would instead pull library funding for items like free Internet access for Nova Scotians at PARL. Late last year, libraries began hearing rumours that the province was re-considering funding Internet costs, an arrangement that had been in place since 1996.

“The government pays the library’s Internet bills and has for the past 14 years,” Stackhouse said. “We had an agreement that we would supply the equipment and staff, and the province would pay for the Internet access.”

That cost is approximately $300,000 provincially – in Pictou County, it’s around $21,000 per year – and allows public libraries to take a significant role in the popular Community Access Program, more commonly known as C@P.

“If that funding was cut, we would have to pick up the bill – and that would mean either cuts from the library board, or we’d have to go to the municipalities and ask them to help,” Stackhouse explained.

The Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia began a campaign last year called Stand Up For Libraries, where it asked Nova Scotians to let the Education Department know cutting Internet funding for libraries wasn’t acceptable.

LBANS heard Friday that the government listened to that message and agreed to continue covering these costs.

“This was good news,” said Mary MacLellan, president of LBANS and the PARL board. “Now we can look forward to hearing how the government will implement the recommendations of the Library Funding Task Force that was tabled in October.”

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