BOYLE — Village of Boyle councillors will have a few financial requests to deliberate in the New Year when budget deliberations continue, and an ask made by a familiar face for continued support for the local library is one.
During the Dec. 20 meeting, Coun. Barb Smith traded her village councillor hat in favour of her Boyle Public Library headgear to brief the rest of her fellow councillors on what 2023 had in store for the library, including new staff, adjusted hours, and an increase in community access.
Councillors — including Smith — voted 5-0 to defer the ask to upcoming budget deliberations.
“Boyle Public Library has had another successful year, and we wanted to express our appreciation for the support the Village of Boyle provides to our library,” said Smith.
In 2023, the Library budgeted for $30,000 in funding contributions from the Village of Boyle, and this year the board is asking for a slight increase, with a line item for the village’s contribution totalling $31,200.
“The village’s requisition amount for 2024 remains the same as the village's paid portion in 2023, which includes the on-going over-contribution of the membership fees and local late fees approved in last year’s budget,” said Smith.
In January 2023, the library began offering memberships for no cost, and eliminated financial penalties for local late returns. Smith said the village’s contributions allowed the board to enact its “vision to eliminate the barriers in the community to our services,” said Smith.
“As a result, we have seen an increase in both usage and community participation in the library,” she added.
Smith pointed out the library’s rise in expenses — such as higher insurance costs, a rise in membership dues for Northern Lights Library System, and staff wages — were offset by an additional $5,600 in provincial funding received in 2023.
“Like most rural non-profits, we are trying our best to stretch these dollars as best as we can,” said Smith.
The library staff added several new faces to their team and have extended their hours on alternating Wednesdays and last Saturdays of every month to encourage more community use of the facility.
And the efforts are paying off, said Smith. Free membership, extended hours, and free access to wifi, DVD rentals, and the online resources such as programs to learn English and other languages, have created palpable impacts for residents, which Smith has witnessed herself.
“We had a brand-new resident come into the library to use a computer to create a resume,” after a tough personal year, said Smith. A briefing from the library manager on the range of services offered resulted in an embrace of the resources that Smith said blew her mind.
“That afternoon, not only did we gain three patrons, and a big stack of books and DVD’s that were rented — we also gave hope and a financial reprieve to one of our locals.”
