BOYLE — The last month of the calendar year is a time of reflection; as the New Year approaches and many people contemplate their successes over the last year and resolutions for the future, organizations and local politicians are doing the same.
The last such year-end update Boyle councillors received was during their last meeting before the Christmas holidays, with an update on the wins of 2024 from Helena Peters and trustee and fellow councillor Barb Smith.
“Pretty much across the board, everything that we’ve been working on has increased,” said Smith in a Dec. 19 follow-up. “We’re investing our money wisely into things the community needs, and we’re really listening to what the community needs and providing that service.”
As of October 2024, the library saw 8,718 items borrowed, a circulation increase of almost seven per cent from last years numbers. Digital borrowing in 2024 was also up, to the tune of 10.7 per cent — well above the library’s goal of increasing e-resource circulation by five per cent over five years.
“It’s great that we had that increase, but we also have a lot of offerings that we haven’t yet promoted,” said Smith. “Even as a board member, I don’t know everything we offer, so I don’t see it as an unrealistic goal for each year that we continue to grow it.”
Membership was also a highlight for the library this year. A total of 232 memberships were renewed or created in 2024, with 41 per cent made up of Boyle residents. Athabasca County residents make up 44 per cent of the membership base, with a handful of cardholders living in the Summer Village of Bondiss, Thorhild County, and the city of Edmonton.
The launch of a new website in July was also a notable accomplishment, and one the library will have better stats on in next year’s updates to the village. In the six months before the new site launched, the old site saw nearly 3,000 visits; and while stats like web clicks may be seen as supplementary data, Smith said usage evidence reveals a bigger picture.
“It’s not just books, and explaining that to someone that isn’t a library lover, that’s where it’s important to get those key things across. A lot of people need the stats — I’m a story person, but not everyone’s like me.”
“Even though the viability, it’s obvious in the community, when you’re looking at budgets and maybe you’re not a library person, it’s easy to look at cutting that. So just making sure that we’re presenting here’s how we’re actually impacting your community and how we’re helping you to meet your goals is really important.”
A number of concrete examples of the library’s impact on the community and it’s members can be found in the managers highlights section of the update. The page includes anecdotes on assisting with applications for Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped and introducing Pine Creek Colony students to take-home activities, even providing services not listed on the new site; comfort.
“A lady came in looking down, and I asked what was going on. It turned out she had just gotten bad news about her husband’s illness. We just stood in the library and hugged and cried. I feel honoured that they feel that they can trust me with things like that, that we can be the place where they feel safe,” read one story.
The positive update also came with a 2025 budget requisition totalling $32,100, the same amount allocated in 2024. Smith said with a new budgeting process, she’s proud the ask did not increase, and councillors accepted the report — as well as the ask, already baked into the budget — with unanimous support.
“As a councillor, when you’re looking at the boxes that it’s checking, it’s easy to say yes or no to money, it always is. But when you’re actually seeing the impact in your community and you’re saying “Ok, I feel good about giving money to this because I know it’s going to hit these people that need it the most, it’s an easy sell for me,” said Smith.
“When you’re hurting for money it’s important to know there’s free things out there, that’s what we live for, and it’s for everybody,” she added. “My goals are always making sure the communities healing, and I don’t know, I think we do pretty good with that.”
