Where to put Alberta Public Libraries

Controversy over which department to locate provincial responsibility for Alberta's public libraries has bubbled over! Library Trustees this weekend, overwhelmingly supported motions to recommend staying in the department of Municipal Affairs.

Trustees Clearly endorsed the support they had received from the department of Municipal Affairs in meetings with the Deputy Minister Paul Whittaker.

Not lost on Trustees or library staff is the fact that moving libraries back to the department of Culture takes them back to a traditionally under funded, low priority department with a bias of responding to the Arts lobby. This is illustrated by the erosion of support for the voluntary sector, community development, heritage resources, museums and archives over the years. The PC Policy Book (page 32) commits to a $10 million increase to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Municipal Affairs is a larger department that has embraced Public Libraries since its move in 2006. Strong support from the DMs, ADM, planning staff have all helped reposition public libraries for the 21st century.

Champions for Public Libraries don't come along every day but Alberta public libraries have had great ones; Horst Schmid, Mary LeMessurier, Gary Mar, Shirley McLellan, Ray Danyluk & HH Lois Hole. The distinguishing factor that all this Champions share is PASSION and a belief that public libraries contribute to a broad scope of the fabric of Alberta life. They knew it was not limited to Culture.
 
In 2008 Minister Danyluk took MLAs on tours of public libraries to blow away old perceptions. He was successful. Clearly we need another tour for the "policy wonks" feeding information to the Premier.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Snakes and Ladders: Reflecting on the need for careful and critical dialogue in the recreation sector

Today's blog is one written by a young professional in the Recreation Sector and expresses some of her very personal feelings & insights and some learnings. If you have reactions or thoughts you would like to share please use the Comment section.  Lisa Tink is a courageous young professional from Alberta who blends diverse experience in research, policy and practice with a take no prisoners’ attitude.  Having worked in the provincial government, not-for-profit sector and with post-secondary institutions she is highly skilled and knowledgeable about all things recreation.  Lisa is passionate about bringing theory and policy to life and recognizes the value and role of relationships in doing so. "As a 31 year old, I regularly seek career advice. After only 11 years in the sector it is a way for me to learn from those who have done more, seen more, and know more. It is also a way for me to connect with individuals who share a passion for recreati...
Read more

The Three Wise Women and Libraries

Image
In the early 2000's, unknown to most library folks in Alberta, secret meetings were being held. None of the participants was sworn to secrecy but everyone knew that what was happening was not an approved way of operating for a public servant. I was the "Library Guy" (Stan Woloshyn)  Alberta Public Library Service (1996-2009) A former President of the Alberta Library Trustees Association called to ask me if I was interested in having tea with a small group that was interested in public libraries. I was very interested because during this President's term with the Trustees Association we had had a super working relationship, accomplishing a great deal and building a very good working relationship with Trustees across the Province. I was quite intrigued by the request and any help we could get with supporting libraries would be welcome. After agreeing to meet I was given the date, time and told the gathering would be in a restaurant in St. Albert. On the appo...
Read more

Friends Remember Maureen Woods (Looking Back)

Image
Wendy Newman "It is very difficult for me to write about Maureen, a professional colleague who became a close personal friend.  Her contributions as a library leader have been many and lasting – locally, where she served local and regional systems in Saskatchewan; provincially, as a leader of ground-breaking provincial planning and implementation in SK, AB, and BC; and nationally, as a leader of PTLDC at a time of national collaborative visioning.  Always she showed the same strengths in her approach – identify and listen to the stakeholders, do the research, build community, work collaboratively, understand the priorities of the decision-makers and reflect them back, avoid narrowness and partisanship, and above all, think big.   She was the best “translator” of government to libraries and libraries to government that I ever worked with.  It is so evident in the BC strategic plan, which takes the premier’s focus on literacy and crafts an action plan to mak...
Read more