All regional library branches in Saskatchewan are facing staff layoffs, a reduction in operating hours and less available resources for their patrons due to a zero per cent increase to the Regional Grant Pool in the 2013 provincial budget.

The Regional Grant Pool funds the library headquarters, which in turn administers resource-sharing among the branches. These resource-sharing or centralized services provide equal delivery of needs among rural library branches such as adult continuing education and literacy programs, internet and e-reader training, support for student literacy and funding of purchasing books, equipment and materials.

September Brooke, librarian at the Davidson branch of Palliser Regional Library, said the province not offering “even a cost of living increase” to the Regional Grant Pool means there is not enough money coming in to the library to cover their normal expenses. She said most of the libraries with the Palliser Regional Library have now begun a patron letter writing campaign to provincial politicians in an effort to raise awareness about what this funding shortfall would do to their libraries.

“It will mean probably some job losses and the possibility of hours of opening being cut in some branches and services being cut if we don’t get that funding,” said Brooke. “Even in the past the levies (money set by the municipalities’ representative on the library board to be paid by municipalities to each library) and the resource-sharing has never fully covered the opening hours in most of the branches, so we’ve often had a shortfall and we’ve had to go to the town and the RMs and asked them to kick in a little bit extra to maintain the hours that we stay open.”

Brooke said the provincial government giving them a zero per cent increase in this past budget forces library branches to once again look at cutting hours and going back to the towns, villages and RMs to ask for more money.

“We think the provincial government should be supporting that instead of having to go to all the local governments,” she said, noting they have asked Arm River–Watrous MLA Greg Brkich to attend their next meeting so they might voice their concerns to him in person.

Brkich said he would not be able to attend the meeting, as he would be in Vancouver at that time for a State Rural Agricultural Leader’s Conference. He said he has spoken to Brooke and will relay her concerns to Russ Marchuk, Saskatchewan Minister of Education.

“The government is committed to maintaining a balanced budget,” said Brkich. “In the past we have added money to (the Regional Grant Pool) and in the next budget cycle we can add more to it hopefully.”

To read more please see the June 3 print edition of The Davidson Leader.