The Airdrie Public Library is trimming its budget and assessing priorities after losing more than $6,000 in provincial grants compared to 2012.
According to Janine Jevne, director of the library, she learned APL wouldn’t be receiving money from the Community Spirit Program (CSP) or the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) after the Alberta 2013 Budget announcement, earlier this month.
Both of the grant programs have been terminated.
In 2012, APL received $3,015 from the CSP. It helped pay for a variety of children’s resources including DVDs, information books, chapter books, board books and picture books.
The STEP program, from which the library received about $3,000 last year, was used to help pay for temporary summer employees for APL’s summer reading program, which brings about 3,000 child visits into the library every summer, said Jevne.
“There are two things that they cut and it means a lot to libraries,” said Jevne.
Despite the cut in resources, Jevne said the library will continue to offer the summer reading program, likely with the help of two federal grants.
Jevne added early literacy is critical.
“The No. 1 priority is to create and support opportunities to develop and maintain early and childhood literacy,” she said. “We really focus on that, so we will try to find other things (to cut) that aren’t as high on the priority list.”
Jevne said as a result of the lost funding, the library won’t be open later on Fridays as planned. Instead, the facility will stay open until 5:30 p.m. as it does now.
Service levels may also go down, she added, as staff hours have also been cut.
Jevne said she has also learned the City is not increasing her budget this year, despite the growing numbers of visitors to the library.
In September, Jevne requested an additional $160,000 from council over last year and received about $90,000 of the requested dollars.
This year’s total budget is $1,269,828 up from last year’s $1,177,862.
“I wasn’t cut, but we are growing very fast,” said Jevne. “I had already trimmed the budget to make that work and then I got notice of (provincial cuts).”
Jevne was quick to express appreciation for the City’s support, saying she understands this year’s budget is a difficult one for Airdrie.
“They are supporting us, it is just that we are growing … we measure circulation anywhere between 12,000 and 17,000 per month,” said Jevne, adding the City’s draft 2014 capital budget includes almost $1 million to help with plans for a new library.
Mayor Peter Brown said council places a high value on the library.
“We have been showing significant support for the library, it is obviously needed in our community,” he said.
Brown said in the last three years the library has seen an 11, 13 and eight per cent, respectively, increase in funding from the City.
According to Brown, the City is currently looking for a solution for the undersized facility.
Jevne said the library will continue fundraising and making the most of every dollar.
“We will continue to be careful, we will continue to do fundraising,” she said. “We are trying to earn more at everything we fundraise, any event we do we are trying to make it better and more profitable.”
