The Saskatchewan government announced at this year’s provincial budget there will be an increase in funding for libraries by one per cent, from $11.1 million to $11.2 million, an increase of $128,000 overall.
Funds for the library system will see most of the distribution going towards resource sharing grants for the seven regional library systems, which will receive $6 million. The support of the universal access to library services, internet connectivity and the single integrated library system will receive $2.8 million. $1.4 million will also go towards municipal libraries in Regina, Prince Albert, and Saskatoon. $989,000 will also go towards resource sharing grants for the Pahkisimon Nuye?áh Library System. In addition, $1.0 million will go toward the continued funding of Saskatchewan’s literacy programs, with $541,000 going to the network of Family Literacy Hubs, and $500,000 going to continue support of 20 summer literacy camps that are currently located in eight school divisions.
The Minister of Education, Gordon Wyant said that currently, he is waiting on a sector plan to be set out by his ministry in order to move forward with the library budget. “We’ve included some money in the budget to enhance connectivity, not just with school divisions but with libraries because we know how important connectivity is to the library system,” Wyant said, referring to both electronic connectivity through the internet, and physical connectivity through libraries transferring their materials from location to location. “ You’ll see some further conversations about what supports are needed in the library sector [in the future].”
The significance of this increase comes from a past budget which caused an outcry among library patrons and employees two years ago due to a drastic decrease in funds.
In 2017 the Saskatchewan Government had made the decision to greatly reduce funding to the province’s Public Library System by 58 per cent, which led to a loss of $4.8 million for the library system. This included a $1.3 million cut to the Regina and Saskatoon branches. At the time the Sask. Government was making these reductions to offset the province’s deficit which was nearly $1.3 billion.
The reductions would have led to the elimination of library materials being able to transfer across the province, as well as library staff layoffs, and the elimination of the one card one library system that the province currently has.
These reductions were protested, with many supporters of the Saskatchewan Library System organizing silent protests outside their local MLA offices. A Facebook group was formed called Save Saskatchewan Libraries which gained over 6,100 members, and a petition was formed called the Vote to Save Saskatchewan Libraries, which received more than 14,000 signatures in late April of 2017.
These events led to the provincial government backpedaling its decision to reduce spending for the library systems setting it back to its previous budget.
There are currently eight library systems in the province which include, Chinook Regional Library, Lakeland Library Region, Parkland Regional Library, Palliser Regional Library, Southeast Regional Library, Wapiti Regional Library, Wheatland Regional Library, and the Pahkisimon Nuye?áh System.
