A move by the provincial government will make it easier for indigenous families across Alberta to access services at public libraries.
On Friday, the Government of Alberta announced it would be giving more than $670,000 to six regional library systems and three large urban libraries to cover non-resident fees for those living in indigenous communities.
Previously, indigenous people living on-reserve or on-settlement could be charged non-resident fees in order to get a library card from a neighbouring community.
The exact cost depended on the local library, but fees could run up to $60 a year.
Alberta’s Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee said the funding will eliminate that financial barrier and make it easier for everyone to use the province’s public libraries.
“Libraries are so much more than their books, they are integral community spaces.”
“It is essential that all Albertans have equitable access to the programs and services these community hubs can offer.”
Larivee attended an open house at the Kainai Public Library, in Standoff, Alta. Friday to see special services offered in the southern Alberta town, and to announce the funding aid for public libraries across the province.
“Families potentially had to pay non-resident fees as high as $60 a year for each of them. That was a substantial barrier for a number of families in this province – and actually it was just wrong,” Larivee said. “It was time to move forward and ensure all Albertan’s have access to the amazing services that our public libraries provide.”
Kathy Goodstriker, a librarian at the Kainai Public Library, said she was turned away as a young child from a library, which inspired her to be a librarian in her adult life.
“Before it felt like we were always closed in, like we were shut off from certain accesses to things,” Goodstriker said. “With having our new library now, we are opening everything.”
Goodstriker said residents on the Blood Tribe and other First Nation communities have a right to access the services.
“Having the library now has really opened the door for all of our students and elders,” Goodstriker said. “To this day they’re still walking in and saying, ‘I never knew this was here.'”
The funding is being delivered through the government’s 2016 budget, which in total provides $36.6 million in support of public library service across the province.
Library membership enables access to:
- Books, CDs, videos and other physical materials
- Computers and high-speed internet
- Regional programs such as early childhood literacy activities
- E-content, interlibrary loans and other initiatives provided via the government-funded Provincial Network of Public Library Service
The regional library systems and urban libraries receiving funding are:
- Calgary Public Library
- Edmonton Public Library
- Peace Library System
- Northern Lights Library System
- Yellowhead Regional Library System
- Parkland Regional Library System
- Marigold Library System
- Chinook Arch Library System
- Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
Larivee said the funding supports the government’s work to implement the principles and objectives of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Comments