It appears Kingston city council has approved an unstaffed hours pilot project for the Pittsburgh branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.
A motion to council Tuesday asked councillors to reconsider the program, but that was defeated by a vote of 8-4.
From the get-go, the jury was out on whether council would approve a motion opposing the unstaffed hours pilot project for the Pittsburgh library.
Earlier in the meeting, Laura Carter, chief executive of Kingston Frontenac Public Library, explained the idea behind the program, which is to extend library hours without increasing staff hours.
But despite the assurance that staffed hours wouldn’t be cut, some councillors were still unsure.
“They need an assurance that this project, while it has its benefits, is not a direction that is advisable,” said Kingscourt-Rideau Coun. Mary Rita Holland said.
Meanwhile, Coun. Ryan Boehme, who represents Pittsburgh, said that he supported the idea.
“The whole intent here is not actually to reduce access to libraries. It’s to do the exact opposite, it’s to increase, it’s to find a progressive way forward, using technology,” Boehme said.
Earlier in the day, a protest was held in front of Kingston city hall in support of library workers against moving forward with the pilot project.
“We believe it’s not safe for library patrons to be using the library without a staff member present. We believe in jobs for the community,” said Jill-Ann Rothwell, president of Kingston Frontenac Library Workers.
Now, the future of the pilot project and whether the Pittsburgh branch becomes temporarily “self serve” lies with the library board.
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