Milton Public Library

November 17, 2010.  I attended my last Library Board meeting as a council appointee last night.  During my 7 years on the board there was tremendous growth in library usage.  For those who think the library might be in danger of becoming an anachronism, nothing could be farther from the truth.

The library is a community gathering place with 282,779 visits recorded this year. Whether to borrow books, use the internet, participate in conversation circles, programs, workshops, do homework, special events, the library is an integral part of the community. 

It’s amazing that library staff has been able to keep up. That they have is a clear tribute to their dedication.  From the 90’s when there was one full time employee (FTE) per 9000 people, today we have one FTE per 22,000 people.  And the Milton Library provides the fewest open hours of any comparable library in the GTA.

The frustration as a board member was in supporting the public’s wishes for increased hours of operation – only to see those hours cut during budget deliberations.

Given the number of councillors who campaigned this election to keep the Bruce Street Library open while promising a minimal tax increase, it will be interesting to see what happens during December’s budget deliberations.  Anything is possible with unlimited money. 

A little background on the Bruce Street location versus the new one on Main Street….
The decision to close the Bruce Street Library was made around 1999.  I was a member of Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) when we were presented with choosing the best of 3 possible sites for the proposed new Main Library.  It wasn’t a question of where to move the library – it had already been narrowed down to three sites.  CSAC members chose the Milton Hydro site as the best option. Oh, how different the answer would have been had the question been framed differently.

My thanks go to the dedicated and professional staff in the Milton Public Library System.

Library Chat

Let ‘s talk about the library.

With shovels already in the ground, the subject of the Bruce Street Library closing has received a lot of press.

There are two aspects to the concerns expressed by the public:
1. The perceived closing of ‘another’ service in the Downtown Milton area; and
2. It is a blow for seniors dependent on the library being in the neighbourhood.
3. I could add, speaking for north rural residents, the new location will be even further away for them.

With respect to “another” service leaving the downtown area, many link the library to Quality Greens’ closing. These are two distinct issues. One private (Quality Greens) and the other public – the library. While I’m on the subject, I would have preferred an A & E Centre/Central Library complex to be closer to the town hall creating a true civic centre, something that would have brought people downtown instead of sending them east.

Regardless, the writing on the wall was writ by the council sitting prior to the 2003 elections. While the disposition of the current library property has yet to be determined, it will be the subject of public consultations, which will begin shortly.

Many people favour, at the very minimum, a library pick up/drop off site in the area. This will entail a cost: will council support that cost? Given there has been no support from this council or previous ones, to even extend the hours of operation, in fact, the library board was forced to cut costs by closing the Beaty Branch at 8pm, it remains to be seen what a new council will do. Using volunteers is not an option as Library staff is unionized.

Justifications for moving out of Bruce Street, are:
• Insufficient parking
• Insufficient room for programs
• Inefficient and costly building maintenance
• too close to the new central library for effective service to the public, over-servicing one area
• Lack of accessibility – a huge consideration and cost given the imposition of new provincial legislation.

Some people have suggested the Bruce Street site be used for a new Seniors’ Centre but with over 800 members, and programs running daily, I doubt very much that there would be sufficient room.

We will have to await the consultant’s findings. In the meantime, let's chat.