Dear VIRL trustees,
I am a library user living in Chemainus.
I have recently heard that there may be a push by the board to shorten some hours in VIRL branches and perhaps even including closing branches for whole days of the week. I'm writing to you as a former councillor, [regional district] director and VIRL trustee and a lifetime user of libraries. I was on the board when we made the decision to partner with local government to build libraries, thereby investing in accumulating assets rather than increasingly higher rents. The library in Chemainus is gorgeous and well used.
This library in my small town has become a haven for many and for many reasons. This past winter when many of us outside of the Chemainus core found ourselves without power for two days, it was a place where folks could go to charge their phones (so many people no longer have land lines) and warm up, spend some time in the company of our neighbours.
VIRL offers so much [of what] the traditional libraries have offered, and also has assisted many folks to access streaming sevices, DVDs, free seed library, puzzles, computer access and connection to others.
Gone are the days that folks had to whisper quietly in the library, as you all know. Our libraries have become hubs for the community, and when you think of it, very affordable hubs compared to other warm or cool places that communities can gather.
My tax bill allocated to VIRL is $117 per annum, $15 per $100K assessment. For that, I can not only access online videos and streaming services 24/7, we can request books and DVDs, pick up free seeds for the vegetable garden, find a free space to socialize, even play a game or work on a puzzle with others. And [there's] a small meeting room that can be booked for free.
Also, in times of power outages, it is a warm refuge for those who have no backup heating and in the increasingly hot days, a cooling centre. At a time when housing is increasingly out of reach for so many folks and they have to struggle between things many of us take for granted and food, we need libraries and the services and space they offer more than ever. I expect Netflix, Spotify and other streaming services necessarily go by the wayside for many in these expensive times. Those who can't afford their own computer with WiFi have access to the World Wide Web. It would be great to see our trustee share more regularly the wonderful and various things the library offers.
If the rumours are true, I urge you to consider the incredible impact a decision like that can/will have on folks who have come to rely on their library for so many things, including social connection should it be true that you are considering cutting library hours in communities that depend on the library for so much.
I spent two evenings at Chemainus Branch in the power outage this past winter. I spent them with educators, precariously housed folks and folks sleeping rough, seniors, youth, all gathered together, sharing the space and sharing a connection and the hot tea that the branch staff offered. With community. It brings tears to my eyes still when I remember the unity and humanity in that building between those of us seeking connection (in all meanings of that word) and refuge. Chemainus has few social services and only the library after 3 p.m. or on weekends. Recently I encountered a youth from the community that had lost his housing in Ladysmith and was without shelter. He used the computer at the library to find housing (successfully thankfully). I expect your staff could share thousands of similar stories.
Please keep our library open. It's my hunch that if asked you would hear that from constituents all over Vancouver Island.
Thank you for you consideration.
Kate Marsh
Chemainus
