New library the cornerstone of prosperity framework

CBRM has fallen behind in comparison to the new or major initiatives in Antigonish, Halifax, Truro and Pictou County

I last wrote on the subject of a new library just prior to the Nova Scotia election in May, throughout which members of the New Library Building Committee and I had reason to be encouraged.

Readers will be aware of the announcement made by Premier Stephen McNeil in Sydney on Nov. 23, committing his government to the relocation of the Nova Scotia Community College Marconi Campus operation to downtown Sydney. The relocation appears to be contingent upon completion of an assessment report anticipated to commence early in 2018 and taking an estimated one year to complete.

Although we have actively lobbied to have the library project included as a component of the proposed assessment, we still are awaiting confirmation of that request.

The growing inadequacies in our McConnell Library operation in downtown Sydney were noted by the late Dr. Bob Morgan and associates in 2009; and a New Library Building Committee was established and has worked over the past eight years to inform the public of the need to move the project forward. In addition to efforts of committee members, there have been citizen groups, such as the Friends of the Library, who have declared their support for a new facility.

Three assessments have now been compiled on the project, all agreeing on the merits and imperatives that the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) upgrade its public library system.

I don’t intend to catalogue the many positive and supportive messages we have received, nor the extensive research done on the public good wrought by public library systems. But one particularly troubling revelation bears repeating - the discrepancy in literacy and numeracy capacity of a significant segment of our citizenry. Despite the existence of a good school system, a university and community college network, the Canadian Council on Learning and the T.D. Financial Group’s Report “Literacy Matters: A Call for Action” flags literacy and numeracy as serious Canadawide concerns.

Regrettably, CBRM is no stranger to literacy issues. It can be argued that this issue in particular hinders our best efforts to stimulate economic development and provides further justification to support a modern expanded public library system.

Substantial serious research has been conducted into community needs and the economic benefits of public libraries. See, for example, “The Economic Impact of Libraries in Indiana” (2006); “Public Libraries: Social Well-Being and Lifelong Learning of Saskatchewan People, Draft” (2005); and, more recently, “The Economic Impact of the Milton Public Library on the Town of Milton, Ontario” (2014).

The evidence supporting justification for a new library system is compelling. For example, within our community college system, applicants for course entries frequently require pre-upgrades in basic areas of literacy and numeracy. A new central library for CBRM and Victoria County would be instrumental in taking on that challenge.

It’s inexcusable that CBRM has fallen behind in comparison to the new or major library initiatives in Antigonish, Halifax, Truro and Pictou County. These library initiatives are in addition to significant library upgrades in the South Shore and Annapolis Valley.

In conclusion, the new Central Library Building Committee extends sincere thanks to Beth MacIsaac, superintendent of the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, for her letter in support for the proposed new Cape Breton Regional Library Facility as submitted by the New Library Committee. Her concern over literacy levels in our Cape Breton community are well-founded.

There is important work to be done and serious investment to be made to improve our future prospects on many fronts. A new Central Library is an essential building block for the construction of a prosperity framework that will launch Cape Breton into the 21st century.

Take the time to visit and become a member of your local library. Season’s Greetings to all!

“Regrettably, CBRM is no stranger to literacy issues.”