Empty library shelves raising questions
Current and former Saskatoon Public Library employees are raising concerns about what they describe as deep cuts to the collection of books, music and movies that have resulted in empty shelves and undone years of hard work.
The library director, however, says shelves were emptied to ensure new accessibility standards are met, and that reductions at some branches were offset by increasing the number of titles in storage at the central branch.
According to the institution’s 2016 annual report published last April, there were 551,939 items in the collection. Library spokeswoman Janna Sampson said Thursday in an email that the collection held 580,616 in 2017.
“The top shelves in most locations were too high, and the bottom shelves in most locations were too low, so we had to remove books,” Sampson said, referring to the city’s standards, which promote proactive removal of barriers to accessibility.
“Reducing the size of the collection to meet the accessibility standards is an unfortunate reality in our locations … To adjust to this, we’ve increased the size of the collection we hold in storage at Frances Morrison Central Library,” Sampson said.
Multiple current and former employees who spoke to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix told a different story. They said library managers want to “declutter” the branches, and instructed staff to withdraw hundreds of items from circulation.
Lois Davidson, who spent 33 years working at the library before retiring in June, said her instructions while employed at the J.S. Wood Branch were to “pare down the collection” and “get rid of more” to fit new, smaller shelving units.
“That happened over and over,” Davidson said.
Julie Paquette, who worked at the Library for 18 years and left about a decade ago, said she wanted to cry when she saw how many books had been removed from the Rusty Macdonald Branch when she visited the north end facility this week.
“All of the things we worked for are being torn down,” said Paquette, who emphasized that physical books and other media are just as important as digital collections because the library is intended to serve every demographic.
Those concerns are shared by some current library employees, who questioned the need to remove hundreds of books, CDs and DVDs from circulation. One speculated that bare shelves could keep people away from the library altogether.
J.D. McNabb, who chairs the city’s accessibility advisory committee, said the majority of Saskatoon Public Library branches are “friendly” for people with disabilities rather than fully accessible, but questioned any step that would make the collection smaller.
McNabb, who uses a wheelchair, said he does not mind asking for help accessing out-of-reach materials. He said the best compromise likely involves putting excess materials in the “stacks,” where they would remain accessible to those who want them.
“I want to be able to read whatever book that I’m looking for,” he said.
Sampson said the library continues to add about 90,000 new items to its collection each year. The institution’s 2018 budget earmarks $2.4 million for its collections — just under 10 per cent of its planned expenditures.
The library is in the midst of a controversial restructuring, which is expected to result in most of its unionized workforce having to re-apply for positions and has already affected staff morale. The restructuring is scheduled to wrap up by the end of April.