Libraries could flourish with leadership, vision
I join Jim Case (Telegram letters to the editor, May 24, 2017) in urging all politicians, provincial and municipal, and all library board members in all communities to listen to the CBC interview with Asa Kachan, the chief librarian of Halifax (www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts/ prince-edward-island/maritime-magazine/).
While it should be of particular interest to the members of city council in St. John’s for reasons that Mr. Case notes, it is of much wider import given the recent report by Ernst & Young LLP (EY) on the provincial library system (NLPL).
On a moment’s reflection, the reader will recognize that, prior to the building of this particular and striking edifice, prior to the City of Halifax investing $17 million in the project, there was a vision of the presence of the library in that community that made both the municipal commitment and the resulting structure possible. No vision, no project.
Which brings us to the EY report. The sad state of the NLPL is now clearly on record, the accountants did that part well. There are some changes to the administration of the organization that are recommended, like the creation of more robust regional governance mechanisms, the tentative steps toward greater involvement of local organizations, and the creation of a new set of goals to replace the old set that were abandoned when the provincial government would no long support the NLPL’S aspirations, but there is no vision of the presence of the NLPL in all our communities. The key factor in Halifax is entirely missing.
There is some hope, although it is slight. The report recommends that the province appoint a chief librarian to guide the process. When you listen to Asa Kachan, think about the energy and vision that is potential in her position. Think not only, and even not primarily, of the revitalization that the vision could bring to St. John’s, but to the impact that such a visionary might bring to our more difficult problem: creating a library presence in smaller, and in some cases, declining communities. Our citizens are not all in St. John’s, but they are all our citizens.
The essential question to the provincial government is this: if you have no vision, will you support someone who does? The essential question to our municipal politicians is similar. On behalf of your citizens, are you willing to work with a leader to create, over time, a better, richer life for your citizens, a life that the 700 or so library volunteer board members have already voted for by their actions?
The way ahead is clear: begin advertising for a chief provincial librarian immediately. The challenges that the NLPL faces will be attractive to potential candidates who can be assured of support. And, to demonstrate that support, commit to maintaining the present level of provincial funding, and the present array of branches, into the future while the NLPL, under new guidance, articulates a vision of the future and designs the processes that will support it.
Richard H. Ellis St. John’s