Public libraries in Nova Scotia are relying more heavily on fundraising to make ends meet as provincial funding fails to keep up with increasing expenses.

Most public libraries in the province are required to raise three per cent of their operating budgets, but some are now far outpacing that goal, raising 10 per cent or more.

“We are smashing that target out of the water,” said Ashley Nunn-Smith, the CEO of South Shore Public Libraries, which raises 11 per cent of its operating budget through fundraising and grants.

South Shore Public Libraries recently announced a fundraising event with Rachel Reid, the author of the bestselling hockey romance series Game Changers, which spawned the smash TV hit Heated Rivalry. The event is expected to bring in a few thousand dollars to support the library system.

Nunn-Smith said South Shore Public Libraries has always held fundraising events, including an annual literary festival, author readings and a Christmas campaign where people can buy a bookplate in the name of a loved one.

But the current financial reality — including stagnant provincial contributions — means she is stepping up those efforts.

“Fundraising alone cannot sustain public libraries in this province,” Nunn-Smith said. “But yes, we will need to increase our fundraising efforts.”

Flatlined provincial contributions

The increased focus on fundraising comes as public libraries face rising demand for services alongside growing costs for everything from labour to books to energy.

Meanwhile, the provincial funding formula, which provides 70 per cent of library finances in systems outside the Halifax Regional Municipality, has only risen once in the past 16 years — in 2019.

Although the province has provided bridge funding since 2019, Nunn-Smith said it wasn’t enough to cover the gap between expenses and revenue.

This financial crucible led to the recent announcement of the closure of five branches in the Annapolis Valley Regional Library.

Fundraising for salaries

Eric Stackhouse, the chief librarian at Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library (PARL), said he is aiming to fundraise 10 per cent of his operating budget this year in order to balance the budget.

“We’re really, really leaning heavily into the fundraising now,” Stackhouse said. “We’re forced into that situation.”

The service is setting up “donation stations” on Wednesday at its seven branches, where people can tap their card at a machine, make a donation and get a tax receipt.

PARL is also now part of a donor platform for charitable giving, and is seeking corporate investments in its library fund, which will be used in part for operating expenses.

Stackhouse said PARL will also continue with its regular fundraising techniques such as raffles, events and grants.

“I’ve been in this job 26 years and when I went to library school and did my master’s, the last thing I thought I’d be doing is fundraising for salaries,” he said.

Partnerships helping

Both Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library and South Shore Public Libraries say they are also participating in partnerships to help fund library activities.

PARL has partnered with the Aberdeen Health Foundation to support programming, including programs that aim to alleviate social isolation among seniors and other marginalized groups. The partnership resulted in a boost of $130,000 for programming, compared with an average annual programming budget of less than $10,000 “in a good year,” Stackhouse said.

South Shore Public Libraries just opened a new branch in Chester, N.S., last week, which Nunn-Smith said was only possible because the Village of Chester Commission is paying 100 per cent of staff costs.

A second new branch that will offer only programming space is slated to open this fall in Cookville, just outside Bridgewater, and all library staff costs there will be paid by the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nunn-Smith said.

Valley closures ‘a wake-up call’

Nunn-Smith and Stackhouse said if nothing changes, Nova Scotians can expect to see more closures like the ones that have been announced in the Valley.

South Shore Public Libraries has already made some cuts, including condensing the mobile library’s schedule from five days to four and cutting its collections budget and library hours — something Nunn-Smith calls “death by 1,000 paper cuts.”

“We are not at the point of closing larger locations yet, but certainly if the funding situation doesn’t change, we would also be in that position in perhaps one or two or three more years,” she said.

Stackhouse, too, said his library system has cut its book budget and some Sunday hours and laid off the equivalent of 1.5 full-time staff.

“What’s happening in the Valley is probably a wake-up call,” he said. “It’s a race to the bottom and Annapolis Valley just got there sooner than everyone else.”

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