Sechelt Public Library is delighted to be out of a rental contract with the District of Sechelt and able to spend thousands more on resources this year.
Up until recently the library was locked into a rental agreement with the District that demanded about $80,000 a year in rental fees, based on the original funding scheme for the library set up in 1996. That money came from the District of Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), but the funding scheme was often questioned by the library.
"Most libraries in the province pay $1 a year or nothing in rent especially in a publicly funded building," said Helen Prosser, chief librarian in Sechelt. "So the District of Sechelt has very kindly and wonderfully now given us rent-free status and that's why they've created a new lease agreement. It puts us in just a totally different ballpark. It's much, much better for us."
While the District has adjusted their library funding to reflect the rental change, the SCRD is giving their previous rental funding amount directly to the library now.
"We're really, really happy about that. They worked on that too, to make sure the money has come to us directly. It will be approximately $24,000," Prosser said.
The money will be used to secure more digital resources at the library, which is something Prosser sees as a good investment.
"We want to get more digital resources because I think there's a big need," Prosser said. "When people are travelling, for example, many people like to take their e-readers and they like to take along free books downloaded from the library. It means they don't have fines or any return issues so they can be in Mexico and not worry about that."
Other digital resources now available are PressDisplay, which gives access to more than 2,200 newspapers from 97 countries in 54 different languages; Zinio, which gives access to over a thousand popular magazines; and Mango, an interactive language learning database that teaches more than 30 different languages.
Sechelt Mayor John Henderson said the lease change for the library was made possible through discussion between all the parties involved.
"This is a testament to a group of people sitting down and saying 'let's have an open and productive conversation, let's not get into haranguing or complaining, let's just see how we can make it work,' and so I know Garry Nohr [chair of the SCRD] was very involved and of course Helen Prosser and Randy [Stoyko] and our gang here," Henderson said. "Good things happen when people talk."
The Sechelt Public Library is funded by Sechelt, the SCRD, the Sechelt Indian Government District, the provincial and federal governments and through donations and grants.
Connect with the local library at www.sechelt.bclibrary.ca.
