The Edmonton Chapter of the Progressive Librarians Guild:
Position Statement on the Threat of Branch Closures and/or Privatization to Toronto Public Libraries
The Edmonton Chapter of the Progressive Librarians Guild strongly condemns the plans of Toronto City Council to potentially reduce the services of Toronto Public Library by either closing branches and/or privatizing any part of this fundamental public institution.
Public libraries are more than the collections they house: they are vital community spaces that provide free and equitable access to information; they provide a space where people can connect with each other and their neighbourhoods.[1]
Mayor Ford has stated that he is a “believer in building better communities through community action”;[2] he is passionate about “promoting the positive development of youth.”[3] Mayor Ford’s attempt to close branches, reduce services, or privatize the Toronto Public Library is an egregious move for many reasons, not excluding the significant role public libraries play in community action and the positive development of youth. This move is a direct contradiction of Ford’s stated commitment to communities and to youth in particular. Closing library branches and reducing services will result in the removal of access to free information services for Torontonians.
The City of Toronto must reduce its costs to avoid a $774 million budget shortage next year.[4] However, cutting funding to the Toronto Public Library could prevent the city from balancing its budget. Research has proven that for every tax dollar spent on public library services, the community receives close to a five dollar return on investment.[5] As a result, cuts to the city’s public library system could also decrease tax revenue for the city and make it more difficult for the city to balance its budget.
While the City of Toronto considers cutting its public library’s budget, other city councils across the country are increasing funding to support their public libraries. In 2010, the Edmonton Public Library received $32,587,513.00 in operating grants from all levels of government; the City of Edmonton provided $28,208,000 of that total amount.[6] The Edmonton Public Library also has plans to build new libraries and renovate existing branches with anticipated completion dates ranging between 2012 and 2014.[7] Furthermore, the Edmonton Public Library has hired 19 Community Librarians to enhance library services to Edmontonians.[8] Edmonton City Council recognizes the importance of public library service for Edmontonians and funds this essential service accordingly.
The threat to reduce services and/or privatize the Toronto Public Library is alarming on its own; when we look at this threat to TPL on a broader scale, the trend of privatizing essential public services in North America makes this threat even greater. Public services in Canada are under attack: there are attempts to create a two-tiered health care system[9], there have been recent teacher layoffs in public education[10], and the recent lock out of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers by Canada Post are only a few examples. Privatizing the public library system of Canada’s largest city would set a disturbing precedent.
The threat to privatization is indicative of a lack of understanding and respect not only to the Toronto Public Library and the free information and recreation services provided by it, but also for public service workers and public institutions everywhere. The Edmonton Chapter of the Progressive Librarians Guild beseeches Toronto City Council to keep all 99 branches of the Toronto Public Library open and to support and celebrate the services provided by library workers to their communities.
Keep all Toronto Public Library branches open. Keep them public.
[1] Toronto Public Library: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/about-the-library/mission-vision-values/. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
[2] City of Toronto: http://www.toronto.ca/mayor_ford/index.htm. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
[3] Ibid.
[4] City of Toronto: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewPublishedReport.do?function=getAgendaReport&meetingId=5052. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
[5] CUPE: Nova Scotia Provincial Library: https://www.library.ns.ca/content/use-public-libraries-hard-economic-times. Retrieved August 4, 2001.
[6] A New Day at EPL: 2010 Annual Report, p.22: http://www.epl.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/annual-reports/eplannual2010.pdf. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
[7] Edmonton Public Library: http://www.epl.ca/about-epl/building_projects. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
[8] A New Day at EPL: 2010 Annual Report, p.8: http://www.epl.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/annual-reports/eplannual2010.pdf. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
[9] CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2010/02/18/calgary-health-let-the-rich-pay-economist.html?ref=rss. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
[10] CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/01/19/bc-vancouver-teachers-layoffs.html. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
Edmonton Journal: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Teacher+layoffs+coming/4835476/story.html. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
