Editor:
Re: Library fees too low says Canmore senior
Cities and towns don’t generally require residents to purchase a membership in the fire department in order to access fire-response services: it benefits the whole community when firefighters respond to every residence without hesitation or impediment.
Similarly, because a literate, educated, well-informed populace is the foundation of a democratic society, public libraries are free to residents of communities everywhere in North America… everywhere, that is, except Alberta (and parts of Quebec). Free.
Free so that even children from poor families can participate in programming that prepares babies for language acquisition, introduces pre-schoolers to the joy of reading, and sets school students on the path to a lifetime of reading for pleasure and knowledge.
Free so that every resident – even someone who isn’t sure what the library has to offer – can walk in, receive a card, and choose books or music or films to borrow and enjoy.
Just as our whole society pays – through taxes – for fire departments, police services, schools and other essential public services, we collectively support our public library to ensure universal access to materials for lifelong learning.
Fees, even small fees, act as a deterrent, especially to lower income residents (who, obviously, are also least able to buy books for themselves and their children) but also to folks who hesitate to chip into their “shoe-shopping budget” in order to pay for a library membership.
Where library membership fees have been introduced, library membership has dropped off – as much as 50 per cent in one Quebec study. Conversely, eliminating user fees increases useage. When Banff Public Library eliminated the fee for local residents to belong to the library, membership increased by 40 per cent.
We want our whole community to have barrier-free access to the public library – just as we want every resident to call the fire department without hesitation when needed – so let’s eliminate library membership fees altogether in Alberta. A knowledgeable and literate community benefits us all.
Shelley Mardiros,
Banff
