Reflect a moment on this statement.
鈥淵our public library speaks on behalf of the community.鈥�
Really?
It鈥檚 not city council, the chamber of commerce, the Bruins, school system, or churches who have a mandate to speak up for the community?
Is it really the library, that centrally located but often understated fountain of information that comes to represent us most fairly?
According to the 麻豆视频east Library鈥檚 CEO Allan Johnson, it is. Just think about it awhile.
In the meantime, the regional library system was out celebrating 50 years of service to southeast Saskatchewan last Friday in Estevan with a barbecue. It was one of 47 planned for the regional library branches and communities it serves.
The response to the free food offerings have been tremendous with an average attendance of about 150 said Estevan鈥檚 chief librarian Kate-Lee Nolin, who was referring to the barbecues around the region that she had helped organize.
What is striking about the provincial library system is its ability to not only adapt and adopt fresh ideas but also provide leadership on the informational, educational and entertainment fronts.
鈥淲e will have another announcement to make this fall,鈥� said Nolin, with a smile, suggesting the system has another 21st century trick up its sleeve.
It hasn鈥檛 been just about books for a few decades now. There are video game collections to mine, programs of all types, online services and that welcomed province-wide pick up and drop off service of library materials.
On Friday, Johnson along with regional branch manager James Richards and human resources manager Ruth Barker joined Nolin and library staffers as hosts for the Estevan version of the travelling barbecue show that was set up in the forecourt of the leisure centre which houses the Estevan public library branch.
Nolin, who has been the local manager of operations for the past seven years, now oversees a 10-person staff, with four full-time employees.
Johnson said he was recruited to the regional library system 25 years ago by then Weyburn mayor Isabelle Butters who was also the library board chairwoman. He said with the regional system鈥檚 headquarters located in that city, he made the decision to leave the Regina public library system and take a drive south.
Although he is expecting to retire next year, Johnson remains convinced that continual changes have to remain part of the normal process. There is no time to sit back and bask in past successes or spend a lot of time pouting over the few failures.
鈥淐hanges were always there as long as we had vision,鈥� he said with a slight smile, before adding, 鈥渁nd financing.鈥�
With the assistance of support funding from the cities, towns and rural municipalities, who have kicked in additional funds when needs were demonstrated, the library system has been able to maintain a leadership pace when it comes to communication, community information and involvement.
鈥淭he computer and communication systems were being developed in the regional libraries before other organizations had figured it out. Libraries were providing electronic services to a regionally diverse population in the early 1990s,鈥� he said.
With the assistance of partners such as SaskTel, the libraries were able to provide the leading edge of the new reality by the second half of 1992, he said.
鈥淒oing that allowed us to flourish ever since with co-ordinated services. That means you can access Saskatchewan鈥檚 entire library system from anywhere in the province. I鈥檓 most proud of that,鈥� he added.
Of course there were problems, but Johnson pointed to the old adage that big problems were, in essence, just big opportunities in disguise.
鈥淏y focusing on programming, not just books, we continued to meet the demands of the people we serve, and the service remains free for the users because it鈥檚 funded by participating governments. It becomes an exchange of lives, not just resources, and it has built up over the years. I mean, just look at what Estevan鈥檚 library has done, just look at what they are doing every month, and we try to replicate that across all our branches,鈥� Johnson said.
Of course funding has always been problematic, but Johnson reiterated that local governments like the RMs, towns and city councils, have stepped up when the needs were carefully detailed and explained. There isn鈥檛 much waste to be found in the regional library system, no personal or political empire building going on.
鈥淪o that鈥檚 another area I think I point to with a little bit of satisfaction, knowing that working conditions have improved along with salaries. Most of the employees are at respectful pay levels now, and that wasn鈥檛 always the case. There were many tight years that required some creativity in order to survive,鈥� Johnson said.
But that leadership thing kicked in again and again, so now library employees are decently paid and their benefit packages have also risen in concert with the fresh ideas and additional programs and servies.
鈥淭he response at these barbecues as been incredible,鈥� said Johnson, nodding toward the growing lineup of hamburger and hot dog aficionados in Estevan.
鈥淵es, we鈥檙e proud of what we鈥檝e done and we hope it鈥檚 appreciated. We will continue with a big collection enhancement phase that has been underway for a few months. We are consolidating the collections on a multi-dimensional level. It鈥檚 actually quite exciting,鈥� he said with a chuckle, perhaps indicating that while the general public may not even understand or care what that meant or what they鈥檙e doing, they will in the future, because, after all, it鈥檚 the library that is providing the leadership 鈥� once again.聽聽
