Sundre's council recently learned in greater detail the benefits of being a member of the Parkland Regional Library service, and heard that the facilities continue to provide a crucial community service despite the digital age.
Spokesperson Dwight Nagel presented a PowerPoint presentation during the Dec. 11 meeting, when he outlined the many resources and services made available to the Sundre Municipal Library.
"I am not employed by the Parkland Regional system," Nagel said.
"I volunteer to do this because of my past with libraries and my conviction that libraries are a very needed service to the community. Without a library a community is missing a whole lot."
Nagel said his past experience includes being a town councillor, the chair of a library system in the southern part of the province, as well as the president of the Alberta Library Trustees Association.
The Alberta Libraries Act stipulates that municipalities choose whether to have a library, and can subsequently decide to join a regional system, he said, adding the library board must seek a council's approval when appointing a new member or adopting a budget.
"You get to review and either accept or deny the annual budget of the library," he said, adding council can request a review of the proposed financial plans if concerns arise.
Additionally, any changes to the library's bylaws must be submitted to and approved by the council. Meanwhile, the library board is responsible for operating the organization as a corporation, he said.
"You have no control over how they spend their money, no control over who they hire. You do have control over how much money they can take from your coffers," he said, adding council does not dictate how the library is operated.
Although there have been precedent instances in the province when a council took a drastic measure of outright disbanding a dysfunctional board, that process is costly and relatively rare, he said.
Municipal libraries are mandated to provide an inclusive, welcoming, safe space that offers access to a wide variety of materials ranging from print to digital, as well as making available information on local resources, he said.
"They're a big help when people move into your community," he said, adding new residents commonly tend to first seek out such information at the local library.
Libraries offer more than a lot of people realize, he said.
"It connects the whole world online."
Oftentimes, information available in a book in another country can be obtained through an extensive connection of library systems networked around the world, he said.
"Some of the smaller countries may be a little bit harder, but anything from the United States and most of the European countries is accessible."
Regional library services such as Parkland, which assists 64 libraries, also provide resources above and beyond what any small municipal library would ever be able to offer on its own, he said.
"The systems do what a little library can't do. They buy the books at a cheaper rate, supply the inter-library network at a cheaper rate, they transport the library loans back and forth," he said, adding the cost-savings for small libraries is substantial.
Despite initial predictions by some people that the advent of the digital age would herald the decline and eventual doom of libraries, the information hubs have adapted and accumulated e-collections and proved resilient in ongoing efforts to continue providing an important community service, he said.
"The libraries did not fall apart like was proposed," he said, adding that even with the growth in digital media collections, "many people still like to hold a book in their hands."
The provincial government's role includes providing grants, establishing standards, as well as facilitating provincewide sharing of public library resources and funding the SuperNet, he said, adding about $34 million was spent on operating libraries in 2016.
Nagel's full presentation is available through the Town of Sundre's website, www.sundre.com, by hovering the cursor over the "Government" tab and clicking on "Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes." Then, just select the Dec. 11 meeting's agenda under the "2017 Agendas" tab.
Mayor Terry Leslie said the information provided is important for elected officials to understand, and council proceeded to accept Nagel's report as information.
