Sundre Municipal Library patrons will now be able to renew their membership, or get a new one, for free in 2016.
The library's board of directors passed a motion to that effect during its Thursday, Jan. 21 meeting.
"I thought it was a remarkable, courageous, forward-looking decision," said Jamie Syer, the library's manager, during an interview with the Round Up.
Primarily thanks to sponsor support, the library's finances in 2015 were in good shape, and the board realized it has a responsibility to the community to provide barrier-free access to the facility, especially during tough economic times that have left many people looking to minimize their expenses, he said.
"We know that in these challenging times, our library materials, programs and resources are even more important than usual. The Sundre library wants there to be no barriers to enjoying all that the library has to offer," he wrote in an announcement on the library's website.
Dozens of other libraries of all sizes throughout the province have already started offering free memberships, but some are only able to provide that offer to residents of the municipality and not the surrounding area. However, in this case, the offer extends to both town and Mountain View County residents, he told the Round Up.
"I think it's very important."
At about $15, the cost of memberships wasn't exorbitant in the past, but making them available for free was a recognition of the importance of ensuring anyone can access the library's materials, he said.
"We don't want people to say they can't afford their membership anymore ó we want to be able to say it's equally available to everyone."
That being said, residents who feel they're in a position to make a contribution are still welcome to donate as much as they want. The library is a registered charitable organization and tax-deductible receipts are available, he said.
"We want to continue offering free memberships in 2017 and beyond. If you want to help, pay what you can for your library membership or make a tax-deductible donation."
Library staff are always looking for support from funders, who play a large part in making possible everything the facility makes available, from its extensive collection to the variety of programs it offers.
"We can't do everything we do in the library without support from individuals, local businesses, big corporations ó that's an ongoing task. We've been very fortunate in responses."
A membership card with the Sundre library provides patrons with free access to a multitude of materials, including eBooks, movies, music, magazines, books, computers and the Internet.
"Borrow from the collection of more than 25,000 items, and if we don't have it, we'll find it for you," said Syer.
People who have already paid to renew their membership this year are welcome to get a refund, or can make the amount they've already paid a donation, he said.
Visit sundre.prl.ab.ca for more information about the library and its programs.
