Greg Jarvis browses through books at Medicine Hat Public Library. The city plans to update a century-old bylaw to better establish its relationship with the library--NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
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After 104 years, the Medicine Hat Public Library and City of Medicine Hat are formalizing their relationship.
That includes a new bylaw to replace one passed in 1914 that allowed for a referendum to establish a library under provincial legislation, and which remains one of the oldest bylaws in the city that hasn’t been updated, repealed or expired over time.
“It really, really needed to be updated,” said public services commissioner Karen Charlton on Monday when the item was presented to council committee. “We needed a bit more formality.”
The bylaw is the third and final step — along with first-ever lease and operational agreements — in a multi-year process to better define the relationship.
Contrary to general opinion, the public library is a legally separate entity from the City of Medicine Hat, established and governed by the Alberta Library Act.
Over the decades however, the two parties have worked in congress on several fronts: the library operates in a city-owned building, and staff at the city handle some operational matters, such as payroll, to be more efficient.
That had been going on as a matter of routine, but not through formal agreement — a state of affairs discovered when the library began a theatre renovation project to celebrate its centennial several years ago. Since then, a lease agreement and operations agreement have been negotiated, and the final step of updating the bylaw will be dealt with by council Dec. 17.
At the same time, Bylaw No. 458, which established the library in 1914, would be rescinded
For perspective, during the same 1914 legislative session council passed a bylaw to borrow $14,000 for the construction of municipal horse stables. The newly proposed bylaw, No. 4343, is only three pages long and essentially refers to provincial legislation, said city chief solicitor Bob Schmidt.
“It’s really a housekeeping item,” he told the committee.
The city also provides general operational funding to the library, but it is governed entirely by its own board, which is described in the Libraries Act.