The Medicine Hat Public Library is asking for a 0.5 per cent increase to their requisition from the City of Medicine Hat in 2023, amounting to about $50,000, to help stabilize staffing levels and expand the role of an on-site social worker who engages homeless patrons who use the facility during the day.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The Medicine Hat Public Library is calling for minimal new funding in 2023, but says $50,000 in additional money from the City of Medicine Hat would bolster staffing levels to a manageable level and transform an onsite social worker position from part to full time.
That is to help address “societal” pressures on the library, said head librarian Ken Feser during a presentation to council on Monday.
He said that aligns with city council’s direction to put greater focus on helping address social problems in the downtown core and services for homeless individuals who visit the facility during the day.
“It’s basically functioned as a day-time shelter for decades,” said Feser, who voiced support for a separate move by administrators to lobby for the creation of separate day-time shelter facilities apart from the library.
Medicine Hat Public Library is a legally separate entity from the City of Medicine Hat but draws a budget requisition from it. That was discussed on Nov. 21 as council considers the entire 2023 and 2024 city budget. A final vote will occur in December.
“We’ve tried to read the tea leaves and understand financially fit, and felt this was the right number to come in at,” said Feser.
The new one-year request represents a 0.5 per cent increase from the current year, which would bring it to $2.42 million in 2023.
That is $107,000 less than the library received in 2018, but up from 2021 when council cut the grant by $72,000.
“With all that’s happening in the world, I think the request is incredibly reasonable,” said Coun. Alison Van Dyke, who represents council on the library board.
Staff reductions and programming reductions occurred before and during the COVID pandemic, when the facility operated at varying levels of public access.
This summer the library closed on Sundays to offset an expected operational shortfall.
“(Cuts) didn’t hurt as much during COVID, but we are ramping up again,” said Feser, who said there is no flexibility for staffing or to make up for sick time by calling in casual employees. “We’ve seen that programming has been cancelled due to illness” of staff, said Feser, saying the children’s library and other services had been affected.
He also said not staffing reference desks has been an option, but he feels maintaining a certain level of staffing is required from a safety standpoint.
Library employees agreed to a wage freeze in 2022, but the contract is due to be renegotiated in 2024.
