More than 100 Canadian authors, musicians and artists have signed an open letter urging the City of Peterborough and the Peterborough Public Library to reverse a decision to eliminate three unionized librarian positions, including the children’s librarian.
“Children deserve safe, welcoming, and magical spaces where their imagination and creativity are encouraged and celebrated,” reads the letter, organized by a grassroots advocacy group called Our Future Peterborough.
“That the City of Peterborough is considering eliminating these essential roles is deeply disappointing. In a world that feels increasingly indifferent and even hostile toward children’s wellbeing, this move is a giant step in the wrong direction.”
Among the letter’s signatories are novelists Margaret Atwood and Madeleine Thien, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Neil Young, former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and many other luminaries from the arts and literature communities.
Children’s entertainer Fred Penner also signed the letter, and released an accompanying message: “When children are born into this world, we have an opportunity to nurture them in every way possible so that they can live up to their potential as caring and contributing adults.”
The open letter is part of a larger community response to the library’s decision to restructure in the wake of budget cuts.
Earlier this year, Peterborough City Council voted to reduce the library’s operating budget by $120,000. In response, the library announced that it would be implementing a staffing reorganization to reduce its expenses, resulting in the elimination of three specialist roles: the adult and teen programming librarian, the librarian who manages the library’s information systems (also known as the access services librarian) and the children’s librarian.
The decision to cut the library’s operating expenses came as part of the municipal budget-setting deliberations, as council sought to make savings in all city departments to reduce property taxes.
According to a statement released by the city in April, the restructuring will result in a net reduction of one position: “There will be three positions eliminated, and two new positions will be created, for the net reduction of one position. A fourth affected position will be maintained but restructured to expand its role.”
City officials also said that library services, including children’s services will be maintained, but “will be delivered in a different way to help reduce cost increases.”
The news was met with swift backlash from the community. On May 16, around 200 people gathered for a rally outside the main Peterborough Public Library branch, demanding a reversal of the funding cuts, while city council and the library’s leadership were inundated with hundreds of letters from concerned residents. An online petition launched in April has already racked up more than 2,300 signatures.
“There’s a reason so many esteemed writers and artists signed this letter,” said Sheetal Rawal, who co-founded Our Future Peterborough with Hilary Evans and Laurel Harris. “They remember the librarians who saw them and encouraged them. They understand what’s at stake.”
In a phone call with the Star, Evans said that the cuts to the library were made without any meaningful public consultation.
“It took everybody by surprise,” she said. “Nobody was really taking ownership of the issue, and there was a lot of deflecting. So in order to bring more attention and awareness to the issue, we decided to write this open letter.”
The open letter was published on Tuesday. Two days later, Evans said she had not heard back from any decision makers.
Peterborough Public Library CEO Jennifer Jones told that Star that is “wonderful” to see so many people speaking out in support of the library, but believes that the open letter is based on a “misunderstanding” of the changes that are being made.
“At the moment, it’s only the access librarian position that is not being replaced,” Jones said, emphasizing there will only be a net reduction in staff of one. “The other two (positions) are changing, or repositioned, for lack of a better word. The job descriptions are changing and the tasks and responsibilities they have are changing.”
Evans rejects the claim that the letter is based on a misunderstanding.
“One of the positions they are creating is purely administrative, and the other is an assistant that delivers the programming,” she said. “This restructuring doesn’t take into account the deep community ties that the three librarians have. It doesn’t take into account their specialties and their years of experience.”
The proposed new positions, Evans added, will be “disconnected from the actual people who are using the programs.”
In a joint statement to the Star, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal and Councillor Matt Crowley, who is a member of the Peterborough Public Library Board, noted that the library’s operating budget is increasing by eight per cent this year, from $3.8 million to $4.1 million. The two officials reiterated that library services will be maintained, adding that “the city opened a brand new library branch in a larger community centre this year to improve access to library services for all residents.”
Asked to respond to the content of the open letter, Leal and Crowley said they “completely agree with residents and cultural figures who have expressed support for library services,” but noted that the city is in the midst of collective bargaining with the union that represents Peterborough Public Library workers. “We want to make sure we respect that process as we move forward.”
Sean McCarthy, the chief steward for CUPE Local 1833, a union representing the library workers, told the Star that no one has been laid off yet, and urged city council “to correct this mess.”
Peterborough residents are planning to assemble once again on Thursday evening outside the public budget consultations to rally support against the library cuts.
The overwhelming response from the community, according to Evans, is rooted in a frustration over cuts to services that she says are not being made with adequate input from the public.
“Libraries are often described as a non-essential service, but the library has become incredibly essential and they’re providing way more than just book-borrowing services,” she said. “I think a lot of people recognize that and a lot of people are just fed up with having wonderful things being slashed and cut and disregarded.”
