Maureen Johnson and her husband Ralph attended the Read-In protest at the office of Terry Dennis, Canora MLA, on April 7 to demonstrate their opposition to recent cuts in public library funding.
Maureen Johnson represented the Town of Preeceville and the Preeceville library board. As well, she sits as a board member on the Parkland Regional Library.
“The rally went great and the few minutes taken to read was powering,” said Johnson. “Terry Dennis acknowledged the group. He listened to our concerns but provided no answers.
“We do have a petition established and are encouraging everyone to sign,” she said. “They are located at the Preeceville Library, Town of Preeceville office and Paul’s Drugs Store.
“The recent cuts will mean a cutback of the availability of books,” she said. “The limited use of audio books or research books will be devastating to those who really need them. There are numerous individuals who still utilize these types of books. Not everyone has a computer especially the seniors.
“The library is part of our culture and cracking open a book is different than opening a computer to read a book,” she said. The original libraries started at home.
The Parkland Regional Library will be hosting its annual general meeting in May at Wynyard.
“This is where the budget for the libraries will be set,” said Johnson. “It will be impacted by the cutbacks and will be impacted by these cuts.”
