People often carry a defeatist attitude when dealing with government.
They believe that once governments make up their mind on an issue, their decision is final, no matter how upset the public might be.
In many cases, that is true. But when it came to the reduction in funding from the provincial government to Saskatchewan’s regional library system, the people made their voices heard, and the government backtracked on their decision.
The government announced on Monday they would restore funding to 2016-17 levels, meaning the regional libraries will not endure the cuts that other departments have gone through.
Saskatchewan residents had been voicing their dismay with the regional libraries cuts since the budget was released last month. They were livid that they might lose programs, services and materials at their local libraries.
The Drop Everything and Read rallies that were held across the province early this month were likely the best indicator of people’s frustration levels with the lost money for libraries. Thousands of people showed up in front of MLA offices.
While the rallies were generally peaceful, as people opted to read a book rather than yell and chant, they succeeded in sending a very loud message.
It’s hard to say what kind of an impact these cuts will have on the regional library system in the long-term. There isn’t a magic time machine that will take us back to March 21, the day before the provincial budget was announced.
The job losses can’t all be undone. Some of the laid-off employees might be willing to return to work, but others may have found other employment that they wish to retain. And there might be a lack of confidence in jobs within the regional library system right now.
While it would be foolish for the provincial government to ever try cutting such a large amount of money from libraries without advanced notice, you can’t fault people for being skittish about applying to work at a regional library right now.
The timing of this decision is also intriguing. It came just days after a new Insightrix poll pegged the governing Saskatchewan Party’s support at 44 per cent, the lowest it’s been since they formed government in 2007.
It is ironic that in a provincial budget filled with cuts, it was one of the smallest funding cuts that drew the most criticism. The amount of money taken away from regional libraries was rather modest from provincial budget standards, but it made a big difference to the regional libraries.
It forced libraries to lay people off and cut programs, including the popular one province, one library card system that allowed people to access materials in other regional libraries.
At a time when some are questioning the modern-day relevance of libraries, the people of Saskatchewan have said they believe libraries still matter.
And they do matter. Libraries are an integral part of their communities. They aren’t just a place people turn to for books and other materials; they’re a place that offers valuable services and programs for people of all ages.
Now if only we could get the government to do something about slashing the grants-in-lieu of property taxes for municipalities.
