BONNYVILLE – During unprecedented times, the Bonnyville Municipal Library’s staff worked diligently to continue to provide services, resources and programing to community members.
Last year alone, the public library had 9,988 visitors, with 1,007 community members signing up and receiving a new library card free of charge.
Leah Woodford, the manager for the Bonnyville Municipal Library, said a serendipitous decision in 2019 to remove the charge for library cards had made the transition for library service more seamless for new patrons when the pandemic hit, giving those residents access to thousands of copies of physical and digital content.
After adding 1,607 new items to the library’s collection in 2020, the total collection of content available at the Bonnyville library is 23,497 items.
Impacted by multiple lockdowns, the municipal library was open to the public for 2,536 hours in 2020.
However, when public facilities were mandated to close to the public, Bonnyville’s library staff members continued to serve residents through curbside pick-up, “which the community thoroughly appreciated,” said Woodford.
She added the library has managed to stay steady and on track over the past year despite the challenges.
More than a place to pick up books
Local libraries offer so much more for the community than simply providing leisure and education reading material, explained Woodford – they are a community hub.
“Libraries are unique in that we are one of the last, if not the only place, where folks can come and enjoy our space without being rushed out the door or imposed upon for consuming something — and this is something that we're very proud of in the library world,” said Woodford.
The library’s three full-time and four part-time staff are helping create young readers through early literacy programming, they are stimulating imagination by helping visitors read, view and listen to content for pleasure, and are creating a comfortable space, she added.
Unlike regular years, however, volunteers were not able to offer their services in the library last year.
Throughout 2020, the library hosted 113 programs for kids that were offered either online, in-person or a hybrid of both.
“We had 18 programs for adults and seniors and 14 for families for a total attendance of 11,446,” said Woodford. “This is the joy of libraries.”
A similar mix of in-person and virtual programs was incorporated in 2021 as well. Dozens of activities are taking place at Bonnyville library this year, ranging from a youth Nerf battle at the library to virtual book club meetings for adults, and a recorded poetry series being published online.
Closing the digital divide
With many jobs and classes moving online at various points throughout the pandemic, the Bonnyville library did what it could to provide internet access to library card holders.
Last year, the library’s 15 public computers were used for a total of 11,250 hours.
Additionally, the library’s Wi-Fi was made accessible not only inside the building, but also in the parking lot, which could be used during times when the facility was closed to the public.
"(This) helps eliminate the digital divide, in particular during the pandemic, which was tapped into 5,864 times,” Woodford stated.
There were 7,544 downloads of e-content, which contributed to a total of 36,671 checkouts at the municipal library.
“The library is like a little train, small but mighty in our services, as we open up the world to our residents,” described Woodford.
Seeking support for 2022
The municipal library has requested an operational grant from the Town of Bonnyville for $137,963.58, and $173,086.85 from the MD of Bonnyville, the same amount sought last year.
Woodford is anticipating that the Alberta government funding will be consistent with previous years as well.
If the library receives the grant requests it is seeking for next year’s operation, library administration is hopeful that they will stay in the black with a profit of about $2 at the end of 2022.
With a total income anticipated at $410,366.54 for next year, the library’s total expenses are anticipated to be $410,364.25, with a small $2.29 difference.
