Stop the Outsourcing of Prince Rupert’s Local Library

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Read more: Form the PRDTU Social Justice Newsletter (Winter 2025)…

• Local Teachers: Best Friends of the Local Library

The PRDTU supports the Prince Rupert Public Library and wants it to remain open as a locally-governed municipal library.

That’s why the PRDTU supports retaining the city-appointed municipal library board and keeping the municipal library open. The city’s local library is too valuable to outsource to a Nanaimo-based regional library district (VIRL).

Currently, the local library is just that: Local. Our city’s municipal library is run by a city-appointed library board, composed entirely of city residents whose job is to bring local voices and local priorities and needs to the governance of our local library.

The city-appointed Prince Rupert Public Library Board ensures that local needs are prioritized. It is directly accountable to local residents. Under the existing system, local tax dollars for core library services and programs remain here, in the community – under the control of a city-appointed library board.

If outsourced, Prince Rupert tax dollars would be sent to Nanaimo, or another regional library district, and then reallocated to all the branches in their system. This takes away local control over local resources and makes it harder for local needs to be met.

The governance structure of our library is spelled out in the Library Act.

Prince Rupert Public Library Board Minutes

You can read the following relevant minutes from the Prince Rupert Public Library Board here:

October 2024 Prince Rupert Public Library Board Minutes:

November 2024 Prince Rupert Public Library Board Minutes:

December 2024 Prince Rupert Public Library Board Minutes:

Latest News from the Campaign

Read the January 30, 2025 press release to learn more about the campaign’s recent outreach to the Prince Rupert City Council:

Resources and Campaign Documents

Resources

• The Library Act

Campaign Documents

• Update: Will the Prince Rupert City Council vote to abolish the municipal library and its board in order to outsource it to VIRL? (Jan. 28, 2025)
• Fact Sheet: Is the Prince Rupert City Council going to close the municipal library? (Jan. 29, 2025)

Press Releases

• Local Teachers Call on City Council to Say “No” to Outsourcing the Local Library (Jan. 30, 2025)

Social Media Resources

The PRDTU Committee’s Mandate

1. Resolved that the PRDTU initiate a campaign in support of retaining the municipal library board and that this campaign focus on the value of a local library – while building the organizational capacity of the union. (November 7, 2024 General Meeting)
2. Resolved that a temporary committee be formed to carry out the “Keep Our Local Library Local” campaign that was initiated by a resolution passed at the Nov. 7, 2024 General Meeting, that [the following PRDTU members] be appointed as members of the committee, and that the terms of reference for the committee be to: (1) build awareness for the value of a local library and to support retaining the municipal library board for the Prince Rupert Public Library, (2) help build the organizational capacity of the union, and (3) report back on campaign progress at each General Meeting. (December 20, 2024 General Meeting)

The PRDTU Campaign’s Goals

1. Stop the outsourcing of the local library.
   • Prince Rupert City Council should not initiate any action that could lead to abolishing and dissolving the existing municipal library or the existing library board. See the Library Act to learn about this process.
2. Ensure that the city provides a transparent process for meaningful public input, meaning that the city would:
   • Provide at least 6-months for meaningful public input.
     • This window for input should not begin until AFTER an invitation from VIRL is publicly submitted and received by the city.
     • Once a specific plan to outsource the library is made public, the 6-month window should begin.
   • During this window, there should be no votes by the city or referendum (or alternate process) until at least 6-months after the specific plan was first released to the public.
   • Meaningful public input requires transparency and a specific, detailed, plan that the public has at least six-months to review and provide feedback on.
   • The public has a right to scrutinize any action or plan that could result in the outsourcing of the existing municipal library.
3. Build the capacity of the union.
   • We do this by engaging with the public. We commit ourselves, as a union of teaching professionals, to support local priorities around literacy, community, and access to information.
   • We focus on restoring relationships, leading by example, and facilitating open and productive community conversations about the value of a library, especially in terms of it educational value.
   • Build community coalitions that will advance the shared values of local democracy, open and transparent government, barrier-free access to information, and local control over resources and taxes for core programs.
   • Help develop union community building and community action capacity. Develop communication, base-building, and policy development capacities of union leadership at the local level.