GUYSBOROUGH COUNTY — The Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) is preparing for a difficult year ahead, after learning that the province’s 2025-26 budget expected to include no increase in library funding.
The ECRL, with branches across Guysborough County, has seen demand for public access, digital resources and programming increase this past year, even as core funding has stayed nearly unchanged.
“The province has, for their next year’s budget, put in for no increase in funding,” said ECRL’s recently elected board chair James Fuller, who also serves as warden of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s. “And no increase in funding equates to a decrease in services due to rising costs. We’re going to have to figure out how to maintain a service level that people want and expect and do it with basically less money.”
Fuller said the board only recently learned of the funding outlook.
“This just happened the other week,” he said. “I just found out about the budget last week.”
He added that the organization is already looking for small ways to save while continuing to serve residents.
“Right now, they’re working on a contract with Inverness [County], which will actually save a little money, but they haven’t… finished it, so they can’t announce it yet,” said Fuller. “But, you know, we’re trying to do more with less, and that’s what we’’e going to try to focus on. We will have to roll up our sleeves to find ways to provide quality service while managing rising expenses.”
ECRL CEO Laura Emery confirmed that the province’s recent communication indicates status quo funding levels, which she described as “our best-case scenario.”
She explained, “The key issue for public libraries is that when the economy was good, we never got the increases needed to keep up with rising costs. Now that the economic outlook is turning very negative and more of the community will likely need us, the concern is that we’re not going to be financially equipped to help and support people in the ways they need.”
Emery noted that nothing is final, as the provincial budgeting process continues.
“However, I heard at a meeting a couple of weeks ago that this was the direction the funding was likely to take,” she said. “It’s important not to take bad news as definite. For example, public libraries received additional monies this August after much advocacy work. We still need to work with the province to try and get the best possible outcome for library funding.”
She said her main concerns are staff wages and the ability to maintain collections that meet public demand.
“My concerns are primarily staff wages and being able to buy books and all the other materials, both physical and electronic, that people want and need,” said Emery. “We need some time to digest the situation and look at ways to respond.”
Fuller said the board will be discussing the issue further as more details about next year’s provincial budget become available.
“We will have to roll up our sleeves,” he said, “to find ways to provide quality service while managing rising expenses.”
