GUYSBOROUGH COUNTY — Facing what it calls a “complex and uncertain financial outlook,” Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL) has issued an urgent call to municipal governments in Guysborough County and parts of Cape Breton for money to help it buy books.
In a letter dated Jan. 26, individually addressed to the councils of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, the Municipality of the County of Inverness, the Municipality of the County of Richmond, the Town of Mulgrave and the Town of Port Hawkesbury, ECRL board chair James Fuller said:
“All provincial libraries are experiencing financial difficulties due to a lack of funding increases for years by our regulatory authorities. As such, Eastern Counties Regional Library faces a complex and uncertain financial outlook for the 2026-27 budget year.”
Fuller, who is also St. Mary’s warden, noted, “Our ability to buy books and other materials (both physical and digital) for your residents has been greatly reduced over the past couple of years, with the current 2025-26 budget including a record low of $36,400 for the purchasing of physical books.”
Acknowledging that municipal governments also face financial challenges, he said, “Our request is simple and focused: We would ask that you consider a one-time addition to your current library funding up to $2,000 solely for the purchase of new materials. This will be a direct benefit to your community.”
He added: “Of course, if you would consider additional funding in general for next fiscal year, we would certainly appreciate that also.”
ECRL receives roughly $950,000 a year in primary funding from the provincial government, with the six municipal units that make up the regional library system contributing the balance of its approximately $1.2-million annual operating budget, or about $230,000 combined.
In an interview with The Journal last week, Fuller said library funding in the province has reached a crisis.
“We don’t know what they’re [the provincial government] going to do this year. Every single library board … they have no idea how to budget. In the past, the province has given us these breadcrumbs for budget, but then they always tossed in a top-off. How can we plan? It’s very difficult.”
In a separate letter dated Jan. 26 addressed to Dave Ritcey, minister of the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage – the provincial department responsible for Nova Scotia’s nine regional library systems, comprising about 80 public branches – Fuller insisted the need to “champion” increased library funding was “pressing.”
“We want to assure you that we well understand the challenges facing the province, including the importance of maximizing public funding for public benefit. The ECRL board has been diligently frugal for many years. We operate with the lowest staff expense per open hour ($63.45 for the 2024-25 budget year) of any library region in the province. We also have the lowest staffing level of any library region while still providing the best rate of return in open hours (15,088 in 2024-25) versus funding.”
Meanwhile, he said, ECRL has not received a funding increase in several years, though the cost of doing business has grown considerably.
“Stringent efficiency can’t overcome the impacts of the rising cost of living. In 2020-21, ECRL’s total provincial funding was $952,100. Unfortunately, the basic core funding formula over the years has not changed, remaining at $952,100. If one were to consider the valuation and spending power of these budgeted dollar amounts, this would basically equate to a net loss of $198,583 in our operating abilities in 2026-27.”
He urged Ritcey to “champion the pressing need for increased library funding, not only with our organization but throughout the provincial library system, with your ministerial colleagues across our provincial government.”
Fuller cited the provincial government’s annual top-ups of $46,000 in each of the past two years to ECRL’s budget, but he noted that while these were “greatly appreciated … the constant use of stopgap measures only creates issues in the future. A firm and adequate budget makes for a smooth operation.”
Fuller concluded by asking for “funding information” for fiscal 2026-27 in order to make “strategic decisions to mitigate harm to the public library services ECRL provides; reach out to our municipal partners to request additional funding if necessary; and engage the public as we work to avoid service reductions.”
In an email last week, The Journal asked the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage to clarify base operating funding for ECRL, when it and other regional systems will be advised of their confirmed provincial allocations for 2026-27, and whether any one-time or supplemental funding for public libraries is being considered for the coming fiscal year.
In a response emailed to the paper Monday night, the department’s spokesperson Rob Maguire said, “We value the important role libraries play in our communities and recognize the challenges they face. Since increasing library funding in 2021, the province has provided the Eastern Counties Regional Library with $952,100 in annual operating funding, along with an additional $46,200 in each of the past three years to help offset rising costs.”
He added: “Decisions about library funding are made through the annual budget process, which is currently underway. More information will be available when the provincial budget is tabled.”
ECRL operates branch libraries in Canso, Chéticamp, Guysborough, Mabou, Margaree Forks, Petit de Grat, Port Hawkesbury, Sherbrooke and St. Peter’s, serving communities in Guysborough County and eastern Inverness and Richmond counties.
According to its 2024-25 annual report, the system’s collection is 74,747 items, including print, audiovisual and digital materials, and recorded 143,954 loans and 31,794 in-person branch visits during the most recent fiscal year.
