On behalf of the community, the Prince George Public Library Board of Trustees would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the current mayor and council and city administration for their support of both capital and operational public library needs. The editorial of Feb. 23 referred to the various plans and proposals that addressed the need for an improved library entrance over the years.
While it did take some time for this project to get to the approval stage, the board is very pleased that the entrance project is now funded. We look forward to finalizing plans in 2017 and seeing construction begin in 2018. The fact that the project has reached this stage is thanks to the support of mayor and council and the diligent working together of city and library staff.
City and library staff met regularly throughout 2015 and 2016 to discuss essential requirements of the project, to work on designs to meet those needs and to develop a firm budget.
City staff presented designs to the library board of trustees, to library staff and arranged for a full-day stakeholder workshop to gather community input on the new entrance. The resulting plans reflect this ongoing consultation between city, library and community representatives. The new entrance will address longstanding issues of accessibility and safety in the most cost-effective way possible.
In addition to facility improvements, this council has also supported the library's operations budgets, providing the means for the library to serve the community. In 2016, approximately 1,100 people visited our two branches every day and many more used our digital services and collections. Growth in the number of community members participating in free library-led programs has been substantial with a 26 per cent increase in 2016. Library cardholders borrowed over 47,000 more items last year than in 2015. The board also thanks our many users, supporters, donors and volunteers.
The city and library missions align in our efforts to contribute to a healthy, prosperous, inclusive, connected and engaged community. Council and board, library and city staff will continue to work together to improve our facilities and continue our delivery of excellent public library service to the community in 2017.
Carolyn Burkholder-James
Chair, Prince George Public Library Board of Trustees
