The Sheep River Library has become so popular after opening its doors in Turner Valley four years ago that it needs to expand staffing to better serve its growing list of members and visitors.
Since the library relocated from the Black Diamond municipal office in 2010, its membership increased by 94 per cent to 2,588 members.
As a result, Diane Osberg, chairperson of the Sheep River Library Board, said the group is forging ahead to change one part-time position to full time in January.
The board asked Turner Valley Town council on Dec. 15 to approve a six per cent increase in its operating expenses for its 2015 budget to help cover the cost to expand its staffing and other increases. It will make the same request to Black Diamond Town council in early 2015.
“It’s absolutely imperative that we get another full-time person there, not only to maintain the efficiency of the operation, but for the safety in making sure that we’ve got the place well covered for all of the activities going on,” Osberg said. “We have a very large building and we have a lot of meeting rooms and we are trying to make sure that we always have a couple of staff people on the floor together. When you’ve got one full-time person, two part-time people and two casuals it makes it really difficult.”
Osberg said the library board didn’t request an increase from the towns for 2014 as she knew both were dealing with the aftermath of the 2013 flood.
She said the six per cent increase represents three per cent each in 2014 and 2015.
“A three per cent increase is pretty much what more departments are turning in, if not more,” she said. “Given we didn’t have any increase last year and expenses went up, we’ve been really holding tight for a while.”
Osberg said the full-time assistant manager position will be filled by a half time employee in January.
“We knew last year was a crunch and we thought, well, we are going to suck it up because the towns were going through a lot to do with the flood and infrastructure issues,” she said. “The other thing that I’ve noticed is that (library manager Jan Burney) is putting in a tremendous number of extra (unpaid) hours.”
If the Towns don’t approve the increase, the board will have to find other financial sources, said Osberg.
“It just means that we are going to have to put our head down and do fundraising activities,” she said, adding they may have to cut some areas like attending conferences to supplement the cost.
Library staff are pleased to see more people coming through the doors.
“That is really high to have more than 50 per cent of its population be members,” said Burney, adding libraries don’t often see memberships so high. “It means we are doing the right thing. We are obviously meeting the need for people.”
In addition to seeing more members, other residents and visitors use the library for its computers and numerous programs throughout the year, she said. Participation in programming, funded by the Friends of the Sheep River Library and grants, increased from 500 in 2010 to 5,400 in 2014.
The most popular programs are the library’s Out Loud Series in October that brings in big name authors, musicians and performers, attracting almost 10,000 people this year, and the Sheep River Ramblers walking program, which has 150 people on an email list interested in getting together for hikes, walks, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
“We try to offer as much as possible that we can to the public for free,” Burney said. “The benefit to us is it brings people in who normally wouldn’t come to the library. People come from Priddis, High River, all over. It gives people a reason to walk in the door that might not normally have.”
The need for an increase in staff was apparent two years ago, Burney said.
“It’s going to make a huge difference to me because there is a lot of stuff I hadn’t been able to delegate,” she said. “We’ve been making stuff work as much as we can. We are always wanting to push forward. I don’t think there is ever going to be a place where we say we are doing enough now, we can stop.”
Burney said the Sheep River Library isn’t like others in the 5,000 and under population category in the Marigold Library System.
“We operate like a bigger library by the sheer amount of stuff that we do,” she said, adding the library was presented the Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Library Service in 2011 and 2013.
The Sheep River Library will be closed on Dec. 31, Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 and return to its regular hours on Jan. 3.
