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Canada has a public library problem.
Attention grabbing statements aside. This is in
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no way to downplay the importance of
a library to the health of a community.
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If anything, it is the opposite. It's a call to action that
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something needs to be done. Libraries
are on the brink of a downfall that
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will impact each in every Canadian.
Our main focus today is raising awareness of
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the mysterious rise in issues faced by
your local library. This episode is a
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bit different for me. If you've
ever benefited from being at a library before
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and agree that this issue matters,
send this podcast to someone to get the
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word out. This issue is flying
under the radar of many Canadians. Libraries
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mean a lot to many people,
including myself. Ever since I learned that
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having fun wasn't hard when you had
a library card, I was hooked.
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Even now, libraries keep my book
addiction in check. But a library is
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much more than free books. Public
libraries are an essential part of the healthy
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makeup of a town or city with
countless cultural, economic and educational benefits.
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They provide a low barrier for entries, social hub where anyone can attend if
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they have a piece of plastic.
Over one million people access one of the
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over six hundred available libraries across Canada
every year. That's nearly as much as
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we go to the movies, yet
as much as we rely on libraries as
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an institution all over Canada, they
are drowning under the weight of safety concerns,
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cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and an overall lack
of resources. Hello and welcome to
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Maple Mouse Mysteries, the podcast where
we take a look at unsolved Canadian mysteries
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and crimes, providing you with the
context, history and theories to draw your
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own conclusions. Today we might be
taking a look at an unresolved social trend,
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but to me, that is just
as hard hitting as any mystery.
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Our research contains data pulled mainly from
libraries in Osd, Ontario, given the
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fact that I'm in Ontario myself and
have witnessed some of these changes. But
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the problems are Canada wide and have
been growing for a long time. Let's
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dive in safety and rising violence.
Libraries are supposed to offer a place of
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belonging, whether it be to step
out of the cold or to learn,
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Yet being a freely accessible and high
traffic resource center, they face a good
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amount of crime. Libraries naturally attract
all types of people, including those who
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are struggling day to day or looking
to get into trouble. Theft, vandalism,
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acts of violence, and public disservices
and a library are not uncommon.
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This makes members of the public uneasy
and make them question whether they feel safe
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to attend certain branches. But the
real, verifiable evidence comes from documented cases
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of safety issues that impact the staff. Librarians the workers who are there day
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in and day out. They are
expected to work with everyone. In many
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cases, they may not be trained
to deal with someone severely impact acted by
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mental illness, medical distress, addiction, homelessness, financial struggles, and other
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issues that require unique services and care. There's customer service and then there's being
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a first responder and counselor. These
circumstances have only increased during the pandemic,
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when many regular streams of support were
shut down and libraries turned into a crisis
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center of sorts. At the front
lines were librarians who were just as blindsided
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as anyone else and were forced to
adapt. A lack of safety at work
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means higher levels of anxiety and stress
for employees, taking a toll on their
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mental health. A university of Toronto's
survey of over five hundred librarians found that
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eighty four percent of them experienced verbal
intimidation and seventy five percent physical intimidation on
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the job. Some have been sexually
assaulted at work. In British Columbia,
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a study found similar experiences of library
workers dealing with illegal and high stress scenarios,
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often resulting in their needing to step
in to deal with the situation or
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call first responders. The problem of
safety and the impact on librarians in particular,
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is a subject that has been investigated
worldwide. As a quote from the
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La Times showcases, to work in
a library today one has to be a
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social worker, a first responder,
an advocate for the underserved, and a
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human with very thick skin. Violence
in libraries is a common workplace hazard.
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Different libraries have adopted new security policies
to curtail violence, such as employing security
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guards or even metal detectors. In
Ottawa, the demand for security has only
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been increasing. Arise in dangerous incidents
leave their workers with long lasting psychological and
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physiological impacts. And this is not
just happening at downtown libraries in hotspot busy
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areas. Many of these incidents occur
in other locations that are more remote.
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Continuing full type security at the main
library branches will cost the city three million
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dollars over the next five years.
They also want to advocate for additional security
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to be stationed at more of their
local libraries. So is more security the
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answer? What sort of longevity do
librarians in this field have and who will
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replace them if the job is too
dangerous. A librarian from Sue Saint Marie
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in Ontario were flexing their experience with
having guards stationed at libraries. Having security
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guards in a library is not the
final solution, but the number of disturbing
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and violent incidents has been going up
every year. Our members aren't trained to
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deal with substance abuse or mental health
crises and need to be protected. We
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aren't equipped to handle what is happening, and our mental health is taking a
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hit. One of the last times
I was out at my local library in
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London, Ontario, I saw a
man walking silently around with an axe in
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his hands. Full on acts and
we have security. Somehow he slipped by.
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Eventually he was escortated out of the
building without incident, but he still
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walked in with an axe Okay,
so security is not always enough, So
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now we need metal detectors, and
who's going to pay for that? What
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about problems that are less apparent that
metal detectors won't pick up. My point
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is that safety for those who or
not the library is a complex one,
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and the solution might be more complicated
than just adding more security. Libraries were
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designed with openness and accessibility in mind. They're meant to be an institution with
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low barriers for entry. They aren't
meant to be as secure as an airport
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or a bank. They're often referred
to as the last free institution. Whoever
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is contracted to keep libraries safe,
regardless of how much money is being spent,
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they are being dropped into a situation
in an environment that is simply not
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built with them in mind. To
me, spending more money on security may
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be a band aid that we put
on after problems come up, but it
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is not the antidote to safety issues. Even if security works, wonders in
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addressing rising violence and making people feel
a sense of safety when they attend their
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public library. What are the odds
that libraries can sustain the influx of cash
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needed to maintain their presence as COVID
subsided, so did the investments from the
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government and providing security. Libraries are
tied to community, so what other community
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responses may be helpful. We'll talk
more about that once we get to resources,
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but before we do, we need
to understand that when it comes to
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library safety, we haven't even tackled
the biggest problem cybersecurity. Among the most
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concerning trends of the last couple of
years is the rise in cybersecurity attacks and
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Canada. Criminal organizations often hack into
the online systems for all sorts of nefarious
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purposes. Perhaps they're looking to restrict
access to staff, or hold the systems
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themselves for ransom, or maybe they
sell the collected personal data that they have
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access to. These types of attacks
can happen to anyone any organizations, not
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just larger businesses, and this includes
public institutions, whether it be hydro companies,
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hospitals, or entire cities. It
seems that no system is safe from
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potentially having their data harvested or barred
by attackers at the mercy of whatever blackmail
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or ransom these gangs see fit.
Some of them don't care what kind of
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place they're hacking into, just how
vulnerable their targets are. A hospital or
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government website may make clear targets for
criminals, but libraries seem a bit less
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obvious. Yet, cybersecurity attacks on
libraries are becoming more frequent. We don't
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have to look beyond a few years
to prove that often they are under secured.
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But when a library system goes down
and impacts everyone and illustrates the power
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that libraries unknowingly wheeled. The Toronto
Public Library is the busiest urban library in
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the world. In October twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, they were hit
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with what is called a ransomware cyber
attack, a hack that took control of
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the library systems and allowed hackers access
to sensitive data, including employee records.
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Over one hundred branches were compromised and
closed. The demands of the attackers were
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unknown, but whatever they were,
they must have been unreasonable. Instead of
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paying a ransom, the Toronto Library
ended up just creating entirely new digital systems
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and replacing the hacked ones a lesser
of two evils. In the meantime,
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libraries open back up, but with
out their online systems and were entirely pen
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and paper with no computerization. This
created a long backlog of books as staff
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worked on overdrive in an attempt to
keep up. Many who relied on the
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Internet provided by the library were out
of luck, as the creation of a
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new digital infrastructure took many months and
probably cost millions of dollars. In December
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twenty twenty three, another cyber attack
took down library systems in my hometown of
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London, Ontario. For me,
the impacts meant and I couldn't download by
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audiobooks for about a month, but
for others it meant no access to the
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Wi Fi events and community support.
Many were frustrated that they could not access
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their regularly available services, and it
took a while to get things up and
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running again. Staff, if not
already having enough to deal with, had
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their personal data exposed and were probably
terrified as a result. The delays that
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kept the library from reopening might point
to how unprepared they were to face this
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kind of cyber threat. Even today, with the library up and running,
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not everything has gone back to normal. Other libraries face similar issues that they
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do not preemptively tighten their online security, and it may be only a matter
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of time before they too are targeted
and exploited. Libraries are often looped into
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larger attacks. Even if they are
the main target, they are at risk
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if they're connected to city networks.
In February twenty twenty four, a ransomware
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attack took down the entire city of
Hamilton, Ontario, including phone lines,
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online services, and yes, the
library. The Wi Fi took weeks to
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get back up and left any services
connected to the Wi Fi such as public
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computers, printing, and virtual programming
offline. Three weeks later, Huntsville,
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Ontario, experienced something similar as municipal
systems were taken offline by a cyber attack
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and the library was forced to close. This is just the beginning. These
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types of attacks will continue and the
public library continues to stand as a vulnerable
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public institution. Canadian libraries attract these
types of criminals, and once the damage
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is done, there's no going back. There's plenty of evidence to support the
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need for libraries to beef up their
systems preemptively. If not, and they
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are hacked, they can either rebuild, give in to the demands, or
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close for good. Well, you
won't be calling me for any IT support.
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It's clear that there are consequences for
the choice to not invest in the
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online protection needed to keep libraries safe. Why take the chance. If any
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sort of public money needs to be
spent, it is to promote online safety
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as well as in person. But
this brings us to an overall problem.
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A lack of support and resources is
at the core of these security issues,
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resource scarcity. My library in London, Ontario has plenty to offer beyond just
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print and digital media. There is
free access to the Internet, training,
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healthcare, public computers, three D
printing services, sewing machines, and even
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a full out recording studio I'm currently
recording this podcast there. They host events
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like book clubs, tax clinics,
jazz festivals, plant meetups, and yes,
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even adult lego building and beer drinking. Libraries are far more than the
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books that are on the shelves.
They provide support, education, and boost
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overall community cohesion. You would think
that such critical infrastructure would be well supported,
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yet London and other libraries across Canada
have struggled financially over the years post
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COVID. Many branches are on financial
life support. Libraries usually rely on at
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least one form of local government funding, while some libraries may receive funding from
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both a regional district and a municipality, but the government's commitment to the continued
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support of libraries has varied. Though
on paper officials proclaim their support of the
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library, this is often contradicted with
many cuts to funding. In twenty nineteen,
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libraries in Ontario suffered budget cut after
budget cut, and inflation didn't help.
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This limited their overall reach, particularly
in more rural areas. In the
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same year, Alberta suspended all of
their public library funding part way through the
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year, putting the rest of that
support up in the air, which particularly
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affected smaller branches and left the entire
system in a state of unknowns. These
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changes resulted in fewer operating hours,
staff and inventory, and ultimately longer wait
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times for books. They also impact
property maintenance for buildings that are not getting
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any younger. If a library needs
an updated HVAC system or updated interior design,
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this might not be getting done.
Not two months after facing this cyber
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attack, a library in my city
is closing one of its branches entirely as
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they cannot afford to fix the leaking
roof. The way that municipal budgets are
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going indicates more potential closures in the
future, and when the library closes,
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crime increases, economic activity slows,
and fewer community connections are possible. So
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yes, more reliable and consistent support
financially is needed to keep libraries afloat,
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though finances are not the only resources
that they're hurting for. The pandemic caused
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a shift in the role of libraries, what they are and what they offer,
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what resources as they need adding new
stresses and durins and already limited resources.
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Once COVID shut the doors of other
service providers, libraries stepped up and
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pivoted their services. As highlighted by
the Canadian Urban Institute, the barriers to
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service like library fines were removed,
Digital programming was ramped up, lending and
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distribution systems expanded to distribute laptops and
COVID tests. This quote from Canadian Urban
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Institute CEO Mary Roe sums it up
nicely. Through the pandemic, libraries emerged
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as our safe third places, providing
reliable, essential service that was mobilized swiftly
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and decisively to meet the needs of
local communities. Libraries insured community knowledge informed
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emergency response nationwide. I agree they
are to be praised for their huge role
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in post pandemic cleanup as communities grappled
with the effects of social isolation and upheaval.
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Libraries took on the traumatized children,
teens, adults, and seniors who
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were isolated and mentally unwell. They
took the place of traditional healthcare in a
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lot of cases and work with them
and others. Even now, people still
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go there looking for the support that
was offered starting in the pandemic. To
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make this sustainable, libraries need different
resources to allow them to live out their
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new role. Some have taken to
more security and security checks, but others,
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like mine in London, had gotten
a bit more creative and involved community
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sport in their plans. One of
my former jobs was at a mental health
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agency that took a contract to work
with and out of the public library providing
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mental health services. We had a
little office space open during the day to
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talk and get connected to our programming. It was not overly intimidating, just
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you know there if you need it
and let me tell you. It was
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utilized to the fullest extent one of
the most active roles at the agency.
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Everyone was supportive of this initiative and
it became wildly popular. Bringing in mental
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health workers also provided an additional resource
for both staff and security who may not
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have the same type of training.
What other types of resources could libraries offer
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partner with. Imagine if libraries had
on site employment counselors or even prospective employers.
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They have tax clinics, but what
about debt counseling and financial advising.
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What if they offered space to small
businesses to enrich learning and offer programming.
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Yes, libraries offer some of these
services in the forms of events, but
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if they can establish more concrete partnership
that benefit patrons, well, then that
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would be great and maybe some community
providers could step in and offer their services.
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Now, the question is will that
only increase the public dependency on libraries
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and exasperate their current issues. Maybe, but it is clear to me that
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libraries will be facing these problems aggravated
by the pandemic for years to come,
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whether or not other organizations offer support. These are things they're going to have
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to deal with. Libraries can have
all the security they want, but as
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long as they continue to work with
and help heal the general public, they
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need to consider these types of services. They need to be supported in other
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ways, new ways to engage the
most vulnerable. Sure, more money and
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security are nice, but the library
is changing in some ways. These changes
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are concerning, but it also leaves
room for plenty of potential growth and investment
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in the future. So what do
you think about the plight of the Canadian
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Library? What solutions can solve the
physical and digital safety and the lack of
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resources that they face. I appreciate
you hearing me out on this one and
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00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:26.799
hope you enjoyed it. If you
did, let me know what you think
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00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:30.440
by following me on Instagram at Maple
Moose Mysteries and sending me a message.
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00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:36.200
If you want more mysteries crimes Unsolved
Canadian stories, be sure to follow this
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00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:40.119
podcast Maple Moose Mysteries and give me
a rating. It really helps me out
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00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:42.160
and I appreciate it. If you
do, Hey, maybe you can grab
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00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:48.039
a poutine sometime and talk about other
Canadian stereotypes. I love Maple, I
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00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:51.039
love Moos's. I'd love to see
you next time when I have a new
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00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:52.519
mystery to share with you all.
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Canada has a public library problem.
Attention grabbing statements aside. This is in
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00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:16.760
no way to downplay the importance of
a library to the health of a community.
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00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:20.399
If anything, it is the opposite. It's a call to action that
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00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:24.399
something needs to be done. Libraries
are on the brink of a downfall that
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00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:29.879
will impact each in every Canadian.
Our main focus today is raising awareness of
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00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.799
the mysterious rise in issues faced by
your local library. This episode is a
7
00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:38.960
bit different for me. If you've
ever benefited from being at a library before
8
00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:43.280
and agree that this issue matters,
send this podcast to someone to get the
9
00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:49.159
word out. This issue is flying
under the radar of many Canadians. Libraries
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00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:52.880
mean a lot to many people,
including myself. Ever since I learned that
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having fun wasn't hard when you had
a library card, I was hooked.
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00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:00.079
Even now, libraries keep my book
addiction in check. But a library is
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much more than free books. Public
libraries are an essential part of the healthy
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makeup of a town or city with
countless cultural, economic and educational benefits.
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They provide a low barrier for entries, social hub where anyone can attend if
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they have a piece of plastic.
Over one million people access one of the
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over six hundred available libraries across Canada
every year. That's nearly as much as
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we go to the movies, yet
as much as we rely on libraries as
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an institution all over Canada, they
are drowning under the weight of safety concerns,
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cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and an overall lack
of resources. Hello and welcome to
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00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:44.040
Maple Mouse Mysteries, the podcast where
we take a look at unsolved Canadian mysteries
22
00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:48.400
and crimes, providing you with the
context, history and theories to draw your
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00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:52.640
own conclusions. Today we might be
taking a look at an unresolved social trend,
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but to me, that is just
as hard hitting as any mystery.
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Our research contains data pulled mainly from
libraries in Osd, Ontario, given the
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fact that I'm in Ontario myself and
have witnessed some of these changes. But
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the problems are Canada wide and have
been growing for a long time. Let's
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dive in safety and rising violence.
Libraries are supposed to offer a place of
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belonging, whether it be to step
out of the cold or to learn,
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Yet being a freely accessible and high
traffic resource center, they face a good
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amount of crime. Libraries naturally attract
all types of people, including those who
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are struggling day to day or looking
to get into trouble. Theft, vandalism,
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acts of violence, and public disservices
and a library are not uncommon.
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This makes members of the public uneasy
and make them question whether they feel safe
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to attend certain branches. But the
real, verifiable evidence comes from documented cases
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of safety issues that impact the staff. Librarians the workers who are there day
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in and day out. They are
expected to work with everyone. In many
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cases, they may not be trained
to deal with someone severely impact acted by
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mental illness, medical distress, addiction, homelessness, financial struggles, and other
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issues that require unique services and care. There's customer service and then there's being
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a first responder and counselor. These
circumstances have only increased during the pandemic,
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when many regular streams of support were
shut down and libraries turned into a crisis
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center of sorts. At the front
lines were librarians who were just as blindsided
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as anyone else and were forced to
adapt. A lack of safety at work
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00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:32.400
means higher levels of anxiety and stress
for employees, taking a toll on their
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00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:38.479
mental health. A university of Toronto's
survey of over five hundred librarians found that
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eighty four percent of them experienced verbal
intimidation and seventy five percent physical intimidation on
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the job. Some have been sexually
assaulted at work. In British Columbia,
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a study found similar experiences of library
workers dealing with illegal and high stress scenarios,
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often resulting in their needing to step
in to deal with the situation or
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call first responders. The problem of
safety and the impact on librarians in particular,
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00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.680
is a subject that has been investigated
worldwide. As a quote from the
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00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:11.800
La Times showcases, to work in
a library today one has to be a
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social worker, a first responder,
an advocate for the underserved, and a
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human with very thick skin. Violence
in libraries is a common workplace hazard.
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Different libraries have adopted new security policies
to curtail violence, such as employing security
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guards or even metal detectors. In
Ottawa, the demand for security has only
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been increasing. Arise in dangerous incidents
leave their workers with long lasting psychological and
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physiological impacts. And this is not
just happening at downtown libraries in hotspot busy
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areas. Many of these incidents occur
in other locations that are more remote.
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Continuing full type security at the main
library branches will cost the city three million
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dollars over the next five years.
They also want to advocate for additional security
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to be stationed at more of their
local libraries. So is more security the
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answer? What sort of longevity do
librarians in this field have and who will
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replace them if the job is too
dangerous. A librarian from Sue Saint Marie
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in Ontario were flexing their experience with
having guards stationed at libraries. Having security
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guards in a library is not the
final solution, but the number of disturbing
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and violent incidents has been going up
every year. Our members aren't trained to
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deal with substance abuse or mental health
crises and need to be protected. We
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aren't equipped to handle what is happening, and our mental health is taking a
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hit. One of the last times
I was out at my local library in
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London, Ontario, I saw a
man walking silently around with an axe in
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his hands. Full on acts and
we have security. Somehow he slipped by.
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Eventually he was escortated out of the
building without incident, but he still
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walked in with an axe Okay,
so security is not always enough, So
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now we need metal detectors, and
who's going to pay for that? What
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about problems that are less apparent that
metal detectors won't pick up. My point
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is that safety for those who or
not the library is a complex one,
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and the solution might be more complicated
than just adding more security. Libraries were
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designed with openness and accessibility in mind. They're meant to be an institution with
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low barriers for entry. They aren't
meant to be as secure as an airport
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or a bank. They're often referred
to as the last free institution. Whoever
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is contracted to keep libraries safe,
regardless of how much money is being spent,
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they are being dropped into a situation
in an environment that is simply not
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built with them in mind. To
me, spending more money on security may
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be a band aid that we put
on after problems come up, but it
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is not the antidote to safety issues. Even if security works, wonders in
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addressing rising violence and making people feel
a sense of safety when they attend their
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public library. What are the odds
that libraries can sustain the influx of cash
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needed to maintain their presence as COVID
subsided, so did the investments from the
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government and providing security. Libraries are
tied to community, so what other community
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responses may be helpful. We'll talk
more about that once we get to resources,
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but before we do, we need
to understand that when it comes to
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library safety, we haven't even tackled
the biggest problem cybersecurity. Among the most
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concerning trends of the last couple of
years is the rise in cybersecurity attacks and
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Canada. Criminal organizations often hack into
the online systems for all sorts of nefarious
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purposes. Perhaps they're looking to restrict
access to staff, or hold the systems
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themselves for ransom, or maybe they
sell the collected personal data that they have
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access to. These types of attacks
can happen to anyone any organizations, not
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just larger businesses, and this includes
public institutions, whether it be hydro companies,
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hospitals, or entire cities. It
seems that no system is safe from
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potentially having their data harvested or barred
by attackers at the mercy of whatever blackmail
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or ransom these gangs see fit.
Some of them don't care what kind of
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place they're hacking into, just how
vulnerable their targets are. A hospital or
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government website may make clear targets for
criminals, but libraries seem a bit less
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00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:09.920
obvious. Yet, cybersecurity attacks on
libraries are becoming more frequent. We don't
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have to look beyond a few years
to prove that often they are under secured.
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But when a library system goes down
and impacts everyone and illustrates the power
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that libraries unknowingly wheeled. The Toronto
Public Library is the busiest urban library in
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the world. In October twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, they were hit
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with what is called a ransomware cyber
attack, a hack that took control of
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the library systems and allowed hackers access
to sensitive data, including employee records.
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Over one hundred branches were compromised and
closed. The demands of the attackers were
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unknown, but whatever they were,
they must have been unreasonable. Instead of
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paying a ransom, the Toronto Library
ended up just creating entirely new digital systems
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and replacing the hacked ones a lesser
of two evils. In the meantime,
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libraries open back up, but with
out their online systems and were entirely pen
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and paper with no computerization. This
created a long backlog of books as staff
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worked on overdrive in an attempt to
keep up. Many who relied on the
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Internet provided by the library were out
of luck, as the creation of a
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new digital infrastructure took many months and
probably cost millions of dollars. In December
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twenty twenty three, another cyber attack
took down library systems in my hometown of
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London, Ontario. For me,
the impacts meant and I couldn't download by
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audiobooks for about a month, but
for others it meant no access to the
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Wi Fi events and community support.
Many were frustrated that they could not access
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their regularly available services, and it
took a while to get things up and
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running again. Staff, if not
already having enough to deal with, had
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their personal data exposed and were probably
terrified as a result. The delays that
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kept the library from reopening might point
to how unprepared they were to face this
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kind of cyber threat. Even today, with the library up and running,
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not everything has gone back to normal. Other libraries face similar issues that they
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do not preemptively tighten their online security, and it may be only a matter
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of time before they too are targeted
and exploited. Libraries are often looped into
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larger attacks. Even if they are
the main target, they are at risk
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if they're connected to city networks.
In February twenty twenty four, a ransomware
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attack took down the entire city of
Hamilton, Ontario, including phone lines,
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online services, and yes, the
library. The Wi Fi took weeks to
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get back up and left any services
connected to the Wi Fi such as public
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computers, printing, and virtual programming
offline. Three weeks later, Huntsville,
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00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:43.480
Ontario, experienced something similar as municipal
systems were taken offline by a cyber attack
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and the library was forced to close. This is just the beginning. These
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types of attacks will continue and the
public library continues to stand as a vulnerable
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public institution. Canadian libraries attract these
types of criminals, and once the damage
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00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:01.559
is done, there's no going back. There's plenty of evidence to support the
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00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:05.240
need for libraries to beef up their
systems preemptively. If not, and they
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are hacked, they can either rebuild, give in to the demands, or
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close for good. Well, you
won't be calling me for any IT support.
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It's clear that there are consequences for
the choice to not invest in the
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online protection needed to keep libraries safe. Why take the chance. If any
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00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:26.360
sort of public money needs to be
spent, it is to promote online safety
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as well as in person. But
this brings us to an overall problem.
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A lack of support and resources is
at the core of these security issues,
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resource scarcity. My library in London, Ontario has plenty to offer beyond just
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print and digital media. There is
free access to the Internet, training,
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healthcare, public computers, three D
printing services, sewing machines, and even
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00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:56.159
a full out recording studio I'm currently
recording this podcast there. They host events
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00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:00.320
like book clubs, tax clinics,
jazz festivals, plant meetups, and yes,
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00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:05.080
even adult lego building and beer drinking. Libraries are far more than the
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books that are on the shelves.
They provide support, education, and boost
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overall community cohesion. You would think
that such critical infrastructure would be well supported,
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yet London and other libraries across Canada
have struggled financially over the years post
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COVID. Many branches are on financial
life support. Libraries usually rely on at
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least one form of local government funding, while some libraries may receive funding from
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both a regional district and a municipality, but the government's commitment to the continued
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support of libraries has varied. Though
on paper officials proclaim their support of the
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library, this is often contradicted with
many cuts to funding. In twenty nineteen,
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libraries in Ontario suffered budget cut after
budget cut, and inflation didn't help.
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This limited their overall reach, particularly
in more rural areas. In the
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same year, Alberta suspended all of
their public library funding part way through the
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year, putting the rest of that
support up in the air, which particularly
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affected smaller branches and left the entire
system in a state of unknowns. These
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changes resulted in fewer operating hours,
staff and inventory, and ultimately longer wait
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times for books. They also impact
property maintenance for buildings that are not getting
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any younger. If a library needs
an updated HVAC system or updated interior design,
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this might not be getting done.
Not two months after facing this cyber
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attack, a library in my city
is closing one of its branches entirely as
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they cannot afford to fix the leaking
roof. The way that municipal budgets are
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going indicates more potential closures in the
future, and when the library closes,
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crime increases, economic activity slows,
and fewer community connections are possible. So
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yes, more reliable and consistent support
financially is needed to keep libraries afloat,
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though finances are not the only resources
that they're hurting for. The pandemic caused
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a shift in the role of libraries, what they are and what they offer,
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what resources as they need adding new
stresses and durins and already limited resources.
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Once COVID shut the doors of other
service providers, libraries stepped up and
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pivoted their services. As highlighted by
the Canadian Urban Institute, the barriers to
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service like library fines were removed,
Digital programming was ramped up, lending and
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distribution systems expanded to distribute laptops and
COVID tests. This quote from Canadian Urban
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Institute CEO Mary Roe sums it up
nicely. Through the pandemic, libraries emerged
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as our safe third places, providing
reliable, essential service that was mobilized swiftly
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and decisively to meet the needs of
local communities. Libraries insured community knowledge informed
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emergency response nationwide. I agree they
are to be praised for their huge role
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in post pandemic cleanup as communities grappled
with the effects of social isolation and upheaval.
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Libraries took on the traumatized children,
teens, adults, and seniors who
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were isolated and mentally unwell. They
took the place of traditional healthcare in a
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lot of cases and work with them
and others. Even now, people still
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go there looking for the support that
was offered starting in the pandemic. To
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make this sustainable, libraries need different
resources to allow them to live out their
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new role. Some have taken to
more security and security checks, but others,
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like mine in London, had gotten
a bit more creative and involved community
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sport in their plans. One of
my former jobs was at a mental health
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agency that took a contract to work
with and out of the public library providing
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mental health services. We had a
little office space open during the day to
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talk and get connected to our programming. It was not overly intimidating, just
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you know there if you need it
and let me tell you. It was
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utilized to the fullest extent one of
the most active roles at the agency.
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Everyone was supportive of this initiative and
it became wildly popular. Bringing in mental
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health workers also provided an additional resource
for both staff and security who may not
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have the same type of training.
What other types of resources could libraries offer
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partner with. Imagine if libraries had
on site employment counselors or even prospective employers.
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They have tax clinics, but what
about debt counseling and financial advising.
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What if they offered space to small
businesses to enrich learning and offer programming.
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Yes, libraries offer some of these
services in the forms of events, but
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if they can establish more concrete partnership
that benefit patrons, well, then that
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would be great and maybe some community
providers could step in and offer their services.
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Now, the question is will that
only increase the public dependency on libraries
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and exasperate their current issues. Maybe, but it is clear to me that
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libraries will be facing these problems aggravated
by the pandemic for years to come,
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whether or not other organizations offer support. These are things they're going to have
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to deal with. Libraries can have
all the security they want, but as
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long as they continue to work with
and help heal the general public, they
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need to consider these types of services. They need to be supported in other
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ways, new ways to engage the
most vulnerable. Sure, more money and
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security are nice, but the library
is changing in some ways. These changes
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are concerning, but it also leaves
room for plenty of potential growth and investment
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in the future. So what do
you think about the plight of the Canadian
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00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:19.599
Library? What solutions can solve the
physical and digital safety and the lack of
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resources that they face. I appreciate
you hearing me out on this one and
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00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:26.799
hope you enjoyed it. If you
did, let me know what you think
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00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:30.440
by following me on Instagram at Maple
Moose Mysteries and sending me a message.
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00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:36.200
If you want more mysteries crimes Unsolved
Canadian stories, be sure to follow this
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00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:40.119
podcast Maple Moose Mysteries and give me
a rating. It really helps me out
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00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:42.160
and I appreciate it. If you
do, Hey, maybe you can grab
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00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:48.039
a poutine sometime and talk about other
Canadian stereotypes. I love Maple, I
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00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:51.039
love Moos's. I'd love to see
you next time when I have a new
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00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:52.519
mystery to share with you all.
