New funding of $180,000 for public libraries will be used to create and enhance a library environment supportive of literacy in the Island community, Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour announced today.
“I am proud that our government is recognizing the importance of libraries. We are making a significant investment in this important institution which has contributed so much to literacy and learning for more than three quarters of a century,” said Minister Bertram. “This new funding will enable the provincial library system to enhance services, especially for Islanders outside the formal educational systems, and to upgrade the tools and resources currently available.
“Reading for pleasure is the platform on which reading for knowledge is built,” the Minister added. “By offering the resources needed by the community, we reinforce the value of reading, which is at the heart of literacy.”
BACKGROUNDER:
$100,000 – resource materials:
• will meet current needs and standards across the region and the country
• will better equip the libraries to address specific literacy programming needs
• will increase collections to address the needs of both adult and youth learners and strengthen the literacy skills of the Island community
$80,000 – literacy programing:
• will enable libraries to work with provincial and local literacy groups to provide training for staff
• will support family learning activities with additional library programming activities
• minimum level of library hours will be raised from 10 to 12 hours across the province