The New Westminster Public Library is checking out its future needs.
As part of the 2025 budget process, council recently held a workshop about the city’s strategic priorities – with departments outlining their accomplishments in 2024 and highlighting some of the work to be done in 2025.
Susan Buss, deputy chief librarian, said the New Westminster Public Library is seeing a return to pre-pandemic and pre-renovation numbers in terms of the use of its collection. She noted that more than 750,000 items have been circulated this year.
According to a staff report, the library is using provincial enhancement grant funding to undertake two projects that will engage residents to determine current usage and needs. The results of those processes will inform decision-making and lay the groundwork for planning in 2025 and beyond.
“The goal of the redesign of the second floor of the main branch is to optimize the footprint of public spaces to meet emergent and dynamic needs of library users,” said the report. “Broad themes coming out of consultation done in 2024 pertain to floor layout, flexible furniture and study spaces, and technology access, including digital literacy assistance.”
In terms of the future needs analysis, the NWPL said this project aims to revive and update the library’s previous practice of biennial user surveys.
“These surveys engage the community and provide the library with information and perspectives that inform all areas of operations, including programs and services,” said the report. “Reconnecting with the community in this way is essential to inform post-pandemic recovery efforts and the library’s understanding of shifting community needs.”
Buss said the future needs analysis that will be starting in 2025 will look at the NWPL’s space needs and service needs.
Downtown branch?
At the Nov. 25 workshop, Coun. Daniel Fontaine put forward a motion that staff develop a business case for the development of a new library downtown to service the growing population growth over the past decade and into the next one.
In a 4-2 vote, council supported the motion. Councillors Tasha Henderson, Jaimie McEvoy and Paul Minhas supported the motion, while Coun. Ruby Campbell and Mayor Patrick Johnstone opposed the motion, saying work is already underway to assess the New Westminster Public Library’s future needs.
Campbell said she would prefer that staff do analysis outlined in the report to council.
“This kind of jumps that process,” she said. “I'd like to have that analysis done first.”
Johnstone agreed, saying the city should follow the work plan that has been outlined by staff. He suggested Fontaine’s amendment “effectively undermines” that process.
“These reports have clearly outlined a future needs assessment process for the library,” he said. “I think that that's important work, and I don't think that we should preemptively determine what that future needs assessment for libraries is. I think it's important for us to engage with the community, talk to library staff, and have a conversation about what the future needs assessments of the library are.”
Fontaine disagreed.
“The business case, I think, is long overdue, and I think it will help us, in terms of seeking funding from senior orders of government to help eventually build that library that's long-awaited for,” he said.
Fontaine said he was pleased to see most council members support his motion to kickstart a process to determine the feasibility of constructing a new library downtown.
“Everyone agrees we're facing a major public amenities deficit in our downtown core, while at the same time planning for thousands of new residents to move in over the coming years,” he said in an email to the Record. “It's time we go beyond simply saying we need more public amenities like a new downtown library, we need to set clear political direction to actually make it happen.”
A library is just one of the amenities needed in the downtown, Fontaine said.
"In addition to a new library, I've heard from downtown and Quayside residents they'd like to see other public amenities like a new community centre. In that regard, they've been pretty clear about wanting council to reimagine the Anvil Centre and try to make it a more user-friendly facility, a gathering place for local residents,” he said. “If all of these infrastructure projects are to move forward, it's critical we work with senior orders of government as soon as possible to secure the necessary partner funding.”
