In an oft-disgruntled world, it’s great to have a membership that is, for the most part — well, gruntled. It’s what makes me love to come to work.
There are, however, occasional instances of patron disgruntlement: parents who would rather see no computers at all in the children’s section; this being Shambhala week, we’ve had — amid the many polite Shambhalese — some who have been frustrated that we have no room to store massive backpacks; and we still get Area E and Slocan City residents who are astounded the “no” vote majority in last fall’s referendum means that a library card comes with a fee.
Sometimes, patron disgruntlement results in our own; it’s hard to be confronted with someone who is dissatisfied — sometimes even angry — and not have it rattle your day. If we could, we’d have universal gruntlement along with universal access. But this is the real world. And in the real world, there is no free lunch, not really.
A “free” library card is a misnomer. It’s either paid for through taxes — as Nelson, Area F, and South H residents do — or it’s paid for by subscription in lieu of taxes — as opted for by residents of Area E and Slocan City. Unfortunately this can present a barrier to people on fixed incomes, or families with young children who are stretching their dollars.
The day a library card is, as it should be, considered an essential thread of our social fabric, I’ll be gruntled indeed. Meanwhile, should you happen to live outside the library service area, $120 per month per household (or $10 per month, payable in three-month installments) is still exceptional bang for your buck.
Consider: the average family checks out approximately $500 worth of library materials in a month. The cost of a library card — offering up to 20 items at a time per card, which may be books, e-books, magazines, DVDs, audiobooks, computer access, and access to research databases of all kinds — is roughly equal to two new DVD rentals, three lattes, or a six-pack of a hop-infused beverage of the cheaper variety.
Consider, also: a Nelson library membership is $120 per year for families in our immediate region who live outside the service area, while a recreation centre pass is $914 per family. We know that physically healthy people, like intellectually healthy people, cost us all less in policing and addictions and health care and other expensive stuff, while enhancing quality of life. So it’s all good. It’s just about perspective; these things that we value cost money.
And for that $120 per year for library service? Fifty-six open hours per week, and e-books and website databases open 24/7. Highly qualified (some would say brilliant) staff, 45,000 books and audiovisual materials, 100+ magazine subscriptions, programs for children, teens, and adults, and more perks than I can fit in a 600-word column. It’s evidenced in the substantial increases we’ve seen in memberships (13 per cent) and circulation (16 per cent). And it’s evidenced in how busy we are, with 13,000 monthly visits from people from all walks of life.
We do try to address patron disgruntlement. Sometimes it’s possible; sometimes, it’s not. Our footloose Shambhalese must look after their own stuff; kids’ computers, with their educational programming, are here to stay, and yes, we’d love to offer universal, barrier-free access regardless of geography.
Gruntled or disgruntled, you can be part of your library’s future. Our strategic plan is available on our website (nelsonlibrary.ca) and open for comment. More about this next column, but meanwhile, be cool, be informed, and above all, be gruntled. Life’s too short to be anything else.