Teachers: the Library’s Best Friend

The Prince Rupert District Teachers’ Union supports retaining local control of the city’s public library and is opposed to the city outsourcing the library to a regional library district.

I am a member of the local teachers’ union and I am also a member of its campaign committee to keep the local library local. I am proud to be a member of a union that supports its local library remaining local, especially since I am a high school Language Arts teacher who is passionate about the power of storytelling, reading, and writing for all.

For most city residents, why teachers like myself care so much about the city’s public library is a no-brainer. Teachers are the library’s best friend because we care about everything that public libraries stand for: Barrier-free and universal services for the public, a focus on supporting and expanding literacy, providing accessible information for all, and a being a centre of community – for all ages.

Like me, our local library is also passionate about the power of storytelling, reading, and writing for all.

Why Local Control Matters

Less obvious is why “local control” of the public library matters so much to us. But for most public-school teachers, this too is obvious, because the structure of school districts across the province is supposed to be locally driven. We care a lot about the local nature of government because that is a key part of what our public school system is built on: Local schools for local communities.

Local control of school districts is the best way to meet the needs of students in each community. The continued provincial push for de-localization of public schools will continue to result in larger classes, fewer supports for students, lower pay for education staff, more centralized bureaucrats (who cost much and produce little), and an even greater emphasis on “teaching” practices that cannot help students learn.

Teachers know that a system of locally elected school boards, when coupled with effective local control and adequate resources for schools, helps students learn. At the school-level, decisions focus on meeting the needs of the student who is right before us. When schools are run at this level, we can meet student needs, support learning, build communities, and run the public school system effectively. But when schools are run from a centralized place (especially a far away place), the needs of the student get lost and fewer resources make it to where they are needed most.

Don’t Outsource the Library

The Prince Rupert Public Library is currently run locally. It is run by a board of residents who are appointed by City Council. This makes sense from a community perspective, because with local control we, the residents, have a direct say in how our library is run. The services and programs that we value come first.

Local control of the local library matters most to people who use the library for their survival, to have access to legal and government resources, and to participate in civic life. Access to information about your rights can be the difference between having or not having a roof over your head, securing stable employment, and having a voice in how things are run.

Local Control Is a Labour Issue

Local control over public programs is also a labour issue, one that matters to all labour organizations and their members. First, labour unions have no power without democracy that is supported from the base up. Local libraries provide access to information, support literacy, and develop democracy at the level of local unions. We need strong local democracy for local unions to fight for good paying jobs that are safe and secure for all.

Second, labour unions support public programs that widen economic opportunity for all. A strong middle class is a necessary ingredient for union growth. Local public programs, such as the local library, are essential for bringing people out of poverty, advancing people’s economic human rights, and supporting communities that support everyone. Universal, public programs are the brain-child of the labour movement. Building these into local democratic institutions was a strategy that works. The labour movement therefore should remain committed to local control of these local resources.

Finally, the labour movement understands the need for balance at all levels of a functioning democracy. That’s why the Canadian Labour Congress continues to support local Labour Councils, whose job is to protect labour interests at the local level of government. Federal and provincial programs have value and are needed for our economy and democracy to function. But so too are local programs. Our system of government has three levels for a reason. And that reason is to help build a secure democracy that provides relevant programs for people at every level of society.

Keep It Local

Prince Rupert has a good library, one that is currently run at the local level and that already does a good job of putting local needs first. The labour movement should continue to support this because meeting local needs should matter to organized labour. That’s why we should unite around resisting centralization, protecting locally run programs that help eradicate poverty, providing universal access to information and resources, and removing barriers from community for all.

Disclosure: My husband Ron Braun is a city-appointed member of the municipal library board and I am a member of the PRDTU’s Keep Our Local Library Local Campaign committee. The views expressed on this blog are my own.