Steinbach Pushes for Jake Epp Library to Become a Regional Library – SteinbachOnline.com

The City of Steinbach has reached out to neighboring municipalities to make the Jake Epp Library a regional library.

Board Chairman Jenn Funk says this initiative is actually led by the Steinbach City Council. She believes the city pitched the idea to nine municipalities in southeastern Manitoba.

“This proposal is about bringing together different municipalities that are actually willing to work together to create an agreement according to the provincial guidelines for forming a regional library,” Funk explains.

Funk says this plan has been discussed at the library for years. But she says the increased demands on the library have made it a more pressing topic recently. This has led the city to contact surrounding municipalities.

“Now that the city of Steinbach has initiated the active discussions, the province is providing the information and assistance in a joint dialogue for the process,” she added.

Funk notes that there are two very successful examples of library regionalization in southern Manitoba. She says the Gaynor Family Regional Library in Selkirk is an example of one library serving multiple communities. There is also the South Central Regional Library with branches in Winkler, Morden, Altona, Miami and Manitou.

According to the province, there are many benefits to regionalizing libraries, including streamlined operations and better use of staff time and skills. The province says regionalization also provides greater purchasing power and access to better resources while reducing costs.

Funk says another benefit of regionalization is that additional provincial funding is available. This funding can help increase senior living book services, reading programs and book collections, but can also benefit partner libraries by providing joint access with staff.

According to Funk, the cost of joining this regional partnership varies from municipality to municipality. She notes that it is very much based on the number of residents in a municipality.

“It becomes the cost per capita, that’s the number you ultimately look at,” she says. “But those will be determined collectively by all communities that are willing to have that conversation.”

Funk says that legally, all it takes is the collaboration of two municipalities to form a regional library. However, she notes that because of the provincial funding model, for Steinbach to pursue this, it only makes sense if at least three municipalities are involved; that means Steinbach and two others.

Of the nine municipalities contacted by the Municipality of Steinbach, Funk says they have received a very positive response from several municipalities. However, she recognizes that more time is needed for communities to determine what commitment they are willing to make.

The rural municipality of Hannover is one of the municipalities approached. Reeve Jim Funk says their community currently spends just over $30,000 annually on Jake Epp Library services. He says Hanover has not been told how much it can expect to pay if it becomes a partner in the regionalization plan.

That said, Hanover has decided not to participate. Funk says not only is it too early in the process for Hanover to commit, but this is also a very challenging time financially for the municipality.

“We look at where we can cut back and where we need to spend,” he says. “And we’re being very careful this year.”

Funk says Hanover is certainly open to the idea of ​​being part of a regional project, even if, as in this case, the library would not fall within their boundaries. However, according to him, the plan must be meaningful for the municipality.

Meanwhile, the Council of the City of Ste. Anne has agreed to explore the idea of ​​the regional library. And the rural municipality of Ste. Anne passed a resolution to appoint a councilor to the working group being established to create a framework for a regional library in southeastern Manitoba.

The province has proposed forming a working group consisting of representatives from municipalities interested in exploring plans for a regional library. And that this working group will meet in early 2025.