Governance challenges force 3-month closure of libraries across The Nation, Ont.

Rural library closures Three libraries in the Nation municipality will close for three months due to governance issues. CTV’s Dave Charbonneau reports.

Library branches in St-Albert, Limoges and St-Isidore are set to close temporarily for three months starting on Jan. 1, 2025, The Nation says, citing governance challenges at the board level.

The municipal council decided to close the branches between Jan. 1 and March 31.

The factors leading up to the decisions are the resignation of the Library Board Chair and other members, and the upcoming retirement of the long-serving Library Chief Executive Officer, leaving the library without the necessary leadership to operate under the Public Libraries Act, according to the municipality.

For residents of St-Albert, the local library is more than just a place to borrow books. Many, like Nicole Forgues, describe it as a community hub.

"I use it once a week. It's like, I need to have books at home," said Forgues.

Forgues emphasized that families with children rely heavily on the library.

"Kids have to learn. They like reading books and me, it's a passion. I always need to have a book by my bed," she said.

The closures come after a series of resignations left the library board without enough members to operate. The Nation’s mayor, Francis Brière, called the situation an unfortunate coincidence of events.

"We allotted a budget, but it's just like a stroke of bad luck where many people of the board resigned and just walked away," said Brière. "At the same time, our CEO gave her papers as far as retirement. So it's kind of like, a stroke of bad luck and timing."

The municipality plans to rebuild the library governance team, aiming to reopen within three months.

"We're hoping, I mean, that's the timeline," Brière said. "It all depends on if people volunteer to jump on the board."

A recruitment campaign will be launched during the temporary closure to hire new board members. The municipality adds that it will also explore newer avenues to develop governance models that align with the needs of residents and offer improved delivery services, such as partnerships with other library boards.

Residents can still access library services by visiting libraries at neighboring cities.

In the meantime, residents like Forgues will turn to alternatives.

"I know I can read on my iPad and we can go to Casselman library for a few months," she said.

The municipality hopes volunteers will come forward to fill board positions and ensure the libraries reopen by spring.

The Nation Municipality has three library branches: Limoges, St-Albert, and St-Isidore, offering free memberships to residents. The cost of those services is “funded through taxpayer dollars, with a proposed allocation of approximately $650,000 for the 2025 operating budget.” The proposed budget supported the following hours for each branch:

• Limoges Branch: 23 hours per week

• St-Albert Branch: 22 hours per week

• St-Isidore Branch: 28 hours per week