Library with a view to extending the opening instances of the department with out employees on website
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October 20, 2021 • 1 hour ago • Read for 5 minutes 
Protesters demonstrated outside the central branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library site late Tuesday afternoon, October 19,? ˅. Photo by Peter Hendra /The Whig standard
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The board of directors of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library voted to accept a report on the extension of the opening hours of the Pittsburgh branch even though there were no staff on site.
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The branch would only be open if larger branches like Isabel Turner and Central were open and staff could constantly monitor the branch in Pittsburgh. The project envisages that the branch will be open from 38 hours for 60 hours per week.
The board received 24 letters Tuesday from citizens who opposed the idea, but they found that there was much misinformation about the proposal.
The capital cost of the Extended Hours Project is $ 100,000 for items such as a door keypad, card scanner, self-service check-in, security cameras, and videophone that users can use to contact employees in other branches.
Laura Carter, CEO and chief librarian at KFPL, told the board that it would cost about $ 10,000 a year to operate, depending on the provider chosen. The board discussed the budget of the KFPL for 2022, which will be presented to the city council next month.
The proposed extension of opening hours led to a protest outside headquarters late Tuesday afternoon. While it was about the Pittsburgh Branch, the protesters decided to hold their demonstration in the Central Branch as there is more traffic and the KFPL management team is there.
Among the dozen who posted signs outside the Johnson Street branch was Deanna MacDonald, a member of CUPE Local 2202, which represents library staff.
“We will always oppose any model without staff,” she said.
She said staff are concerned that the proposal will be a cost-saving measure that will ultimately result in staff cuts.
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“They’ll call it a pilot and see if they can expand it to other locations,” she said.
Requiring an expanded card to get into the store after hours could create a two-tier system, MacDonald said.
“We fear it could be elitist, which is contrary to what public libraries stand for. We are supposed to provide equal access for all, so we as a union cannot support a two-tier library access system, ”MacDonald said.
KFPL’s Carter later said in an interview that the branch would be open to all cardholders and they could opt for the extended opening hours project.
Chris Snooks, president of Kingston District Labor Council, said he was concerned that opening the door for unoccupied hours would set a precedent.
“Once you start emasculating things,” he said, “it usually gets more and more.”
Snooks also said he had safety concerns about the project.
“How does that work? I don’t think having an unmanned building at all times is good, ”he suggested, adding that he wondered if someone was having a medical emergency like a heart attack.
Carter told the board on Wednesday afternoon that two of the more rural Hamilton branches tried a similar system in 2017 – a tour of those branches in 2018 led to the suggestion – and that she was told by the Hamilton Library CEO that she was one Had carried out a security audit and that they had not experienced any significant problems such as vandalism.
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Carter was in her office when the protest started.
“Right now we’re asking the Library Council to approve the funding, and then it goes to the council in November and the budget has yet to be approved,” she said while sitting in the Wilson Room on the Central Branch.
“And then we go through the steps with the staff, get feedback from the public, talk to them about these concerns you’re hearing about today, and work together to say, ‘Okay. They worry about safety, here is what’s on site. What else can we do? ‘ and look at all of these policies and procedures. “
In addition to the branches in Hamilton, Toronto has also implemented the idea, and another one in Essex County near Windsor is just around the corner.
“The term ‘staffless’ is used, but you could still get in touch with the employees. They only work in a different location, ”she noted.
Carter denied the proposal was a cost-cutting step.
“This is not a cost-saving measure because we are expanding access. So it’s about a more flexible service for someone who cannot reach the library during regular opening hours. We hear a lot from people in the Pittsburgh Branch that they wanted more access, she said.
The Pittsburgh Branch is also due for renovation, she said.
“We chose Pittsburgh because Kingston East is growing, and even in 2004 we have a store service report that said this store had to be 10,000 square feet – it’s about 4,000 square feet now – and we’re giving access because of the growing population need to expand out there, ”said Carter. “So we’re looking at it as a kind of transitional measure.”
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The library on Gore Road near Highway 15 is next to the entrance and exit of the new Cataraqui River Bridge, Carter said.
“The third intersection offers a really interesting opportunity for this location. It opens it to people in North and Central Kingston who probably wouldn’t have used this branch before, but it will be much more convenient now. “
The library staff were also concerned about occupational safety in 2006 when radio frequency identification scanners were introduced, which make it possible to borrow books.
“At the time, there was great concern that these machines would replace staff and cause cuts,” Carter said.
“So what happened is that the working hours in the Isabel Turner and Calvin Park branches were actually increased as the employees were freed up for more meaningful tasks so that they could not do the real routines (jobs).”
As for the security concerns, she said things like panic buttons were installed and video surveillance was constantly being monitored, as is the case in Hamilton.
If the pilot progresses and is successful, they would consider expanding it to other branches, particularly rural ones like the branches on Howe Island and Parham, which are only open a handful of hours a week, Carter said.
The third quarter of this year circulation is about half what it was in the pre-pandemic third quarter, but that number increases as people return to the library in person.
“Ultimately, it’s about expanding access to resources that are otherwise wasted and addressing the needs of the community,” Carter concluded.
“I definitely understand the concerns of the employees and we will continue to work with them to make the project happen.”
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