Change is on the way for the Flin Flon Public Library following a five-figure contribution.
The Pakhisimon Nuve?áh Library System, represented by director James Hope Howard, presented library administrator Courtney Campbell and members of the Creighton Library Board with a contribution of $18,421.05 during the library board’s annual meeting in Creighton on Feb. 13. The money will go toward the ongoing operation of the library alongside potential improvements to the building and services.
In all, the library’s finances are in shipshape. Campbell said the library’s budget has not been finalized, but the institution is staying well afloat thanks to the fundraising events organized for the library over this past year.
“From my books, we’re up. We ended the year in the clear, which is great. That means all these fundraising things we’ve been doing – the 50/50s, the discard book sales, the big social – these things are having a positive effect, which is great. That’s getting us out of any other trouble we might encounter,” she said.
“We’re moving forward, in a direction that I think is good.”
Perhaps the biggest change is that the library will soon reopen on Saturday afternoons on a trial basis during the months of March and April.
“We heard people and we’re making it happen. The social media response thus far has been really good,” said Campbell.
“This is a two-month community-driven test run. If the hours reflect use and if circulation goes up and the traffic is there, we will look at this again in the fall and reinstate some sort of summer and winter hours.”
Visitor numbers will be tracked and brought to the board, with further decisions on weekend hours to be made following the resumption of previous operating hours in April.
Meanwhile, Campbell said the library itself requires some repairs, saying the building’s floor needs work.
“We’re working with the City of Flin Flon on our building right now. It’s starting to show some wear, like all of the buildings have. They need some love,” she said.
In addition, the city has began discussions with the library to move items from the city archives back into the bottom level of the library. Archive items were previously stored at the library, but were moved to City Hall following a basement flood in 2016.
Campbell also announced the library would be working on a strategic plan and completing a policy manual, as well as working on a code of conduct with problem patrons coming in from Main Street.
“We have issued a few banning notices to people who just cannot be on the premises because they have done things that are not safe in a place that has children and other people around,” said Campbell, who added that police are aware of the situation.
