The downtown Lethbridge Public Library branch. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge Public Library to continue free memberships in 2020

Dec 17, 2019 | 12:15 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – You can continue to use Lethbridge’s three library branches for no extra cost next year.

Lethbridge Public Library (LPL) CEO Terra Plato says the library board approved a motion to make this happen at their December 11th meeting.

Typically, library cards generate between $90,000-$100,000 dollars.

No taxpayer dollars will be used to offset the cost.

“It is going to be raised internally, so we have not asked for city council to fund it, so we will be looking at doing some internal fundraising and covering that revenue loss in that way.”

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Plato adds that they will also be hosting a variety of fundraising events.

While she admits that it was a hard decision to make given the financial implications, she believes it is important to ensure everyone can access all that the city’s two public libraries have to offer.

Depending on who is getting the membership or whether it is for an individual or family, LPL cards cost no more than $25 per year.

Plato says this might not sound like a lot, but it can still be a barrier for some as they might have to choose between paying for a library membership or for something else.

“We’ve always tried to work with people, but it is a barrier for people to even come up to us and say they can’t afford it. There’s a lot of people who wouldn’t be comfortable doing that, and so by eliminating fees, we’re removing that barrier for people.”

The LPL first offered free memberships in 2019. Although the numbers are not official yet, Plato estimates that the number of people who have signed up increased by anywhere from 200-300% in that time.