A first overall assessment of libraries, their staff and their services gives just a pass mark (66%) to the entire Quebec network comprising 1,042 public establishments. The portrait also highlights significant regional disparities.
The Outaouais (55%), the Capitale-Nationale (57%) and Laval (60%) topped the group’s score, while Montreal (91%) was the champion. The metropolis is in fact the only one of the 17 regions to obtain a total mark of excellence set at 85% or more.
the 2022 National Portrait of Quebec Public Libraries is officially launched on Monday. The duty got a copy. It was prepared by the Association of Public Libraries of Quebec (ABPQ) and members of the Réseau BIBLIO. This is a first panorama of its kind, which uses data from 2019 so as not to distort the results by considering the exceptional pandemic years which led to the closure of establishments for months. The Association wishes to redo the portrait from year to year.
“We put figures on what we already knew: in Quebec we still have some catching up to do to offer our citizens quality libraries, adapted to their needs,” says Eve Lagacé, director general of the ABPQ.
The director nevertheless recognizes the great efforts made over the years to improve the network. Quebec, long a bibliophobe, has come a long way. Montréal’s now enviable position concentrates the improvement of recent decades with, at the center of the network, the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec. Since 2010, an architecture prize has been awarded to the most admirable achievements in Quebec, proof that there are some.
“We deplore the 66%, there is still a lot of work to do, but that being said, libraries are still popular, says Mme Lagace. Elected officials generally understood the benefits of the library for the community. »
The survey is divided into five sub-sections corresponding to the indicators defined by the BiblioQUALITY standard, ie acquisition expenditure, opening hours, surface area, seats and human resources. The marks are established in percentage, but also according to a quintile where, for example, for the overall mark, the first level is equivalent to an evaluation of less than 39% and level 5 from 85 to 100%. Only one in ten municipalities has this highest score. Thirteen of the seventeen regions obtain 3 (between 55 and 69%) as an overall score
Here are some other findings from the study:
Network. No less than 283 municipalities distributed in all regions offer no library service. These are often outlying towns, but not only, since Hampstead on the island of Montreal is a sad lot, while towns with an English tradition usually pamper this cultural equipment. In total, 96.4% of the population still have access to it. Mme Lagacé explains that some provinces require municipalities to provide this service by law. Not Quebec.
Acquisitions. The network obtains a 70% mark for the renewal of collections. The evaluation is done by dividing the number of purchases by the number of documents already present in the library. The annual refresh rate should ideally be 9%. The Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region stands out, with a score of 98%. Montreal also ranks very well, with a score of 91%. Digital books are excluded from the calculations, but only account for 2 to 3% of borrowings anyway.
Business hours. Again, the group average is two-thirds (66%). Public libraries should have been open 5,106 more hours in 2019 to reach the level of excellence and guarantee full accessibility of services. Montreal almost reaches the perfect score (98%), Nord-du-Québec is there (100%) Centre-du-Québec and Mauricie rank at the bottom of the table (46%).
Area. The available space has a direct impact on the services. More than 150,000 square meters are missing in public libraries to reach the desirable peak. Inflation and rising construction costs obviously pose additional challenges for network development.
Seating places. The score is 74% in this case. It would take about 15,300 more places. “The library, which is always free, remains the most visited cultural place in Quebec, well beyond cinemas or museums,” said Ms.me Lagace. Annually, we are around 28 or 29 million visits, and it is always on the rise. It is a living space for everyone, with conferences, services, including for new arrivals, and books, of course. »
Human ressources. The overall average is 65%. It would be necessary to create 1316 full-time positions according to the high criteria of the sector. There is precisely a shortage of 426 librarians, including only 8 in Montreal, which already has 239, but exactly 100 in Montérégie (which only has 62) and 40 in the Laurentians, ie double the current workforce.
Laval in the hold
All municipalities in Quebec have received precise portraits concerning them. The Laval administration therefore has its own to be reminded of its lackluster place.
Laval stands out positively only by opening its small spaces to the maximum, which earns it a perfect score in the accessibility indicator (100%). Only places are missing a lot, 145,000 square meters in total to reach the first quintile. Its score in this slot is only 40%, 26 points below the average. For seats, the score is even worse, at 36%, or 38 points below the group average.
Laval also has a deficit of 31 librarians, which gives it a score of 30%. In short, the third most populous city in Quebec, with nearly 450,000 inhabitants, is positioned as a class dunce.
“We recognize the catch-up necessary to reach a satisfactory and sustainable level of investment, and we act accordingly”, writes to the To have to Yentl Béliard-Joseph, press officer for the office of the mayor of Laval.
She adds that a library master plan aimed at catching up with “comparable cities in terms of space and infrastructure” was adopted in October 2020, i.e. after the reference year of the survey. She also says that a sector development plan is being prepared to implement this master plan.
The expansion of the Germaine-Guèvremont library is one of them. In September 2021, a new Eastern proximity service center was started to move the Marius-Barbeau library to Saint-François with a surface area tripled.