672 replies to this topic

[mbjj]

Surprise-surprise the TC is wrong. I KNOW I went into the current location in the mid-80s.

https://www.vicnews....library-branch/

 

The date is included in this old article. I know it was way earlier than 1990 as I've been going there since my daughter was a toddler. 

 

The downtown branch is wasting an awful lot of space right now. Half of the main floor is a storage/jumble area. All the magazines are gone, all the old issues of magazines are gone. We checked out tons of magazines and really enjoyed reading the old Illustrated London News. Not everyone wants to read current magazines online. I don't and not everyone has a device to do so.  The amount of books they toss out is criminal. 

[Nparker]

Don't expect the paper magazines to make a comeback. GVPL is significantly reducing its subscriptions and most of what remains will be digital.

[Victoria Watcher]

Anybody know why we have two parallel library systems in Greater Victoria?

 

 

 

Sooke's new circle-shaped library set to open with more space and bigger collection

 

Books available will nearly double, many of them chosen to appeal to Sooke residents; building will also be a place for socializing and meetings

 

https://www.timescol...lection-5052482

 

 

 

 

VIRL is headquartered in Nanaimo, and has branches in Port Renfrew, Sooke and Sidney/North Saanich.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 February 2022 - 04:51 AM.

[Cats4Hire]

I've also wondered that. I assume Sooke/Sidney residents are typically going to be other places that have GVPL more often than VIRL (plus Sidney is really awkward to get to from up the island for the trucks) so it seems like an odd choice. I assume something from a while back that just never got changed. 

[Mike K.]

Here’s the press release:

The wait is almost over for library lovers in Sooke and Juan de Fuca area. For months, the community has watched with interest as the building on Wadams Way has taken on its eye-catching circular form on a previously undeveloped parcel of land known as Lot A. With construction nearly complete and most of the interior work in place, Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) is targeting the week of February 21 to open the doors and welcome the public inside.

“This project has been a priority for successive Boards and to see it so close to completion speaks to the commitment and dedication of many passionate people,” says Gaby Wickstrom, Chair of the VIRL Board of Trustees. “I would like to thank everyone who helped get us here today, including Trustees past and present, Sooke Mayor and Council, District staff, and the entire community. I cannot wait to join the smiling faces of people experiencing their new library for the first time.”

The final collection size of approximately 35,000 items is double that of the old branch and will include thousands of opening day titles specifically curated for the community. With a total surface area of almost 13,500 square feet, library users will have plenty of space and amenities to pursue their passions and interests, conduct meetings, study, socialize, read, research, and explore.

“As anyone who has visited the Sooke region in recent years can attest, the community is developing quickly and is only poised to continue its growth,” says Sooke Mayor, Maja Tait. “Beloved though it was, the old library simply did not have enough space to meet community expectations any longer. We know that vibrant, well used libraries are important indicators of healthy communities — when the doors open and the public experiences it for themselves, all will understand how this new library marks an important milestone in our community’s evolution.”

Some key features and amenities of the library include:

- Increased staffing
- Expanded hours of operation and program schedule
- Vibrant children’s area
- Fireplace lounge
- Laptop bar
- Study space
- Bookable rooms
- Makerspace with a 3D printer and other exciting technologies

The library also boasts several sustainability enhancements to help ensure its operations minimize environmental impacts. The branch has been built in alignment with the Wood First Initiative, which sources local, sustainably procured wood. The parking area includes three electric vehicle charging stations for public use and one for staff, in addition to high-capacity underground bicycle parking. To maintain a comfortable interior climate, the branch contains a solar shading device to prevent solar heat in the summer and allow heat gains in the winter. The building’s roof is designed to capture rainwater and divert it to an absorbent rock pit and bioswale.

The building also includes provisions for future solar energy integration.

Grand opening celebrations, including speeches, entertainment, and library tours, are being planned for later in March. Further details will be provided as they become available, as will a firm date for the soft opening.

[Mike K.]

Nobody is complaining about sprawl in this file. But if this were housing, the pitchforks would be out in Victoria. This Sooke library should have been built downtown, they’d argue.

[James Bay walker]

Here’s the press release:
. The parking area includes three electric vehicle charging stations for public use and one for staff,

Why, were not all parking spaces including either ev charging stations, or, the ready capability to upgrade by adding those?

 

Just three for the public and one for staff, seems like a giant step backwards.

 

jbw

[Mike K.]

VIRL operates branches in Sooke and Sidney.

 

Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) and BC General Employees’ Union Local 702 (BCGEU) have been bargaining the expired BCGEU Collective Agreement (January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2020) since September 2021. On Tuesday, February 22, BCGEU notified VIRL that its members had voted 95% in favour of a strike mandate. On the afternoon of Friday, February 25, BCGEU served 72- hour strike notice. Job action may start as soon as 15:00 Pacific March 3rd [updated from initially stated February 28th].

 

Job action may include primary, secondary or rotational picketing at VIRL locations.  As a result, we regret that VIRL’s service delivery will be impacted, though precise impacts remain unclear at this time. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and commit to continuing constructive efforts towards bargaining resolution with our valued colleagues. 

BCGEU Local 702 represents 42 fulltime employees, 12% of VIRL’s permanent workforce. These employees are professional librarians and colleagues who work at 20 of 39 branches, and in Information Technology, Collections, and Support Services divisions. VIRL’s CUPE Local 401 employees, representing 55% of VIRL’s permanent workforce, will be honouring any BCGEU picket lines. VIRL jointly ratified a Collective Agreement with CUPE 401 in late 2021.

VIRL’s 2022 operating budget is $31 Million. 95% of the budget are fixed costs, and 65% of those are wages and benefits. Now in our 86th year, VIRL provides critical and accountable services and resources to communities throughout the region. 

 

Updates will be provided as they come available.

[Victoria Watcher]

In January, workers at the Greater Victoria Public Library’s (GVPL) Central branch filed a total of 37 incident reports.

 

Eleven of the complaints, obtained by Capital Daily through a Freedom of Information request, involved patrons refusing to wear masks or skirting COVID guidelines. Some patrons left without incident, while others put up a fight, taking their anger or annoyance out on the library workers. 

 

The reports detail patrons shouting expletives at staff and multiple calls to police in response to disruptive or antagonistic people in the library. In one case, during a time when masks were mandatory in the library, police were called after a maskless patron with a knife hanging by a lanyard around his neck became loud and defensive. Police arrived after 20 minutes, as the patron was leaving on his own. In two of the five incidents in which police were called, officers arrived after the incident was resolved. 

 

Twice, washrooms were closed because drug paraphernalia was found inside and cleaners weren’t available. On one of these occasions, the worker who filed the incident report ended up fetching gloves and a sharps disposal kit and cleaning up the mess themself. 

 

Multiple times, the person who filed the report describes feeling unsafe. In one case, a library worker felt so threatened that they had to leave their shift until a particular patron—who became angry after the worker repeated their password out loud—left the library.

 

This is just one month of incidents, but they hint at a larger problem that library workers are facing in systems across the country. Even before the pandemic wreaked havoc on communities and the social services within them, the role of libraries was changing. 

 

 

 

https://www.capitald...cial-safety-net

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 May 2022 - 06:57 AM.

[Mike K.]

It’s not “maskless” people causing problems, it’s people with mental health challenges who see libraries as hang-out spots. There’s a real skirting around the issue here. Just acknowledge it, don’t turn it into a mask debate when that’s not the crux of the issue.

[Cats4Hire]

They didn't? Refusing to wear masks was one of the three things listed (drug stuff found in washrooms and no cleaners available, violence/threats from guests [one was because of saying their password out loud]). They were just listing the issues librarians reported and fighting after being told to wear a mask happened to be one. Obviously a librarian's safety report isn't going to be a psych evaluation of the patient. They're just going to write what they saw happen and how they personally felt.

[Mike K.]

Exactly. They are going out of their way to say there is a problem with the street community using libraries as hang-out spots.

 

It's like saying while you were being robbed, the perpetrator swore at you, and then having a conversation about words, not violence.

[Cats4Hire]

Have you had to file an incident report before? In my experience they're either physical and have like a credit card size space to write down every piece or information or they're digital and have like 1000 characters max to describe the incident. According to Microsoft Word my previous comment is 500 characters with spaces, 417 without. Depending how they count that little paragraph is already halfway there. No one is wasting space writing "homeless person with mental health issues" (41 characters) unless they were yelling that during the incident. 

 

They probably didn't describe the guy who was yelling about his password in any real detail either (who wasn't homeless since a home address is required to get a library account) or any of the people I've witnessed yelling at librarians because they shouldn't have to pay for their kid drawing all over a book.

 

If you mean the article it self didn't, well it got as close as it could without outright blaming homeless (which since their sources are entirely these reports they couldn't do or it would become opinion)

 

 

Libraries are one of the few places where anyone—no matter their financial status or living situation—can go, sit, escape the elements, and access bathrooms, power outlets, and computers.

 

 

Sometimes that means helping a student find sources for a research project, or helping an elderly patron use a computer. Sometimes that means directing an unhoused patron to a place to sleep for the night, or connecting someone with mental health or addictions services. Sometimes it can also involve diffusing a situation with a person in the midst of a mental health crisis, or ensuring an overdose patron gets the help that they need. 

 

 

 She was aware that people without housing sometimes fall asleep in chairs or use libraries as places of shelter in heat waves or cold snaps. 

etc 

[Mike K.]

If you mean the article it self didn't, well it got as close as it could without outright blaming homeless (which since their sources are entirely these reports they couldn't do or it would become opinion).

 

 

That's the very definition of skirting the issue. The problem at libraries is the street community becoming abusive when reminded of courtesies or rules.

 

I like libraries. I visit them on occasion, I know what I see when I do. I've seen some of these incidents that make it into these reports and they're not pleasant.

[Cats4Hire]

That's the very definition of skirting the issue. 

The reporter can't just add information their source doesn't have. If none of the incident reports or brief interviews mentioned that they were homeless people him adding that would be removing his credibility unless he changed this to an opinion piece.

 

I rarely go downtown anymore (more so lack of reason, almost everything I want down there is available closer) so can't comment on that branch but every time I've witnessed an issue at the Emily Carr branch it's some decently dressed and groomed person. I'm sure downtown branch does have issues with homeless people but implying all the issues they're facing are because of "homelessness" when this article talks about someone who we can confirm is not homeless and I'm sure Emily Carr isn't the only branch that has "Karens" yelling at staff sounds a little disingenuous. 

[Mike K.]

Yes they can, their job is to fill in the gaps. We know a major issue is the street population using libraries as hang-out spots. We all know it. The reporter skirting around that fact is not doing his readership any favours, especially when the mayor herself says we have a rinse-and-repeat issue with criminality/police calls for service.

 

Reporters are not tethered to what a single source says, they can see the situation for themselves, and ask other sources for information, like the police, which make up the other half of this story. There was far too much onus placed on 'masks' here and that needs to be explained, but it's left out on purpose (IMO).

[Nparker]

It was a Capital Daily story. I think it has been pretty well established they are far from unbiased in their reporting.

[Cats4Hire]

Isn't it time to move on from blaming the homeless for all of life's problems? I vote we circle back and complain about teenagers again. 

 

Anyone who has ever (I can do it too) worked a public facing job (retail, food service, auto repair, hotel front desk, etc) would tell you nothing outlined in that article is exclusively homeless behavior (aside from maybe shooting up in the bathroom). It's entitlement. It's getting really boring seeing any kind of negative article the CRD and being able to predict with 100% accuracy (higher than the amount of homeless people causing those incidents as the password guy shows) that there will be someone wining about how the homeless people are ruining everything. Is there a homeless problem in Victoria? Yes. Are they 100% to blame to everything with? No. 

 

Also remind me never to cite anything from Citified if the owner thinks editorializing news is ok.

[Mike K.]

Citified is not a journalistic outlet, and doesn't represent itself as such. I'm also not a journalist, but then neither are some of the people who write for local websites and call themselves journalists.

 

I never said it was exclusively, though. I said the crux of the issue is not mask wearing, but an issue with members of the street community, with mental health problems, choosing to spend a lot of time at the central library, and that's having an impact on incident frequency.

[Nparker]

The central branch has been a nightmare for staff long before masking was ever an issue.