Lawrencetown, N.S., pledges to keep library open amid Annapolis Valley closures

Five libraries in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley are closing their doors.

The Village of Lawrencetown, N.S., is pledging to keep its library open after the Annapolis Valley Regional Library Board said it would shut the branch down, along with four others, this summer.

The board said the branches in Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams will shut down on July 20 due to a “significant funding shortfall.” The move will eliminate nine full-time-equivalent positions.

The board runs 11 libraries in the Annapolis Valley.

The Lawrencetown Village Commission said the Dr. Frank Morse Memorial Library was built and donated to them in 2002. The commission met on Monday night and committed to reopening the library under their management in the coming months.

“As a result of the Morse family’s contribution, we are not starting from scratch,” a news release from the commission reads. “The commissioners are actively working with other libraries and organizations that have successfully managed their library services under slightly different models.”

The library board said they asked eight municipalities for additional contributions to the 2026-2027 budget, but noted they still have to close the five branches despite the extra support.

David Corkum, mayor of the Municipality of the County of Kings, said they are “very disappointed” with the closure of the library in their region.

“Libraries mean a lot to the area and currently we don’t understand the logic for why these ones are closing,” he said.

The Association of Nova Scotia Villages is calling on the province to increase funding for public libraries.

“Lawrencetown’s response shows the strength of village government,” said president Brian Banks. “But villages should not be forced to step in to preserve essential services because provincial funding has not kept pace with need.”

The Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees blamed the library closures on the provincial government’s budget cuts.

“Libraries are far more than places that lend books,” a news release from the union reads. “They are community anchors staffed by highly skilled librarians and library workers who deliver essential services that support education, employment, digital literacy, and social inclusion.

“For people without reliable internet, quiet study space, or access to social services, the library is often the first and only place they can turn. Library workers routinely help individuals file taxes, access benefits, learn digital skills, and connect with community supports. These are not incidental services.”

Bill VanGorder, Nova Scotia spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, said many seniors rely on libraries.

“Libraries just aren’t a place for seniors to get books,” he said. “They are a meeting place and they’re a learning place, they’re an educational place, they’re an information place.

“Going to the next town doesn’t work when you are a rural community.”

The provincial government spends more than $16 million each year in support of libraries, according to a statement to CTV News from the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. The government added it protected that funding in this year’s budget.

“Losing a local library is difficult, and we understand what these branches mean to the communities they serve. As an independently governed regional library system, these decisions rest with the Annapolis Valley Regional Library’s board. The Province respects that and remains a committed partner,” reads the statement.

“Protecting library funding in a difficult budget year was a deliberate choice — one that reflects how much these services matter. Still, every public institution right now is being asked to do more with less — the Province included — and that means looking hard at how services are delivered, not only how much they cost.”

The province says it provides 71 per cent of each regional library’s annual budget – except for Halifax Regional Municipality which covers 71 per cent of its budget – while the municipalities cover 26 per cent and library boards raise a minimum of three percent.

“The current funding formula provides a base amount for operational expenses such as staffing, collections and technology, with additional funding based on the population served. Population density and francophone representation are also factored in,” reads the statement.

As of 2021, the Annapolis Valley Regional Library’s annual grant is $1,919,600. An additional $93,200 in funding was allotted in 2025 in response to requests from the Council of Regional Librarians, according to the province.

“The Province has not received a request from the Council of Regional Librarians this year. Should a request be received, it will be given consideration based on fiscal capacity at that time,” reads the statement.

“We have been in regular contact with AVRL and are aware of the financial pressures they have been facing. We were notified of their plans to close branches on May 28. As an independently governed regional library system, these decisions rest with the Annapolis Valley Regional Library’s board.”

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis

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