Citing lack of funding, Montreal Children's Library to close 2 branches

TheMontreal Children's Library one of the oldest privately funded libraries in the city has announced it will be closing two of its three branches next week due to a lack of funding.

On Oct. 28, the library'sVega branch, which moved into a new home on Pierce Street in Shaughnessy Village just ayearago, and its Antares branch, located inside of the Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre in Little Burgundy, will shut down.

The library will still operate its Polaris branch, housed inside the Ren Goupil Recreational Centre in Saint-Michel, becauseof the three, it receives the most visitors,executive director HelenKyneexplained on CBC Montreal'sDaybreak.

It will also continueits parent-child Mother Goose program, a pre-literacy program for parents and children aged0 to 3, held at various locations around the city.

"It's devastating," Kynesaid of the looming closures, fighting tears. She said the branches are located in areas that are underserved, and visitors are oftennew immigrants who often come to think of the library as a second home.

The City of Montreal has supported the library, but it also relies on donations to survive, Kyne said.

It hasn't been able to raise the funds needed to keep all three branches running the library is facing a $70,000 shortfall,and six out of 16 jobs will be cut.

"All our branches are located in areas where there's a great need for our services, so it's always sad to have to make these kinds of decisions," shesaid.

The library opened its first branch, now known as theVegabranch, in 1929.

It also runs after school programs that include science programming and arts and crafts. The services are offered at no charge to its patrons.

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A community cornerstone

Rachel Romano is a mother of three-year-old twinswho says she visitsthe Antares branch, which hasbeen operating out ofTyndaleSt-Georges since 1970,twice a week for at least three hours.

She said the libraryis an "amazing" placewith a great librarian and volunteers.

"The kids come here, they read to each other.There's so much going on here. It's so important for the community," she said.

Kyne said the hope is their partners will step in and keep the branches open,but not under the library's name.

"We don't want everything to disappear. We've worked so, so hard," she said.

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LizFalco, the executive director of theTyndaleSt-Georges community centre, said the library is a "gem" thatreceives 8,000 visits a year.

She said the centre's board of directors has decided tokeep the library open through to theChristmas holidays, which would givethem time to study a financial model for the future.

"There isn't a staff member, board member or community member that doesn't know this is not worth fighting for," she said.