The city of Steinbach has reached out to neighboring municipalities to convert the Jake Epp Library into a regional library.

Board President Jenn Funk says this initiative is actually under the direction of the Steinbach City Council. She believes the city has presented the idea to nine municipalities in southeastern Manitoba.

“This proposal is to bring together several municipalities that are truly willing to work collaboratively to draft an agreement according to provincial guidelines for the formation of a regional library,” explains Funk.

Funk says this plan has been discussed by the library for many years. However, with increasing demands on the library, he says it has become a more pressing issue lately. This has brought the city closer to neighboring municipalities.

“Now that the city of Steinbach has entered into active conversations, the province is providing information and assistance with a collaborative dialogue for the process,” he adds.

Funk notes that there are two very successful examples of library regionalization in southern Manitoba. She says the Gaynor Family Regional Library in Selkirk is an example of a library serving multiple municipalities. There is also the South Central Regional Library which has branches in Winkler, Morden, Altona, Miami and Manitou.

According to the province, regionalizing libraries has many benefits, including streamlined operations and better use of staff time and skills. The province says regionalization also provides more purchasing power and access to better resources while reducing costs.

Funk says another benefit of regionalization is that additional provincial funding is available. This funding can help increase nursing home book services, reading programs, and book collections; It can also benefit partner libraries by providing collaborative access with staff.

According to Funk, the cost of joining this regional association varies from one municipality to another. He notes that it is largely based on the population of a municipality.

“It becomes the cost per resident, that’s the number you end up seeing,” he says. “But they will be determined collectively by all the communities that are willing to participate in that conversation.”

Funk says that legally only the collaboration of two municipalities is needed to form a regional library. However, he notes that due to the provincial funding model, it only makes sense for Steinbach to do so if at least three municipalities participate; i.e. Steinbach and two others.

Of the nine municipalities the city of Steinbach has approached, Funk says they have received a very positive response from several. However, he recognizes that more time is needed for communities to determine the commitment they are willing to make.

The rural municipality of Hanover is one of the recipients. Reeve Jim Funk says his municipality currently spends a little more than $30,000 a year on services provided by the Jake Epp Library. He says Hannover has not been told how much it could expect to pay if it becomes a partner in the regionalization plan.

That said, Hannover has decided not to join. Funk says not only is it too early for Hanover to commit, but it’s also a very difficult time financially for the municipality.

“We’re looking at where we can cut and where we need to spend,” he says. “And this year we are being very cautious.”

Funk says that Hannover is certainly open to the idea of ​​being part of a regional project, even if, as in this case, the library was not within its borders. However, he states that the plan has to make sense for the municipality.

Meanwhile, the Ste. Anne City Council has agreed to explore the regional library idea. And, the Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne passed a resolution to appoint a councilor to the task force being established to create a framework for a southeastern Manitoba regional library.

The province has suggested that a working group be formed, made up of representatives from municipalities interested in exploring plans for a regional library. And that this working group begins to meet in early 2025.