by Morinville News Staff
The Town of Morinville Library Board says it has been forced to make the difficult decision to temporarily lay off 54 per cent of the library’s employees effective April 17 due to COVID-19. The decision affects seven of the Library’s 13 staff.
“I am extremely proud of my staff and everything they have accomplished to keep people in our community engaged and connected since we closed our door in March.” Said Isabelle Cramp, Director. “They are all gems and the very best any organization could ask for and it is with a heavy heart that I had to ask some of them to temporarily step away. I look forward to the day we can start operating normally again and until then, I will offer them the support they need and pray that they will all stay safe and well.”
Board Chair Jennifer Anheliger said the decision for temporary layoffs has been the most difficult decision the Town of Morinville Library Board has had to make yet.
“As this pandemic continues to have vast financial effects on our town, our duty to responsibly manage the publicly funded dollars allocated to our library remains a top priority. The staff at Morinville Community Library are integral and dedicated members of our community and we hope to be able to support them as best we can during this time and welcome them back as soon as it is safe to resume normal operations.”
The library board says it will continue to monitor the situation and act accordingly until normal library operations resume.
Just curious… how many people is 54%. And yes, I get that it’s unfortunate no matter what the number.
We have not been able to get those details yet as we are operating on limited staff as well. Ball park – 15 employees pre layoff. We’ll confirm and update the story.
MorinvilleNews.com I believe it was 7/13 (my daughter was one of the 7).
Tracy Reaume Thanks for the info. We have an official info request into the library. They have not responded to that question yet.
Isnt the library funded by the Town? So wouldnt that be municipal lay offs.
Under the Libraries Act, all libraries are autonomous. They are governed by their own board. Yes, libraries are funded – usually and mostly – by the municipality they are in. But library staff are not town employees. There are a couple of exceptions to that in Alberta.