The State of Public Libraries in Québec in 2004

Excerpt taken from Réjean Savard's conclusions in État des lieux du livre et des bibliothèques - Chapitre 13: "Les bibliothèques publiques de 1995 à 2001", Observatoire de la lecture et des communications du Québec, 2004.


Although the text dates back to 2004, it is entirely appropriate to our current situation.

Given that Québec is proud to be the province most open to culture, we must admit that the figures for the libraries are somewhat troubling. Even if the statistics of recent years indicate improved inputs, the comparison with Ontario and British Columbia shows that this progress is entirely relative.

Quàbec does not yet seem to have understood the importance of a good network of public libraries in the knowledge society. The cost of libraries is often perceived as an expense when it is in fact an investment. Compared to other utilities, Québec still invests much less in public libraries.

It is obvious that Quàbec could not catch up the backlog in terms of the reading public: we know that for a long time, developing tis growing sector has been the subject of a filibuster from the clergy first, then from conservative politicians (the "Duplessis"), that reading was reserved for the elite and was not essential to social development. One wonders sometimes if there does not remain a relic of the anti-intellectualism in Québec.

Our governments nevertheless praise the information society in which we enter, and for which we must "be prepared". How can we think that Quebecers are ready to compete with other societies in the knowledge world if their skills in writing and reading are so poor? We know that in some districts of Montréal, the illiteracy rate reached almost 25% of the population.

The public library network can be a key strategy to allow a society to make the most in the information society. The recent World Summit on the Information Society has well demonstrated it. Some countries like Finland, whose size and population can be compared to those in Québec, public libraries are the cornerstone of their strategy to access the information society. Unesco has been supporting for several years a manifesto on the public library, making it the main key access to knowledge. This manifesto is published in 24 languages and supported by the governments of several countries. In other countries, municipalities are mobilizing to develop reading their citizens and create, as in France, an association of "Villes-Lecture".

The virtual and new technologies alone will not allow a society to respond adequately to the challenges of the Information Society. The premise is to encourage the public to read more and learn better, what public libraries well equipped and well organized can do well.