Improvements to the Smithers Public Library will be on the way soon as it has received some funding from a one-time COVID-19 relief grant.
The announcement was made last week by the province where they said libraries across BC will be provided with this investment.
According to Library Director Wendy Wright the library received a combined total of around $36,000.
She said that hearing about the funding was a nice surprise.
“We’ve been advocating in BC for an increase to annual funding in public libraries so funding like this is a real good surprise for us and it will help out a lot,” Wright said.
She added the two streams for the funding is COVID-19 relief and recovery and emergency response planning.
Wright also said there is no plan for the funding yet but she is meeting with the board and staff in the coming weeks.
“We want to make sure that we include all of those ideas before we start prioritizing and deciding what to spend it on,” she said.
Wright added that there are some ideas that have been talked about such as enhancing outdoor space or installing flexible furniture.
She also said that this funding is aimed at rebuilding their services.
The Library is also looking to the public if they have any ideas to contact staff or the board.