Are Rural Public Libraries Being Funded As Essential Community Infrastructure?

19.12.25 05:35 PM - By Ron Ulrich

“Small-town and rural libraries across Alberta are feeling financial strain, illustrating the urgent need to reinvest in these vital community spaces.”
— CBC News, Jan 2026

The current pressures facing rural libraries in Alberta should be understood as an early warning — not only about libraries themselves, but about how we fund and value the shared civic spaces that hold rural communities together across Canada today.


Libraries are an integral part of any community, regardless of size. However there are unique opportunities libraries offer rural communities as well as unique challenges. In small and rural communities, public libraries are essential civic infrastructure. Far more than repositories for books, they are vital spaces for learning, connection, and community life.  They have adapted to serve as learning centres, digital labs, cultural spaces, creative spaces and community hubs where people connect, find help, and build social connection. The pressures facing rural libraries aren’t abstract budget lines; they directly affect community resilience, belonging, and access to opportunity.  


While the recent CBC News article highlights the issues facing rural and small communities in Alberta, the issues identified by Andrew Jeffrey have been reverberating across rural Canada for well over a decade.  British Columbia provides a clear example of what long-term funding stagnation looks like in practice. Provincial public library funding to support 71 local libraries and 250 service locations (of which a significant number are located in rural communities), was reduced from $17 million to $14 million in 2009 and has remained effectively flat for more than a decade, despite population growth, inflation, and expanding expectations of what libraries provide. For rural libraries—where municipal tax bases are smaller and operational margins already thin—this creates a persistent structural squeeze. 


"We're looking in the next year at what library funding in every municipality is going to look like, and there are going to be significant cuts to library services in 2026.  B.C. public libraries are facing a breaking point."


When funding stagnates while costs rise, rural libraries don’t simply tighten their belts. They make trade-offs that immediately affect hours, staffing, collections, programming, and community access—often in ways that are invisible until services quietly disappear.


But funding is only part of the story. Rural libraries are adapting creatively to expanding community needs — and in doing so, they have become social and cultural lifelines that far exceed the traditional book-lending model. What follows is not a story of decline, but of pressure, adaptation, and role evolution—and of what rural libraries are being asked to carry without commensurate investment.


The funding pinch points that hit hardest in rural libraries

Staffing and hours: the first domino to fall

In rural libraries, staffing is not a flexible variable. With small teams—often ranging from one to three full-time staff equivalents—any reduction in hours or unfilled vacancy has immediate consequences:

  • reduced open hours,

  • loss of children’s or adult programming,

  • diminished outreach to seniors or schools,

  • limited capacity for digital help and one-on-one assistance,

  • reliance on volunteers to fill service or program gaps.

Unlike larger urban systems, rural libraries cannot absorb cuts internally. When staffing is stretched, programming is often the first casualty, even if the doors technically remain open.


"Many libraries don't pay their staff much more than minimum wage and when that's coupled with high responsibilities in understaffed locations, it often leads to more burnout and turnover." 

Collections under pressure: print costs rise, digital costs explode

Collection budgets are where the public feels funding strain most clearly: longer waitlists, fewer new titles, aging collections. But the most significant pressure point today is digital content. Unlike print materials, most ebooks and audiobooks are licensed rather than owned. Licensing models often:

  • cost two to three times more than consumer pricing,

  • expire after a set number of loans or a limited time,

  • restrict long-term access.

For rural libraries with modest materials budgets, digital licensing costs can quickly crowd out other investments—including programming and outreach. The result is a difficult trade-off between access to digital collections and investment in community engagement—a false choice driven by market structures rather than community need.


"If you think of a hardcover book, you can get decades, potentially, of use out of that particular item, but the way the vendors operate with e-content, they kind of want to assign a lifetime to an e-book or an audiobook, which means you should only be able to check it out so many times before you have to rebuy it, or they're going to charge you far more for it." 

Public programming: the canary in the coal mine

Public programming is one of the clearest indicators of stress in rural libraries—and one of the least visible to funders. Programming depends primarily on staff time, not line-item budgets. When staffing is tight, programming doesn’t always disappear loudly; it becomes:

  • less frequent,

  • more episodic,

  • more reliant on volunteers,

  • narrower in scope.


Arts, culture, adult learning, and seniors’ programming are especially vulnerable. Children’s programming is often protected because of its visibility and perceived importance, while adult and cultural programming quietly erodes—even though these programs are often the ones that sustain social connection, identity, and wellbeing in rural communities.


Rising costs undermine “free” and accessible programs

Rural libraries are expected to provide programming that is free, inclusive, and accessible. Yet the cost of delivering programs has increased:

  • facilitators and artists rightly expect fair compensation,

  • insurance and liability requirements have grown,

  • materials and supplies are more expensive,

  • transportation costs disproportionately affect rural presenters.

Urban libraries can absorb these costs through scale. Rural libraries cannot. The result is fewer programs, shorter series, and reduced cultural offerings—particularly in communities where the library may be the only public cultural space available.


We have more people in town, they want more resources, they need more access to things. It's difficult as a library manager to meet that request for more if your funding is stagnant.” 

Connectivity and digital support: demand rising faster than capacity

Rural libraries are increasingly positioned as digital equity hubs—places where residents access reliable internet, devices, and help navigating online systems for employment, health, education, and government services. This work is time-intensive and requires:

  • up-to-date equipment,

  • stable broadband,

  • staff skilled in both technology and facilitation.


At the same time, rising digital licensing costs and flat operating grants mean that libraries are being asked to do more digital work with fewer flexible resources. The tension between digital access and digital capacity is now a defining challenge.


Distance penalties and fragile sharing networks

Rural library service depends heavily on regional cooperation—inter-library loan, courier systems, shared catalogues. When shipping, fuel, or postal costs rise, rural libraries lose access to scale and choice. Any disruption to these systems disproportionately affects rural users, for whom the nearest alternative library or bookstore may be hours away.

Infrastructure that No Longer Fits the Job

A growing number of rural libraries are operating in facilities that no longer align with the roles contemporary libraries are expected to play. Many are housed in aging buildings with deferred maintenance, limited accessibility, outdated mechanical systems, or insufficient space for programming and public use. As library services have expanded to include digital access, community programming, and social supports, these physical constraints increasingly limit what libraries can safely and effectively offer.


For rural libraries, infrastructure costs are particularly difficult to absorb. Capital needs such as major repairs, renovations, or relocations often fall outside standard operating grants, leaving small library boards dependent on fundraising, municipal goodwill, or one-time grants. These approaches rarely generate funding at the scale required, resulting in libraries continuing to operate in spaces that restrict service growth even as community demand increases.


The result is a structural mismatch: rural libraries are being asked to function as multi-purpose community hubs, digital access points, and cultural spaces while operating in buildings designed for a much narrower, mid-20th-century conception of library service. Without targeted investment in rural library infrastructure, these facilities risk becoming a bottleneck that constrains the very community services libraries are increasingly relied upon to provide.


 Case Study:  Rural Library Funding and Service Challenges in Ontario

Rural public libraries in Ontario provide a wide range of essential services that extend far beyond traditional book lending, yet they operate under persistent funding constraints that undermine their capacity to meet local needs. In many rural communities, libraries are a key source of economic development support, offering agribusiness and entrepreneurship resources, space for exams and professional courses, and partnerships with settlement agencies for newcomer support. They also provide vital broadband and computer access; in some rural areas they are one of the only places where residents can access reliable internet and serve as hubs for municipal services like tax payments, license processing, and information desks, all of which help sustain local life and economies. 


Despite this broad community role, funding for employment and government-related services has diminished even as demand grows. Rural libraries in Ontario are more heavily relied on for digital access than libraries in non-rural communities, yet there is no province-wide program specifically targeted at supporting broadband and computer access in these areas. Additionally, 24 library systems (about 10 %) in Ontario have inadequate distribution of service outlets, meaning residents must travel more than 30 minutes to reach the nearest public library. Capital infrastructure needs across Ontario’s public library network are significant, with obligations estimated at $1.4 billion today and projected to grow to $2.1 billion by 2021 without targeted investment. 


These service and infrastructure pressures expose the ongoing tension between public expectation and funding reality in rural Ontario. Libraries continue to adapt by expanding partnerships, offering targeted programming, and serving as community anchors in digitally, socially, and economically underserved areas. But without dedicated, sustainable funding streams that reflect the breadth of services rural libraries now provide, these essential community hubs face continued strain even as rural residents rely on them more than ever. 


Source: Libraries Strengthen Rural Communities Backgrounder,  Administrators of Rural and Urban Public Libraries of Ontario (ARUPLO), Ontario Library Association , 2014


 Case Study:  Alberta’s Rural Libraries Under Strain


A January 3, 2026 CBC News article underscores just how precarious the situation has become for small-town and rural libraries across Alberta. As operating costs rise and expectations for services expand, many rural libraries are struggling simply to stay open — let alone meet the growing needs of their communities.


In Elnora, a village of roughly 300 people, the public library has been operating out of a temporary location for nearly four years after asbestos and black mould were discovered in its original building. The estimated cost to relocate permanently — approximately $350,000 — far exceeds the library’s annual budget. As library manager Mitch Munday notes, rural libraries of this size already run annual deficits of $4,000 to $6,000, forcing staff and boards to “scrape to find” funding just to remain operational.


This story is far from unique. Across rural counties, villages, and small towns in Alberta, libraries are facing mounting pressure: aging or inadequate facilities, rising utility and staffing costs, inflation eroding already-tight budgets, and the increasing expense of digital resources such as e-books and audiobooks. In many cases, funding formulas have not kept pace with population growth, inflation, or the expanding role libraries now play in their communities.


At the same time, demand for library services continues to grow. Rural libraries are no longer simply places to borrow books — they function as community living rooms, digital access points, learning hubs, cultural venues, and social service connectors. In places like Carmangay and Elnora, libraries provide free programming for all ages, technology support for seniors, early-years programming, newcomer support, and access to high-speed internet — often the only free public internet available in the community.


Library leaders across Alberta have joined municipal organizations in calling for updated provincial funding models that reflect current population data and are indexed to inflation. While provincial operating grants provide important baseline support, many rural libraries report running deficit budgets year after year, leaving little room to respond to growing community needs.


What the CBC reporting makes clear is that rural libraries are being asked to do more — often significantly more — without the resources required to sustain that work. The strain facing Alberta’s rural libraries is not a failure of local leadership or community commitment; it is the result of systems that have not yet caught up with the realities of rural life, demographic change, and the essential role libraries now play as community infrastructure.


Source: Small town and rural libraries feeling financial strain in Alberta, CBC News, Andrew Jeffrey, January 3, 2026


How rural libraries are adapting — and what that reveals about their evolving role


Despite these pressures, rural libraries are not standing still. They are adapting in ways that fundamentally reshape their role in community life.

From collection-centred to capacity-building institutions

Rural libraries remain deeply committed to reading and literacy. But their centre of gravity has shifted toward capability-building, including:

  • digital navigation and tech confidence,

  • workforce and job-search support,

  • early childhood and family learning,

  • social connection for seniors and isolated residents,

  • supports for new immigrants,

  • access to trusted local information.

This reflects a broader shift: libraries are becoming platforms for participation, not just repositories of materials.


Programming as essential service, not enrichment

Public programming in rural libraries has moved from “nice enrichment” to core community support. Programs now often function as:

  • informal social services,

  • preventative mental-health supports,

  • community integration spaces,

  • cultural continuity mechanisms.

This is particularly true in communities where other public services have been reduced or centralized elsewhere.

Libraries as conveners and community platforms

Rather than delivering everything themselves, rural libraries increasingly act as hosts and conveners:

  • partnering with health, settlement, arts, and social organizations,

  • providing neutral, trusted space for community initiatives,

  • supporting locally led programming rather than owning it.

This shift allows libraries to stretch limited resources while deepening their relevance—but it also increases coordination demands on already thin staffing.

Cultural programming: fragile, undervalued, indispensable

Arts, heritage, and cultural programming is often an easy target for funding cuts—and the hardest funding to restore. Yet it is precisely this programming that:

  • strengthens local identity,

  • supports intergenerational connection,

  • reduces isolation,

  • provides platforms for local artists and culture-bearers,

  • builds social cohesion in small communities.

When cultural programming disappears, rural communities don’t just lose activities—they lose shared meaning and belonging.

 Case Study:  Community Engagement in Rural Nova Scotia Libraries

Nova Scotia’s public library system operates through nine regional systems connecting 78 branch libraries across the province, eight of which are comprised primarily or entirely of rural branches. Funded through a population-based formula combining provincial, municipal, and community fundraising revenues, rural libraries face particular strain as declining populations and shrinking tax bases coincide with rising operating costs. While Halifax has experienced modest growth, rural systems are increasingly challenged to serve widely dispersed communities with static or diminishing resources. Historically, rural library use has lagged behind urban areas—at one point averaging 24% membership compared to 45% in Halifax—and rural libraries have observed a decline in youth participation as the number of young people living in these communities continues to fall.


In response, rural libraries across Nova Scotia have embraced community engagement as a core strategy for relevance and renewal. Interviews with librarians from all eight rural systems reveal a strong commitment to community-led approaches, even in the absence of formal engagement policies. Librarians described asset mapping, collaborative partnerships, shared programming, and targeted outreach to underserved groups—particularly youth and residents of geographically isolated areas—as central to their work. Above all, the study highlights the deep passion rural librarians bring to their communities: a belief that strong libraries and strong communities are inseparable. Despite limited resources and ongoing frustrations, these librarians remain dedicated to relationship-building and civic renewal, recognizing that vibrant libraries help foster healthier, more connected, and more resilient rural communities across the province.


One librarian effectively summed up the importance of community engagement to rural Nova Scotia with the observation: “It’s our duty to be a good community partner and try and support [community engagement] initiatives in any way that we can … because the stronger and more healthy and more vibrant a community is, the better it is not just for the library, but for the citizens that we serve."


Source: Connecting with Community: The Importance of Community Engagement in Rural Public Library Systems, Vivian Howard, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University and Heather Reid, Halifax Public Libraries


The structural problem: adaptation without reinvestment


The core challenge facing rural libraries is not relevance—it is capacity. Frozen or stagnant funding does not freeze expectations. Rural libraries are now expected to be:

  • digital access points,

  • learning hubs,

  • community connectors,

  • cultural spaces,

  • and still strong collection-based libraries—

while absorbing higher operating costs, more complex licensing environments, and expanding social roles.

Adaptation has limits. Without reinvestment, resilience becomes erosion.


Why this matters for rural communities

Rural libraries sit at the intersection of culture, access, and community wellbeing. They are among the few public institutions that are:

  • trusted,

  • free at point of use,

  • locally rooted,

  • open to all.


When they struggle, the impacts ripple outward—into social isolation, reduced access to information, weakened cultural life, and diminished community resilience. The question is no longer whether rural libraries are evolving. They already have. The real question is whether funding systems will evolve quickly enough to recognize—and sustain—the role rural libraries are now being asked to play.

Blog post sources for further reading


Much of the publicly available data informing this article is now dated, pointing to a significant gap in current, accessible information about public libraries in rural contexts. Addressing this gap is essential for informed decision-making, sustainable investment, and effective advocacy. The Centre for Cultural Futures Canada has identified the development of current, community-grounded rural cultural data as a priority within its broader rural culture data strategy.


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