A report on the Peterborough Public Library’s draft 2026 operational budget to be presented to the library board on Tuesday (September 9) states that three librarian positions and a full-time library CEO position previously removed from the budget will be reinstated.
At the same time, the report from the City of Peterborough’s acting director of cultural services Joe Crooks recommends a one-hour reduction in the library’s weekday hours of operation as one of three cost-saving measures.
The report notes the library’s 2026 draft budget has increased by 17.5 per cent, including a four per cent increase as a result of the library’s information technology costs being accounted for in the library’s budget instead of the city’s budget. In addition, the draft budget will increase even more by reinstating the three librarian positions and the full-time library CEO position.
The changes follow months of controversy after a decision by city council during deliberations on the city’s 2025 budget last fall to approve the elimination of two positions at the library as well as the reclassification of some positions as lower-paid positions to save $120,000 of the city’s $411 million operating budget.
After the city’s budget was approved earlier this year, library management subsequently decided to lay off three of the library’s four full-time unionized librarians, including a children’s librarian, the adult and teen programming librarian, and the librarian who manages the library’s information systems. Two positions (an outreach coordinator and a programming assistant) would be created, resulting in a net reduction of one position.
The planned changes to staffing at the library resulted in strong community opposition, particularly by a number of concerned parents who launched an online petition that garnered over 2,600 signatures and who founded the Our Future Peterborough grassroots advocacy group.
On June 10, Our Future Peterborough issued an open letter signed by more than 100 celebrated writers, artists, educators, and performers — Margaret Atwood, Neil Young, and former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson among them. The letter received coverage from local media and national media including the CBC and The Toronto Star.
Less than a week later, the City of Peterborough announced the staff reorganization at the library had been “paused” so the city could “consider other options for meeting budgetary constraints.”
“The city has heard and appreciates the support for library services expressed by residents and others who have advocated for the Peterborough Public Library,” a media release stated. “While the approved budget needs to be followed, the city is exploring all options to ensure the most effective means to reduce the budget while maintaining the same level and quality of service, through constructive meetings with Peterborough Public Library staff.”
The following day, the city also announced Jennifer Jones — who was responsible for implementing council’s budget decision — was no longer CEO of the library or an employee of the City of Peterborough. In addition to being the library’s CEO, Jones had been appointed the city’s director of cultural services only five months earlier, after acting as the city’s director of arts and culture for almost a year. No reason was given for her departure.
At the same time, the city announced Crooks had been appointed as acting director of cultural services.
In a second report to update the library board on “general matters” concerning library operations, Crooks writes “Many decisions made over the last year brought unexpected workplace unease and insecurity to the library staff and board.”
“The goal this summer was to bring stability to the library, and to ensure all parties are heard and feel safe,” the report states. “Over the course of the summer a variety of initiatives have been put in place to empower the voice of the staff, leadership team, union executive, and library board.”
Those initiatives included a staff suggestion box, a survey, 28 meetings between Crooks and individual staff, labour relations meetings with the union executive, bi-weekly library leadership meetings, a joint workplace improvement session with the leadership team, union executive, and board members to review survey results and board options, and question-and-answer sessions with staff to review recommended changes.
One of those changes is the reinstatement of the CEO position within the library as a stand-alone position, rather than being part of the role of director of cultural services. As the library’s 2025 budget did not have any budget allocated for the CEO position, the 2026 budget will be adjusted to cover the reinstatement of the position.
According to Crooks, the CEO job description has been updated and recruitment is expected to begin immediately. The new library CEO will conduct the recruitment for the vacant library services manager, which is currently being held on an acting basis by Laura Gardner.
The report also notes that CUPE Local 1833 representing library staff is in active collective agreement negotiations with the city, but there is “limited information” that can be shared with the board about the negotiations.
The report on the library’s draft 2026 operational budget states that the increased costs to the library by reinstating the CEO position and the three librarian positions will be “countered” by:
- $92,571 in savings through adjustments to the staffing model at the library’s new second branch at the Miskin Law Community Complex
- $61,722 in savings by reviewing contract renewals for software, and
- an unspecified amount of savings by reducing operating hours of the library’s main branch on Aylmer Street by one hour Monday through Friday, closing at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.
On the last point, a third report to be considered by the board reviewed the feasibility of the cost-saving suggestion of reducing the operating hours of the main library branch. An audit of main branch users during the first six months of 2025 found that only 4,451 of the library’s 77,313 weekday visitors used the library between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. during weekdays, representing 5.76 per cent of weekday traffic and 4.01 per cent of total traffic.
“The data did not support reducing hours outside of Monday through Friday,” the report states. “Weekend numbers represent the highest level of service users. In the future, if budget constraints occur, the library CEO could analysis the numbers again and consider a reduction suggestion to 6 p.m. Currently the suggestion is to close at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.”
The report on the library’s draft 2026 operational budget states that, once the board approves the reduced hours, “a scheduling project will launch to determine the implementation of the above changes.”
An updated budget report will be presented at the October board meeting.
