Neil Williams' Speech
Neil Williams, past Chair of the Library Board gave this address to the assembled crowd at Centennial Square at our first rally, on Friday, September 21, 2007:
"Hello. I was on the Library Board for 8 years during the nineties and Chairman for two fairly tumultuous years during that period. I remember very clearly the courageous support that CUPE 410 gave the Board and myself at a particularly difficult time and am only too happy to partially repay that support in some small way.
I was asked to talk about the importance of the public library, something in which I believe deeply. The public library is a kind of miracle, I have always thought and is absolutely unique among public institutions. Anyone, absolutely anyone, can walk through the doors and as long as they adhere to minimal standards of civilized behaviour are welcome to spend the day reading books, newspapers, magazines or just sitting and thinking. They can ask questions of highly trained and educated personnel who are only too happy to answer and who in fact, are seated there for exactly that reason. There is no other public institution that remotely resembles it, that welcomes all our citizens and never queries why or whence they came. And if they happen to have a mailing address they are welcome to take home as many books, cd’s, dvd’s, tapes or whatever, as they can carry. Without a credit check! The public library not only provides an absolutely vital cultural and educational function but it stands as a symbol, the best symbol I know of, of the kind of civil society of which I want to be a member. It is an extraordinary institution and nobody asks you for a dime for all this unless you break the fundamental law of libraries and don’t get your loot back on time. It is amazing but it’s FREE! And may it stay that way always.
It's not free of course. It costs plenty to be free and the dollars come mostly from the property tax base, from our municipalities and are administered by an odd body called the Library Board, appointed by 10, count 'em 10, cities, districts, towns, villages and assorted hamlets. While the whole thing just grew over the years to its present magnificently complicated state, it is almost as though it was carefully designed to spread responsibility as widely and diffusely as possible. The buck doesn’t really stop anywhere which can make it remarkably difficult to get things done.
I don’t pretend familiarity with all the contract issues today but I have a passing acquaintance with the pay equity issue and used to have a fairly intimate knowledge of GVPL governance. I know that the library makes up an embarrassingly tiny portion of the municipal budgets and I know that if pay equity was implemented over time the overall impact would be vanishingly small. Nobody wants higher taxes but I would prefer them to injustice any time. Historically and legally the GVPL is the City of Victoria’s municipal library and it is no coincidence that this rally is being held in Victoria’s civic square. If the GVPL were a Victoria municipal department, you wouldn't be having this rally today because the problem would have been fixed years ago.
I believe that it is the duty and obligation of Victoria’s elected officials, specifically, because of this historical relationship, to step up to this issue, provide some leadership and admit that something has to be done and commit to resolving it as fairly and as quickly as is possible.
I wish you all well and hope that this can be settled equitably and fairly and in the shortest possible time."