Elkford is a small coal mining community of just over 2500 residents nestled high in the mountains, somewhat isolated at the end Highway 43. We are surrounded by alpine forest and many wild animals, such as deer, elk and bear. The natural environment provides an outdoor playground that invites many visitorsto the community. High income paid by the mines attracts people to Elkford to work and live here. Elkford is mostly made up of families with one or both parents working at one of the five local coal mines.

The downturn in the Energy markets in 2015 has affected our community. There have been extended work shutdowns at the local coal mines, as well as numerous layoffs and downsizing from the businesses that provide contractors and support to the mines. We continue to see quite a few people using our services to print, scan and fax resumes or using our computers for resume updating and job searching.

During 2015, the Elkford Public Library focused on continued development of partnerships with other groups and businesses within our community. We also continued to improve our community space, and to provide more options for patron’s to access to online resources.

Beyond providing books and e-books to our community, we participate in and provide community events. We participate in the local Wildcat Days where the library is synonymous with cotton candy. We run a local photo contest. We publish The Elkford Focus, a free community newspaper that provides local businesses and non-profit groups with a voice in our community. The library offers children’s programming with Summer Reading Club, and youth book club. We also offer free workshops on a variety of topics.

2016 is the final year of our five year strategic plan which can be viewed on our website at elkford.bclibrary.ca.

LibraryGoalthatsupportsthepriority: Community Connections 1. Establish communication with community groups and organizations. Collections 3. Identify preferences of patrons to determine areas of the collection that are lacking. Technology 1. Purchase equipment to facilitate ongoing electronic training to the community.

Programsand/orServicesthatalignswiththepriority:

Creating more accessible computer and internet services: This year we received a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Programs grant. We used a portion of this funding to purchase two tablets for our patrons to use. We often have seniors come in who have poor eyesight or physical limitations that make holding a heavy book an issue. Using the tablet may alleviate their problems.In the librarythey have the support of the staff to answer their questions and to show them where they can find free magazines and books through library purchased e-resources.Another use of these tablets will be to help new immigrants that need support in English as a second language and we are looking at purchasing a language program for this.

Outcomesthatwereidentified: We only recently got our tablets set up and will evaluate the usage and effectiveness of the media at the end of 2016.

Partnerships that support the priority: Columbia Basin Trust, District of Elkford

LibraryGoalthatsupportsthepriority: Goals that support this priority include Community Connections 1 “to establish communications with community groups and organizations” and Programs 3 “continue to strengthen and develop the programs offered at the library.” Partnerships 1. “Selectively participate in the programs and initiatives launched by library related organizations” Partnerships 2. “Continue partnerships with local and regional literacy, educational, cultural and workforce development agencies.”

Programs and/or Services that aligns with the priority:

One-to-One Tutoring and Adult Literacy Training: The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) trains volunteers for the One-to-One and Adult Literacy programs. One-to-One is a program at Rocky Mountain Elementary School which provides students with additional reading support. CBAL sends a trainer from Fernie and holds its One to One Reading Training workshops at the library for Elkford’s volunteer tutors. The Elkford Public Library has an area that can be set up for a projector and screen and opens the library to the trainees on a day that the library is normally closed to the public. The Adult Literacy Training is provided in a similar fashion.

Outcomesthatwereidentified:

The head volunteer of the One-to-One program said that she was pleased that the training class could be held in Elkford as it made it easier for the tutors to attend. She said that the library was a wonderful location to hold the class surrounded by all the books.

One of the adult literacy tutors met with her student who was learning computer literacy at the library before opening hours. They usedthe library’s internet computer and printers and were able to work on his skills including using a browser and filling in online job applications. The man appreciated this arrangement and using his new skills was able to find work.

Partnerships that support the priority: Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy, Rocky Mountain Elementary School.

Wills and Estates Workshop: The Elkford Public Library continued its popular workshops in 2015 and one excelled in showing how these workshops can fill in educational gaps in our community.

The Wills and Estates Workshop presented by Meghan Wallace, Barrister and Solicitor, drew a large and appreciative crowd. After the presentation, there was a lively question and answer period.This type of informal education is almost entirelyprovided in our community through the library.

Outcomesthatwereidentified:

  • Everyone exiting said that the advice received from the workshop was relevant to them andmade them aware of elements of end of life planning that they hadn't even considered.
  • Several found the information about the difference between Power of Attorney and Personal Representation Agreements very educating.
  • One person commented that they found the information on the storage of wills quite informative.
  • Over the next few weeks the library had a number of people coming into the library to photocopy wills that they'd decided to review based on the information they had received at the workshop.

Partnerships that support the priority: Meghan Wallace, Barrister and Solicitor

Providing invigilation services: As people are updating or improving their skills by taking online college and university courses the Elkford Public Library is receiving additional requests for invigilation services. Due to Elkford being a somewhat isolated community it is more convenient for people to come to the library for their exams. In 2015 the number of exams invigilated by stafftripled over 2014. Library staff are trusted by various colleges and universities to oversee that exams are administered in a professional manner and that all instructions are followed and protocols are maintained.

Outcomesthatwereidentified:

  • One woman said that if she were to take her exams at the college she’s attending she would have to travel three hours and stay overnight in a hotel room
  • Another woman is upgrading her skills while working and she said that it would be impossible for her to go to the school for the tests as she would never be able to get sufficient time off to go.
  • The service is available right here at the library and canaccommodate people’s work hours.

Partnerships that support the priority: Selkirk College, Lethbridge College, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, et al.

Programsand/orServicesthatalignswiththepriority:

Library Goal that supports the priority: Goals that support this priority include Community Connections 1 “to establish communications with community groups and organizations” and Programs 3 “continue to strengthen and develop the programs offered at the library.”Partnerships 1. “Selectively participate in the programs and initiatives launched by library related organizations” Partnerships 2. “Continue partnerships with local and regional literacy, educational, cultural and workforce development agencies.”

Employment Services Support: At the end of 2014 we saw an upswing in requests for help with resume writing and job search services. In response to this increased need we reached out to EK Employment to provide a presentation in Elkford in February 2015. Brenda Sutherland provided an information session on the services thatEK Employment provides, as well as, details about training, job support, wage subsidies and labour market needs. There was a small turnout with people looking for information to share with friends and family members.

Outcomesthatwereidentified:

  • One lady attending on behalf of her children stated that she felt better knowing that she now had information to help guide them through the process of looking for work.
  • Another attendee said that he was amazed by the kind of services that EK Employment offered and would be availing himself of some of the training.

Partnerships that support the priority: EK Employment – Elk Valley

LibraryGoalthatsupportsthepriority: Partnerships 1. “Selectively participate in the programs and initiatives launched by library related organizations such as Kootenay Library Federation, BCLTA, BCA, and BC Library Cooperative.” Partnerships 2. “Continue partnerships with local and regional literacy, educational, cultural and workforce development agencies.” Technology 1 “Update computers and equipment to ensure all components of the network operate efficiently. Purchase equipment to facilitate ongoing electron training to the community.”

Programs and/or Services that aligns with the priority:

Recognizing Abuse Seminar: The Elkford Public Library approached the Fernie Women's Resource Centre about providing information about abuse that we could share with our community. It was decided that a seminar would be the best way to provide the information. The Women’s Task Force sent two presenters to talk about recognizing the signs of abuse and ways that you can support your friend, family member or colleague in an interactive workshop.

Outcomesthatwereidentified:

  • Two library staff members attended the seminar since they work with youth and have had situations where they felt they may have seen signs of abuse and were unsure how to deal with the situations. They felt that they had a better understanding of how to handle such situations in the future.

Partnerships that support the priority: Fernie Women's Resource Centre

Kootenay Connect Interlibrary Services: With the implementation in 2014 of Kootenay Connect, an interlibrary materials sharing system,the Elkford Public Library saw a large increase in the request for materials from other libraries, particularly in the Kootenay Library Federation. In 2015 we saw a 61% increase of materials lent to other libraries over pre-Kootenay Connect services. Our patrons find using the Kootenay Connect accessible and easy to use since it is incorporated into the Sitka Evergreen library program’s search enginewhichthey are already familiar with. This ease of use has created a 26% increase in materials borrowed by our patrons.The increase in demand for materials through Kootenay Connect created a need to change our work flow. It was determined that the job of gathering, labeling and packaging the materials will be shared by all staff so there won’t be any gaps in service when anyone is away or busy with other work. Training for Canada Post’s Library Shipping Tool for staff was done in the fall and has improved efficiency and speed of response for Kootenay Connect interlibrary loan requests.

Outcomesthatwereidentified:

  • Patrons tell us thatKootenay Connect system makes it easier to access the materials they are looking for.
  • A woman who does story readings for the local home schooling group uses Kootenay Connect to order in books that she wants to use in her class. She likes the speed at which she receives the materials through the system.
  • A patron orders supplemental reading for her online course through Kootenay Connect. She likes the fact that she can easily find the materials she is looking for and place a hold for the materials she wants.

Partnerships that support the priority: Kootenay Library Federation, BC Libraries Cooperative

During this year as part of our improvements to make our space more open and welcoming,we upgraded the furnishing in our children’s area and replaced the public computer station’s seating. We have started working on improving and making internet and computer services more accessible with the purchase of tablets for public use. Through workshops we continued developing awareness of the library’s services and those of local businesses and organizations.

In2016,we plan on having a community survey to identify the needs of our residents, so that we can better align our next strategic plan with our community’s requirements.