This week we talk about rural libraries. With the provincial government in Newfoundland and Labrador announcing funding cuts to 54 rural libraries, this is an emotional conversation in the province. While I make this show here in NL, I was interested in finding out how other jurisdictions run rural library services. In this episode you will hear voices from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, and British Columbia.

Resources:
Nunavut Public Library Services
BC Neighbourhood Learning Centres

Rural Routes Partners:
The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, MUN
Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation 
Rural Policy Learning Commons Partnership
The National Campus and Community Radio Association

Music by Laura C. Bates performed by Trent Severn.

Dr. Ivan Emke says it’s time to take care of the rural soul of Canada. Ivan is a rural scholar at Memorial University of Newfoundland based at the university’s Corner Brook campus on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland. We talked about agriculture, rural stereotypes, the unsustainable nature of urban environments and the fact that neither of us could tell how long a group of academics could survive on their own.

Enjoy the show.

 

Resources:

Dr. Ivan Emke’s official faculty profile

Is Rural Life Worth Saving

The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, MUN

Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation

Rural Policy Learning Commons Partnership