January 2023         

PREAMBLE

101     GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

101.1        Library Board

The Town of Valleyview Library Board has overall responsibility for the provision of library services to residents of the Town of Valleyview, surrounding communities in the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16, and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation.  

101.2        The Valleyview Municipal Library

The Valleyview Municipal Library serves the library needs of the community of the Town of Valleyview, and surrounding communities in the M.D. of Greenview No. 16 and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. The Valleyview Municipal Library is housed at 4804 – 50 Avenue (Main Street), Valleyview, AB. 

The Valleyview Municipal Library is managed by the Town of Valleyview Library Board (also referred to in this document as the Library Board).

 LEGAL REF:       Libraries Act         

101.3        Library Association Memberships

 Through the Library Board, the Valleyview Municipal Library holds memberships with the following organizations:

a)    Peace Library System (PLS)

b)    The Regional Automation Consortium  (TRAC)

c)    The Alberta Libraries (TAL)

d)    The Library Association of Alberta

e)    The Alberta Library Trustees Association

102           MISSION

102.1        Mission Statement

The Library Board supports and upholds this mission statement:

“The Valleyview Municipal Library shall provide access and be a connection to the entire world for community residents of the Town of Valleyview and a portion of the M.D. of Greenview #16. The Library will be a source of information, learning and literacy, inspiration, enrichment, cultural awareness, and entertainment.”

103           PHILOSOPHY

103.1        Policy Statement

The Library Board upholds the public’s “right to knowledge” by providing access to information and collections that reflect different points of view and encourage diversity and inclusion.

104           BELIEFS

104.1           Statement on Intellectual Freedom

The Library Board has adopted the following Statement on Intellectual Freedom approved by the Canadian Library Association.

Statement on Intellectual Freedom

Approved by the Canadian Library Executive Council ~ June 27, 1994; Amended November 17, 1983; and November 18, 1985

All persons in Canada have the fundamental right, as embodied in the nation’s Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity, and to express their thoughts publicly. This right to intellectual freedom, under the law, is essential to the health and development of Canadian society.

Libraries have a basic responsibility for the development and maintenance of intellectual freedom.

It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity, including those where some elements of society may consider unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable. To this end, libraries shall acquire and make available the widest variety of materials.

It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee the right of free expression by making available the entire library’s public facilities and services to all individuals and groups who need them.

Libraries should resist all efforts to limit the exercise of these responsibilities while recognizing the right of criticism by individuals and groups.

Both employees and employers in libraries have a duty, in addition to their institutional responsibilities, to uphold these principles.

104.2           Belief Statements

The Library Board believes in:

a)   Equitable access to library services for all members of the Community;

b)   Respect for the public served by the Library regardless of age, economic level, beliefs, race, personal or physical characteristics;

c)   Effective and efficient service;

d)   Library resources that anticipate and respond to community interests and needs;

e)   Maintaining friendly, inviting and safe facilities;

f)    Professionalism and Board respect for the worth and ability of each employee.

105           GOALS

105.1        Plan of Service

As per the Libraries Regulation, the Board shall maintain a current Plan of Service including a Mission Statement, and goals and objectives based on a community needs assessment. The Plan of Service shall be renewed a minimum of every five years.

See Appendix 105.1: Plan of Service

APPENDIX 105.1

105.1   CURRENT PLAN OF SERVICE – 2024 to 2026 of the Town of Valleyview Library Board for The Valleyview Municipal Library

                  Submitted to Alberta Public Libraries Branch, November 2023

      Due date of next Plan of Service:       2027-2029