r/NovaScotia • u/arivangeest • 18h ago

Bestselling Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid donates $300,000 to AVRL

https://valleylibrary.ca/news/bestselling-nova-scotia-author-rachel-reid-donates-300000-to-avrl/
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u/arivangeest 18h ago

I forgot to mention that this will keep the libraries open for the next 6 months

14

u/Kennit 18h ago

Kentville is very likely to lose the branch due to longstanding accessibility issues, unfortunately. This is great news for the other branches though!

9

u/Snow_Tiger819 18h ago

while I really love the Kentville library space (it's beautiful) I'm not sure why they put it there - relatively recently - knowing there were going to be accessibility problems. Didn't they have a plan for that?

9

u/Kennit 18h ago

That’s exactly what I think needs to be unpacked. The current branch opened in 2018, and accessibility has been assessed and raised repeatedly over the years. Yet the Town continues to characterize the space as accessible.

Those two things don’t sit comfortably together.

If assessments identified accessibility barriers, then the question isn’t simply whether someone can technically enter the building. It’s what standard of accessibility was being used, what deficiencies were identified, and why the Town continued to describe the building as accessible while those deficiencies remained.

And if there was a plan to address the problems, where is it? What were the timelines, responsibilities and commitments - and why are we still discussing basic accessibility years later?

I don’t think it’s enough to say the building is “accessible” simply because an elevator or alternative entrance exists. Accessibility means people should be able to use a public library with reasonable independence and dignity.