New Brunswick Public Library Service is responsible for the overall management and delivery of public library service in New Brunswick. NBPLS is made up of a provincial office, 5 regional Offices, 63 public libraries and 3 bookmobiles.

Provincial Office

250 King St., Place 2000
Fredericton, N.B.
E3B 9M9
Tel: (506) 453-2354
Fax: (506) 444-4064
Staff Directory

The NBPLS provincial office is responsible for:

• Overall management of the system and strategic planning
• Overall management of the budget provided by the provincial government and management of personnel for the public library system
• Proposing and developing policy, standards and guidelines for the day-to-day operation of the public library system and uniform delivery of public library services throughout the province
• Providing centralized services such as cataloguing, Inter Library Loans support and other services
• Planning and coordinating provincial services and programs
• Maintaining and providing access to a union catalogue
• Providing management and support for the provincial database of holdings

Library Regional Offices

The Library Regional Offices oversee and supervise the services provided by public libraries in their respective regions. They provide professional expertise and administrative support, centralized professional services (collection development, technical services, etc.), and bookmobile services. There are 5 library regions :

• Albert-Westmorland-Kent
• Chaleur
• Fundy
• Haut-Saint-Jean
• York

Public Libraries and Bookmobiles

The 63 public libraries and three bookmobiles deliver a wide range of services and programs to the public.

Municipalities play a financial role in providing public library services in their communities. The combined financial contribution of participating municipalities represents an average of 30% of the total funding for public libraries. The role of the municipal partners is to:

• Provide and maintain the library facilities
• Provide and maintain library furniture, shelving and equipment such as computer hardware and office-related software
• Construct and renovate the facilities as necessary
• Appoint trustees to the local public library boards

In the case of public-school libraries, the School District assumes a partnership role, along with municipalities, contributing to the maintenance of library facilities, as well as to the school collections.

Every public library has a board of trustees consisting of three to nine members. Board members are appointed by the municipality, which acts as a partner. The public library boards may:

• Represent the interests of the community to the municipal authorities and to the provincial government
• Promote libraries to their communities
• Accept and administer donations, bequests and gifts
• Raise funds for the library
• Propose ideas and work with library staff to develop programs
• Develop collections of special local interest (in consultation with the Regional Director and with the approval of the Executive Director of NBPLS)
• Recruit volunteers to assist with the provision of library services

Note: Members of public library boards can belong to the New Brunswick Library Trustees Association.

New Brunswick Library Trustees Association is an independent organization whose goal is to train effective library trustees, and to promote public library services in the province. The Association receives financial and administrative support from NBPLS. The trustees join the Association on a volunteer basis. Any member of a public library board is eligible to join.

Regional forums give representatives of the local boards the opportunity for further participation in the development of public library services in their region, and to meet and discuss issues and share information of interest. The forums are presided over by the regional directors.

The function of the regional forums is to:

• Provide an opportunity for exchanging information about libraries in the region and to review information and documents received from the Department such as operational plans and policies, guidelines and information from the New Brunswick Public Libraries Board and the New Brunswick Public Libraries Foundation
• Provide an opportunity for consultation with the Department on library matters
• Elect 5 representatives to the New Brunswick Public Libraries Board

The New Brunswick Public Libraries Board (NBPLB), founded in 1997, is composed of 10-14 members appointed by the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Training. 5 members are elected by the regional forums, while up to 9 may be appointed by the Minister to represent the general public. The Board's mandate is to advise the Minister on policy, service levels and provincial standards for public libraries and library services. Members of the Board are selected based on their interest and knowledge of public library services in New Brunswick. The Board generally meets 2-3 times per year.

The role of the Board is to:

• Study and make recommendations to the Minister on issues relating to the public library system, either at the request of the Minister or on its own initiative
• Report to the Minister, on an annual basis, prior to the budget process, on the status of the public library system, making recommendations on library issues, budgets, policies, standards and guidelines
• Assist the New Brunswick Public Libraries Foundation in identifying the needs of the public library system that may be met through fundraising, promotional campaigns or through gifts from the Foundation
• Nominate three of its members to be trustees of the New Brunswick Public Libraries Foundation

Note : The members of Public Libraries Board can be part of the New Brunswick Library Trustees Association Inc.

New Brunswick Public Libraries Board
Members

Marielle Caron Bouctouche	Anne Gauvin Tide Head
Robert Harquail Dalhousie	Judy Heron Rothesay
Richard Johnson Riverview	Ben Kilfoil Woodstock
Anna Rowley Woodstock	Donna Mulholland Fredericton
Peter Roberts Grand Manan	Rose-Marie Robichaud Tracadie-Sheila
Karen F. Swim Doaktown	Wendy Clowater Upper Miramichi
Sylvie Nadeau NBPLS Executive Director Fredericton Ex officio
Revised: September 2011

The New Brunswick Public Libraries Foundation was established in 1997 by the Province of New Brunswick to receive donations and conduct fundraising activities for the development of public library collections in New Brunswick. The Foundation is a body corporate and an agent of the Crown. It is composed of 10 trustees appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council.

The main purposes of the Foundation, as defined in the New Brunswick Public Libraries Foundation Act, are :

• To receive gifts of real and personal property to support public libraries and public library services in the province
• To invest and administer the property received
• To encourage, facilitate and carry out programs and activities that will directly or indirectly increase the financial support for or confer a benefit to public libraries in the province
• To make grants and gifts in support of the public library system
• To promote the use and the benefits of public libraries
• To assist public library boards in raising funds