Overview
- The Annapolis Valley Regional Library announced Monday that it will permanently close five branches — Hantsport, Kentville, Lawrencetown, Middleton and Port Williams — with the changes taking effect on July 20.
- To implement the restructuring the system shut all locations from June 1 to June 14 and will resume limited service on June 15 until the July 20 changes begin.
- AVRL says the move responds to a long-running structural funding shortfall and to confirmation there will be no increase in provincial library funding for 2026–27.
- All eight partner municipalities provided extra funding for 2026–27 but AVRL says those amounts do not close the gap, and the board framed the cuts as needed to protect core services like literacy programs and digital access.
- The closures have prompted local protests and political debate, with MLA statements stressing the library board made the decision and the provincial opposition blaming recent budget choices for the funding squeeze.