Hamilton Public Library plans to do something to pay tribute to late archivist and historian Margaret Houghton, who passed away last fall after an illness.

Board chair Lori-Anne Spence-Smith offered assurances during the library’s annual budget presentation at city hall.

Whether that recognition will be something like “a plaque or if it’s the naming of a branch,” for example, hasn’t yet been determined, Spence-Smith said.

Chief librarian Paul Takala adds that he’d also like to reach out to Houghton’s family to ensure their support.

Houghton worked in the library’s special collections section for over 35 years, before retiring in 2016.

The Hamilton Public Library is seeking a 2.4 per cent increase to its $30-million budget this year, an increase of $719,000, after seeing 3.7 million visitors last year and circulating close to 6.7 million materials.

Takala said that digital circulation topped one million for the first time in 2018, despite ongoing challenges related to the accessing of those materials. He describes the cost of ebooks as “astronomical,” noting that it creates “a barrier.”

Takala also said the library has added 151 hours of operation each week across all of its branches over the past two years, without adding new staff.

He says that has happened by “using our technology to change the way we do our operations.”

That includes an extended access model for libraries in rural areas, whereby card holders can access certain branches when staff are not present and study hall hours, under watch of a security guard, at the Red Hill and Terryberry locations.

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