CUPE’s 22,600 library workers provide frontline services across Canada. Approximately 12,768 of CUPE’s library workers are in 119 stand-alone public library locals, while the rest belong to locals with members in municipalities, universities, colleges and school boards.
Job classifications may include librarian, library clerk, library archive technician, page and security – and others – depending on the size of the library system. Most library workers are women (85 per cent); racialized workers account for about 12 per cent of CUPE library members.
Libraries are the heart of the community. Libraries provide services for seniors, employment supports, language and reading groups, and citizenship test preparation. Meeting rooms are used by community groups, and library staff host education programs and clubs. Canada’s public libraries log 100 million visits and lend 2.1 million books every year. Nearly two-thirds of Canadians have a library card.
The library is the only public institution that provides free access to the Internet through over 8,500 computers that are accessed over 18 million times a year
CUPE represents the majority of all unionized library workers in Canada.
For more information about joining CUPE please email us at: organizebc@cupe.ca