Privatization and the Public Good

This fall, Vancouver Public Library's Speak Up series explores privatization. How public services are defined and delivered is an ongoing controversy with important policy implications concerns. The outcome of these discussions will affect the living standards of everyone in British Columbia. Are services more effectively and efficiently delivered by the private sector? By the government? By a combination of private sector and government? By a non-profit third party? Can there be universal service in a privatized environment? Our water service, healthcare delivery, transportation system, public education and our use of public space are all affected by these decisions.

About the Speak Up Series

Vancouver Public Library is committed to encouraging public discussion on important issues. Libraries, often considered the "people's university" or the "living room of the community," are a natural place for such discussion. With over 6.5 million visits per year, VPL draws a variety of people who want to borrow material, research a topic, access the Internet, ask a question, and/or attend one of the hundreds of programs at the Central Library and branches throughout the City. With so many people from a variety of diverse communities using the library, it is an obvious place for people to come together to talk about community and current issues.

Now in its second year, Speak Up is a library program focusing on public dialogue. Every effort has been made to have a broad range of speakers for each session but budget limitations and lack of speaker ability has limited the range in some sessions. A resource list and questions that cover the spectrum of opinions is available for each session.