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Normal service to libraries not set to return just yet

A budget rebate to members of the Inter-Library Loan system is not going to see immediate returns to normal service.

A statement from provincial finance minister Vic Fedeli that things were back to normal service as of June 1st may be an overstatement says one area library CEO.

Cathy Fairbairn – CEO Lake of Bays Library (Photo courtesy of Lake of Bays Library)

Cathy Fairbairn from Lake of Bays Library says while they are pleased with the $340,000 being offered for postal reimbursement from the Southern Ontario Library System (SOLS), she remains unclear as to what that will mean for restoring services to patrons or when that might happen.

“It’s great news and it is headed in the right direction,” said Fairbairn. “We just need to figure out how we are going to fund it now because our budget was passed in January.”

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Fairbairn estimates that based on lending trends from 2018, the total number of loaned books was over 800 pieces. With a preferred Canada Post rate of just over $2 per item (return) the costs to the Lake of Bays Public Library would come in just over $1,700 including HST. What she hasn’t put a price on is the cost of handling books, including packaging and taking books to the Post Office.

“I haven’t figured out how to put a dollar amount on that because I don’t know what that is going to look like,” she said. “And the packaging material we are going to have to purchase to put a lot of the books in.”

Fairbairn said it is too early to tell how any shortfall would be funded. Any new fundraisers for the library need to be approved by the Board and the Library Act strictly forbids any charges to users for borrowing books.

She said that requests for books have dropped off since the news of the budget cuts, but the phone has been ringing with the news service might be restored. But none of the libraries affected are shipping books again until they can have a better sense of the financial realities they are working within.

While the lending of books is central to what a library is to the community Fairbairn says visits to the branch have not dropped off, because there is so much more to do these days.

“I think people are using the library because we are so much more than books,” she explained. “We offer programming, we are the safe spot in the community to come and connect to great internet.”

The SOLS budget still remains cut by $1.6 million based on recent provincial edicts. Fedeli said in part this week that, “We are very happy to see that a resolution has been reached with both the Ontario Library Service – North and the Southern Ontario Library Service, restoring the inter-library loan program effective June 1st.”

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