Some type of library agreement with North Perth may be in the works, but more information is needed to determine if the benefits are truly reciprocal.
Library board chair Mark MacKenzie noted the request of the North Perth Public Library
MacKenzie said perhaps this was an issue the county cause, referring to the fees charged to non-resident users – such as library membership fees.
MacKenzie said that Wellington County Chief Librarian Janice Hindley intends to meet with them.
He noted there is about 400 non-residents involved with this.
Last October, Raymond Homewood, chair of the North Perth Library Board wrote to the county hoping to address the issue.
Homewood noted “Currently, the North Perth Public Library extends borrowing privileges at all branches to residents of Wellington County at no charge. This “reciprocal” borrowing system has been in place for some time now.”
However, “It has recently come to the attention of The North Perth Public Library Board that these borrowing privileges are not returned by the Wellington County Library Board.”
Homewood requested that the county be willing to extend the same privileges to residents of North Perth.
In January 2011 report to the Wellington’s library board, Chief Librarian Janice Hindley recommended that “ reciprocal borrowing agreements and contracts for library service need to be reviewed carefully on a case-by-case basis.”
Reciprocal borrowing agreements
Hindley explained that hese exist when both library systems have something significant to offer each other. For example, in 2008, the Wellington County Library entered into a reciprocal agreement with the Region of Waterloo Library system because an equal number of Wellington County residents were utilizing the Elmira library branch as Waterloo residents were utilizing our system.
That agreement also saved the County approximately $7,000 that it was paying to the Region of Waterloo for our residents to use that system.
She then pointed to the Caledon library system as an example where a reciprocal borrowing agreement would NOT be beneficial to Wellington.
She contended that many Caledon residents who live in close proximity to Erin, would enjoy using the Erin library at no charge; however there are very few Erin or Wellington County residents that would like to use the Caledon library system.
Hindley noted that when a reciprocal borrowing agreement is not feasible because both parties do not bring the same level of service or benefits to the table; or when one municipality has no library system to provide its residents with service, a contract for library service may be a good solution.
The Township of Southgate (and West Grey until the end of 2010) currently pay the Wellington County Library an annual amount so that their residents may use our libraries, mainly the Mount Forest branch.
A reciprocal agreement would not be in the best interests of Wellington County in these cases.
Non- Resident Fees
Hindley said if there is no reciprocal borrowing agreement or contract for library service in place, then a person that is not a resident or taxpayer of Wellington County is charged a non-resident fee for a library card.
This fee is calculated on the basis of what it would approximately cost a Wellington County taxpayer to support the library system. Residents of the City of Guelph, for example, are charged non-resident fees.
Public libraries are a municipal service, like roads, social services, policing, etc. The quality, cost and investment in the library system is unique to each municipality. The County of Wellington has invested significantly in its library system for the benefit of its residents.
“Our first priority is to provide high quality library service to the residents of Wellington County,” Hindley stated.
