GUELPH – The County of Wellington Library system’s innovative rural internet hotspot lending program continues to generate strong demand, reports the county’s chief librarian.
In a staff report received by county council on Feb. 27, chief librarian Murray McCabe stated the hotspots, which allow patrons to access unlimited high-speed internet during the seven-day checkout period, have circulated almost 7,500 times since the program began four years ago.
“With all the news about increased broadband services coming to our communities, staff and I remain proud of our unique internet service,” notes McCabe, adding the number of library systems that have approached program coordinator Jessica Veldman for guidance to create a similar program “has been considerable and continues to this day.”
In 2017, Wellington County Library received an American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects for the rural internet hotspot lending program.
Digital library support
McCabe also reported the Ontario Library Association and the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries are asking the provincial government to support an Ontario Digital Library.
The digital library would provide all libraries in the province with access to e-learning databases, additional e-book resources, and staff training currently unattainable by smaller libraries due to cost.
“Essentially libraries once had a similar service supported by the last provincial government until the funding ran out and was not renewed,” McCabe states in his report.
“The budget request for the first year of implementation is approximately $4.5 million and increasing by that much over the following two years.”
In addition the province is being asked to review its funding cut to the Ontario Library Services “that translated into a severe reduction in Inter-Library Loan service across the province.”
McCabe explained a review of the service as it currently stands found that 35 per cent of requests for loans between libraries are not being fulfilled because of new costs and procedures libraries must cover on their own. The request of the province is in the neighbourhood of $400,000 for 2020- 21.
“These budget requests begin with reminding the government that public libraries in Ontario have had their annual provincial grant frozen since the 1990s. They point out that funding for libraries has been essentially downloaded to municipalities,” the report states.
