The Ontario government is defending its cuts to library services.
Michael Tibollo Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, says base funding for libraries remains at $25m, and he's "disappointed" libraries have made the decision to discontinue the inter-library loan service.
The government slashed about 50 per cent of the money annually allocated to Ontario Library Services North. The program, which supports libraries across the region, including in rural and First Nations communities helps facilitate interlibrary loan service. The agency also helps cover the cost of professional development opportunities and consultation services to library staff and boards, and the purchase of e-books through a consortium, ensuring costs are kept low.
The cut also affects Ontario Library Services South in a similar fashion.
See: Doug Ford going after local libraries says NDP deputy leader
And: Ontario Library Services North cuts will hurt local libraries
But Tibollo says these funding recipients have a responsibility to increase coordination and cooperation among public library boards, to deliver services and programs including training and development, and provide support for First Nations libraries.
"The library services made a decision to discontinue the inter-library loan service following the updated budget allocation to SOLS and OLS-N. We were disappointed by that decision,".
Tibollo claims Ontarians have spoken and are disappointed with the decision by SOLS and OLS-N, but gives no evidence.
"The current inter-library service program is very inefficient – it is administered by 12 vans physically crisscrossing the province at a cost of $1.3M per year. The goal of the service can be preserved by using mail, at less than 25% of the existing cost. In an age where consumers routinely receive products by post and courier, this would be a common-sense step to modernizing service delivery while reducing program cost. Adopting a mail-and-courier approach to inter-library loans is a decision for the library service boards to make, and we hope they will make it."
