Libraries ask for Ontario-wide digital system to ensure equal access to materials
Ontario's libraries are asking the government to create a provincewide digital public library, to ensure residents in smaller municipalities have the same access to materials as people in large, urban centres.
Libraries are mostly funded by municipalities, so each library system has to purchase their own material, said Dina Stevens, executive director of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"Many Ontario public libraries, particularly in smaller and First Nation communities, struggle to afford and cannot provide those high-quality resources and ebooks that people in their communities need," she said.
"These e-resources are really expensive, especially when they're purchased on that patchwork, library-by-library basis. So we think something like the ODPL, the Ontario Digital Public Library would be hugely beneficial for smaller urban centres and our rural and northern municipalities, and, of course, our First Nations public libraries."
Ebooks cost three times as much as print books, Stevens said.
"E-resources are extremely expensive, per copy of ebook," she said.
"Since the pandemic we've had a huge increase in need from our communities and demand from our communities for e-resources, ebooks."
Those resources aren't just the latest bestseller novels, Stevens said, rather they include language-learning resources, audio books for kids, and skills training programs for people working on a mid-career change.
The former Liberal government promised to create an Ontario Digital Public Library -- though that came mere days before the start of the 2018 election campaign that gutted the party -- and similar systems exist in other provinces. Creating one for Ontario would cost the province $9.4 million per year, Stevens estimates.
Jessica Horne, the assistant to the Cochrane Public Library's CEO, told a legislative pre-budget committee that smaller libraries such as hers are part of a consortium that allows for bulk purchasing, but that idea needs to be expanded.
"We then share all those books with all the libraries that are participating in the bulk purchase," she said.
"So 300 libraries only have access to one James Patterson ebook. They're very expensive."
Libraries are also asking that their provincial funding not be cut. The level of funding has been frozen for more than 25 years, but the libraries are not asking for an increase, just that the level be maintained.
The Public Library Operating Grant that comes from the province makes up a small portion of their budgets, but is critical to support operations, broadband connectivity and pay equity, Stevens said.
The Progressive Conservative government in 2019 cut funding to library services, though not the libraries themselves, affecting inter-library loan services.
A spokesperson for Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Neil Lumsden said Ontario's libraries are a key pillar in building strong, vibrant communities.
"The increase in digital technology and products has also transformed how Ontarians access information and services," Alan Sakach wrote in a statement.
"The province is providing $27 million to the public library sector through a range of programs including supports for modernization, including broadband upgrades, public internet access and digital services."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.