Sector profile: public libraries

Overview

Public libraries have become more than just places to borrow books. They also provide inviting places for people to gather or pursue their interests and goals and they offer programs and spaces for recreation and cultural activities as well as learning and personal development.^{footnote 271[271]} Ontarians recognize the role public libraries play in their quality of life, and most feel that losing their local library would have a major impact on their communities.^{footnote 272[272]}

The Public Libraries Act is the key legislation governing Ontario’s public libraries. Its purpose is to ensure free and equal access to public library services and information.^{footnote 273[273]} Under the Act, public library boards, established by municipalities, are responsible for the operation of their library systems. In First Nation communities, public libraries may be established by Band Councils.^{footnote 274[274]}

There are 265 public library boards across Ontario and 45 First Nations public libraries. They provide 1,157 public library service points across the province, including library branches, book deposit stations, and bookmobile stops.^{footnote 275[275]} In 2013, about 5 million Ontarians were active library cardholders, making 72 million in-person visits, and 110 million electronic visits.^{footnote 276[276]}

Ontario Library Service-North and Southern Ontario Library Service provide support programs and services to public libraries on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. They aim to increase the capacity of libraries to provide services to the public.^{footnote 277[277]}

Social and economic benefits of public libraries

Public libraries are key contributors to literacy and lifelong learning. Studies have shown that the public library’s role in early learning is particularly important for children in rural communities and for children from low-income families.^{footnote 278[278]} Programs offered through public libraries help build the self-confidence and self-esteem that children and youth living in difficult environments need to succeed in school, graduate from high school, go on to higher education, and find employment.^{footnote 279[279]} Literacy and reading at all ages is strongly linked to physical and mental health and well-being. Reading has mental health benefits, and the increased health knowledge available through reading influences self-improvement and disease prevention.^{footnote 280[280]}

Public libraries support job training and skills development and offer many resources for career planning and employment success. They connect job seekers to the technology resources they need to find and compete for job opportunities, help them keep up with a more mobile job market, and provide access to and help with navigating vast amounts of information.^{footnote 281[281]} Public libraries also support new businesses by offering training and resources for entrepreneurs, and in some cases, even serve as small business incubators. In 2013, Ontario’s public libraries offered 936 business development programs and 1,551 career help or job skills programs.^{footnote 282[282]}

Libraries also play a key role in helping to integrate newcomers to Canada, delivering over 10,000 programs in more than 60 Ontario communities. Programs include English and French language instruction, settlement support, and help with professional accreditation.^{footnote 283[283]}

Public libraries contribute to the economy. In 2013, Ontario public libraries employed 10,156 people and spent $463 million on wages. Libraries also spent $188 million on physical and electronic materials and $42 million on library infrastructure.^{footnote 284[284]}> A 2013 study of the economic impact of the Toronto Public Library revealed that every dollar spent by the City of Toronto on the Toronto Public Library yielded an average return of $4.63 in economic activity.^{footnote 285[285]} Libraries also have indirect economic benefits. For example, the presence of public libraries has been shown to revitalize neighbourhoods, particularly when the library is new or newly refurbished.^{footnote 286[286]}

Key trends

Community hubs

The role of public libraries as community hubs continues to grow as libraries tailor services to meet a wide range of community needs.^{footnote 287[287]} As a result, there is a growing trend towards flexible, multifunctional spaces that house more than books.^{footnote 288[288]}

Libraries are trusted sources of community and government information and provide vital services such as health clinics and emergency response centres.^{footnote 289[289]} Increasingly, libraries coordinate and partner with government, community organizations, schools, and the private sector to provide services that meet local community needs. For example, in 2014 the Toronto Public Library offered flu shots at branches across the city.^{footnote 290[290]} With their community reach and non-clinical atmosphere, libraries have been shown to be effective in delivering health services such as programs for new parents and breastfeeding information.^{footnote 291[291]}

Libraries enrich Ontario’s cultural life with free access to books, music, and movies, as well as digital media such as educational apps, videos, and audio and e-books. In 2013, Ontario public libraries offered 3,388 cultural programs, including community theatre, drumming or art workshops, poetry and story readings, and art exhibitions.^{footnote 292[292]} Libraries also act as memory institutions, providing access to information about local history and culture.

Digital services

Increasingly, Ontarians are accessing their public libraries electronically. Over the past five years, in-person visits remained constant while online visits increased. In 2013, Ontario’s libraries reported e-book circulation of up to 10 per cent of total circulation.^{footnote 293[293]} Digital services are changing the role of the library and the librarian, and both are increasingly seen as authoritative sources for navigating information in the age of information overload.^{footnote 294[294]}

Libraries are creating apps, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts to reach their patrons and posting images and videos for user comment. In 2013, Ontario libraries received 11 million social media visits.^{footnote 295[295]} Libraries are reviewing their resources and adapting and reshaping their spaces and services to engage users in conversation.^{footnote 296[296]}

Public libraries are stimulating creativity with innovative digital services. Some offer maker spaces (spaces for creating, collaborating, and presenting, along with tools like 3D printers and training on how to use them), learning labs, and other interactive technologies. Innisfil Public Library’s IdeaLAB offers a 3D printer, vinyl cutter, and laser cutter. The library also offers training in using email and online security and runs a technology social club for seniors (“Appy Hour”). Its Check Out a Skill program pairs library users with a library staff member for one-on-one training sessions.^{footnote 297[297]}

Offering digital information and promoting digital literacy are among the most important public library services, particularly where the library is the only source of this information. Ontario public libraries offer 11,500 computer workstations, 9,598 with Internet access. In 2013, they delivered 18,393 technology, social media, and computer literacy programs.^{footnote 298[298]}

Technology infrastructure and programs have become central to the success of libraries in meeting community needs.^{footnote 299[299]} Together with the new emphasis on digital resources, this has put pressure on library budgets throughout the province, especially smaller and rural public libraries.^{footnote 300[300]} Many rural libraries lack the bandwidth to provide adequate digital services.^{footnote 301[301]} In addition, the cost of maintaining an e-book collection can be prohibitive, as licenses for these materials are significantly more expensive for libraries than for individual consumers.^{footnote 302[302]} At the same time, librarians are faced with the challenge of achieving and maintaining technical skills in record-keeping, information management, and emerging digital technologies.^{footnote 303[303]} Part of the solution may lie in greater collaboration among libraries to build technology capacity.

Collaboration and consortia

There has been significant growth in interlibrary partnerships over the past two decades. Collaboration helps libraries address the costs of moving to digital, and positions them to seize opportunities to take advantage of digital technologies to increase public access and build capacity.^{footnote 304[304]}

Consortium purchasing allows libraries to increase their buying power, reduce the cost of e-resources, negotiate favourable terms and conditions, and expand services and access to resources. Ontario Library Services helps public libraries access e-resources through shared collections like Overdrive. Currently, 200 libraries participate in the program, most of which represent communities of under 100,000 people.^{footnote 305[305]} There are 30 libraries participating in the French Archambault e-book collection, which provides access to Francophone resources to participating libraries. Other examples include shared cataloguing systems or Integrated Library Services (ILS). Similarly, the Ontario Library Service – North manages a shared cataloguing system, JASI, on behalf of 85 northern libraries.^{footnote 306[306]}

Technology needs are also driving greater collaboration between libraries, archives, and museums.^{footnote 307[307]} They are sharing digital resources as a cost-effective way of providing wider public access, exchanging holdings and sharing storage, and mounting joint exhibitions where libraries exhibit museum objects. For example, the Belleville Public Library recently partnered with Hastings County, the City of Belleville, and the Hastings County Historical Society to commit more than $1 million to renovate the Belleville Public Library building to house the county archives, share expertise, and find program efficiencies.^{footnote 308[308]}

Collaboration also provides opportunities to develop software and standards for broader content-sharing.^{footnote 309[309]} Europeana is an international collaboration among Europe’s leading galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. Millions of objects, including books and other texts, have been digitized and made available to the public at europeana.com. The United States is exploring a similar model for a national platform to bring together libraries, archives, and museums and make their materials freely available through the Digital Public Library of America.^{footnote 310[310]}

Serving diverse communities

Ontario’s changing demographics call for public libraries to provide a wide array of services to an increasingly diverse population, including children and youth, seniors, new Canadians, First Nations peoples, and people with disabilities. Public libraries play an important role in building social capital and fostering social cohesion. For many, they are gateways to participation in society. For example, new Canadians may be able to find information in languages other than English at their public library. At Markham Public Library, 10% of the non-electronic circulating items are in a language other than English or French.^{footnote 311[311]}

Some studies point to opportunities to engage youth at risk through mentoring programs in public libraries.^{footnote 312[312]} Mentoring helps build resiliency in children and youth raised in difficult environments and can support their successful life outcomes. Some public libraries are building connections with communities by involving families and communities when delivering programs to young people.^{footnote 313[313]}

As our population ages, more library users are likely to need accessibility measures. Ontario public libraries provide services and assistive technologies to people with disabilities and aim to minimize barriers through building design. This ranges from common measures (minimizing the numbers of doors and steps and creating wider aisles and adaptable lighting and wiring) to innovative ways to accommodate a broad range of cognitive, sensory, and mobility capacities.^{footnote 314[314]} Staff and volunteers are trained to communicate with people with disabilities in a way that addresses their needs.^{footnote 315[315]} The capital funding available for these types of infrastructure changes varies from library to library, and can be a challenge for public libraries with smaller budgets.

A key pan-Canadian accessibility initiative is to remove barriers for people with print disabilities. The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) is a collaboration between the Canadian Urban Library Council and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. CELA supports public libraries in providing accessible collections, for example in alternative formats such as audio, braille, e-text and described video.^{footnote 316[316]} The National Network for Equitable Library Services is an online public library for people who require information in a format other than traditional print. It provides library access for 3.5 million Canadians with a perceptual disability.^{footnote 317[317]}

First Nations public libraries, particularly in remote communities, are an important resource for free access to information, Internet, and community spaces. Through their collections, exhibitions, and programs, they preserve and promote cultural traditions. In 2013, First Nations public libraries provided almost 200 culturally specific programs, including 116 First Nations Public Library Week programs and 80 First Nation Communities Read programs.^{footnote 318[318]} However, of 133 First Nations communities in Ontario, only 45 had public libraries in 2013.

Through Our Way Forward: A Strategic Plan for Ontario First Nations Libraries,^{footnote 319[319]} First Nations librarians are promoting awareness of their public libraries as essential contributors to the social and economic well-being of First Nations peoples. At the national level, the Sound Practices in Library Services to Aboriginal Peoples provides a framework and outlines next steps in the development of library services to First Nations.^{footnote 320[320]}