Interlibrary loans are coming back, but at a cost. The Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) and Ontario Library Service – North (OLS-N) put out a joint statement this week. It notes the two organizations revised their 2019-20 budgets to ‘restore interlibrary loan services across the province.’
The program was cancelled in April, on the heels of provincial funding cuts. The statement says the organizations will ‘provide partial reimbursement to libraries for delivery costs through Canada Post.’
Interlibrary loans, which were formerly done via shuttle vans, allows libraries to share resources, including books and DVD’s.
North Grenville Public Library CEO Rachel Brown says there are many unknowns. She says how the library will deliver the service and how many staff hours it will take are up in the air. Brown noted the one certainty is that postage will have to be paid up front – a cost not accounted for in this year’s budget.
Brown says the library is looking to the public for help. She says donations of padded envelopes, gentle used and new, to send items back and forth are needed. Brown noted this will help defer some of the cost.
The true cost of the reimagined program won’t be known until the end of the fiscal year, when the reimbursement from SOLS is received. Brown says the library will then be able to budget for interlibrary loans in 2020.