Ontario: “Librarians Propose Provincewide Digital Library”

From Newmarket Today/The Trillium:

Librarians are done keeping quiet.

Speaking to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs for pre-budget consultations in Hamilton this week, stakeholders across Ontario called for a digital public library — envisioned as a provincewide online resource for job training, language upskilling, tutoring and homework help, and health information.

To make it a reality, librarians asked for $15 million in the upcoming Tory budget, expected to be released before the end of March. They made a similar request last year.

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Michelle Arbuckle, executive director of the Ontario Library Association, focused on the high demand for services libraries provide.

“My own public library provides access to LinkedIn learning, curriculum-based resources, language learning, children’s materials in multiple languages, as well as high-quality online research databases,” she said in her deputation on Tuesday.

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Librarians also asked for more base funding from the province, noting that the last increase was more than 25 years ago — and that libraries are increasingly dealing with social issues like homelessness and mental health.

Read the Complete Article (about 630 words)

Filed under: Digital Collections, Funding, Interactive Tools, Libraries, News, Public Libraries