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Interlibrary loan program returning to Bradford with changes

The Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library incurs new costs with the program for staff time and packaging it did not have to deal with before
2019-04-22 BWGLibrary
File photo. Miriam King/Bradford Today

The province-wide interlibrary loan program may have been restored, but it is not going to be the same as it was, said the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library CEO Terri Watman.

“We’re still reviewing what we’re going to be able to offer,” she said. “It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be the same level of service.”

After public outcry at the loss of the program, the Southern Ontario Library Service and Ontario Library Service - North announced May 31 the program would be reinstated after working with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

However, one big change to the program is the delivery of books will be through Canada Post and not via a courier service dedicated to the program.

This means increased staff time and costs to put items in proper packaging for the mail, rather than in courier bags, Watman said.

The library estimates it will cost $2.25 per package, she said, adding the library shipped more than 1,700 packages last year.

“We were shipping out more materials than we were requesting for our customers,” she said.

Although the library services have been working with the provincial ministry to try and revise budgets to allow for these extra costs, Watman said the BWG library has no extra funds for the program right now.

“We are incurring costs. We have to maintain those costs within our existing budget,” she said.

The BWG Public Library hopes to have the interlibrary loan program back up and running by July 2, Watman said, but she expects there will be limits on the types of materials included in the program.

Library staff is also working on figuring out how much extra staff time it can allow to dedicate to the program, she added.

Anyone looking for more information about the interlibrary program in BWG can check the library’s website, social-media pages, or ask staff, Watman said.


Jenni Dunning

About the Author: Jenni Dunning

Jenni Dunning is a community editor and reporter who covers news in the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury.
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