Haldimand County Public Library

Interlibrary Loan Services Resumed.

The Southern Ontario Library Service has re-established interlibrary loan operations across Ontario, effective June 1^st. Following Provincial cuts to the SOLS budget, courier services between libraries have been permanently eliminated and libraries must now mail all materials being exchanged.  While SOLS will partially reimburse libraries’ postal costs, the reimbursement will not arrive until 2020 and its final value is yet unknown. There will be no reimbursement for packaging and mailing supplies nor for additional labour expenses resulting from changes in procedure.

The interlibrary loan service is important to and valued by Haldimand County residents. The Library is committed to ensuring that the service remains effective and sustainable. Your interlibrary loan team has reviewed the Library’s overall operating budget and, in order to cover the projected increase in mailing expenses, has identified interim cost reductions in several other areas, including training and professional development opportunities.  These reductions will be further assessed in 2020 with the goal of mitigating impacts across all library services.

Prior to the recent SOLS budget cuts, many libraries across Ontario did not loan DVDs and movies for various reasons. As a temporary cost-control measure, Haldimand County Public Library will be added to this list and we plan to re-evaluate this status in 2020. Other libraries across the Province may take different approaches to handling increases to their postage expenses. Their approaches may affect our ability to borrow items quickly and reliably. We ask members to share our patience as we strive to restore interlibrary loan service levels.