Libraries end shared materials service after provincial budget cuts

Cuts and reduced spending from the latest provincial budget have forced the Wheatland Regional Library to end a service which has been active for decades.

The system have announced libraries will no longer be able to share materials between different library agencies in order to ride the wave of the cuts administered by the government. The service allowed residents access to materials from across the province with delivery to their local library branch.

In addition, any requests made by libraries from other regions will not be accepted unless it is already in transit. Libraries will end the ability for patrons to place holds on materials from sister regions beginning on Monday, April 10th as well.

"Libraries have a rich and well-documented history of helping build strong, healthy communities, and are particularly important during economic downturns," said Kim Hebig, Executive Director for the Wheatland Regional Library, in a release earlier this week. "These most recent library budget cuts will prove especially damaging to our province’s most vulnerable as well as those in rural communities."

Regional libraries "shocked and dismayed" over provincial budget cuts

The Wheatland Regional Library stated the reasoning behind the termination of these services is due to a loss in critical operating funds. Regions no longer have the capacity to support the services associated with the "One Card, One Library" program.

The west central Saskatchewan library system discussed how the province-wide service was praised nationally as "a sterling example of collaboration and resource sharing". 693,000 holds were filled between libraries across the province last year.

Libraries throughout the country will continue to use the interlibrary loan system to provide access to materials from across Canada. However, Wheatland Regional Library headquarters believe the system is not equipped to manage the quantity of materials once shipped throughout the province.

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