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Selected Library-Related Discussion Lists See Also Canadian Library Gateway Council of Federal Libraries |
Prince Edward IslandProvincial Library Service Annual Report Mandate / Mission StatementThe mission of the Provincial Library Service is to provide an efficient and effective public library service to meet the needs of Islanders for information, education and recreation through the provision of access to library resources regardless of geographic location. LegislativeThe Provincial Library Service is established under the authority of the Public Libraries Act (http://www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/pdf/p-31_1.pdf) The legislation formalizes the partnership arrangement by which libraries have been operated in the province since 1933. StructureThe Provincial Library Service has the responsibility for the operation of the public library system of Prince Edward Island and for provision of library technical services to provincial schools. The provincial government, through the Provincial Library Service provides the materials including books, recordings and other items; staff of the branch libraries; and technical services for the system. Communities have the responsibility of providing and maintaining facilities in which to house the library and provide library equipment such as shelving and seating. There are also local volunteer groups such as Friends of the library, local boards, and the Trustees of the Legislative and Public Library which support local activities. Grants/financesNo grants are provided to local authorities to support activities in their realm of responsibilities. As the Provincial Library Service is part of the Provincial Government, falling under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, all operating funds are within that structure. FY 2004/2005 FY 2003/2004 FY 2002/2003 Total Expenditures 2,156,500 2,127,500 2,112,800 Programs/ services / activitiesBuilding on the success of islandlibraries.ca (one place to look for island materials), IsleAsk (virtual reference) was added to create a suite of services available to users of the Provincial Library Service, Holland College Library Services, and the Robertson Library of the University of Prince Edward Island. It is our understanding that this initiative will be the recepient of the CTCL Innovation Award at CLA 2004. The first PEI Poet Laureate, John Smith, was well received in libraries. A series of readings on Sunday afternoons in the Confederation Centre Public Library were very well attended, even in the cold of winter.Well-known Quebec author Lucie Papineau read to students at Prince Edward Island schools and libraries May 3 to 5 2004. The tour is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts and organized by the Departments of Community and Cultural Affairs and Education. The PEI Provincial Library Service helped Islanders keep up with the third edition of CBC's successful Canada Reads presentation. A local panel discussion on the books was held in Confederation Centre Public Library on March 30, 2004 and broadcast later on CBC radio. Grade one children across the province were invited to visit their community public library to receive a free book. This was the third year that the Provincial Library Service has been able to participate in this program which is a special project to promote the Canada-Wide TD Canadian Children's Book Week. This year, the book given away was the international bestseller The Girl Who Hated Books, written by Manjusha Pawagi, illustrated by Leanne Franson and published by Second Story Press. The Departments of Community and Cultural Affairs and Education and the Fédération des parents de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard entered into a partnership with Communication- Jeunesse, an agency in Quebec which promotes children's literature and develops a variety of reading mediation activities for children. The project, called Toup'tilitou, was made possible through an agreement between PEI and Quebec to promote culture. Beginning November 1, 2003, the largest library, the Confederation Centre Public Library began Monday hours. This library is now open 7 days per week. The announcement was made in conjunction with an open house to celebrate recent renovations to the Confederation Centre Public Library. Francophone children's authors C. Claire Mallet and Alain Ulysse Tremblay visited Prince Edward Island during the 3rd edition of the Francophone component of the Canadian Children's Book Week, November 1-8, 2003. The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and the Department of Education partnered to produce another successful event. This Literary Reading Tour was held in French public libraries and French immersion schools throughout the province. Two well-known French authors, François Gravel and Michèle Marineau, toured Prince Edward Island performing literary readings at French schools and Libraries, October 27- 29, 2003. The tour was sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Arts and organized by the Departments of Community and Cultural Affairs and Education. This year (2003) marks the 70th anniversary of the Provincial Library Service in Prince Edward Island. To celebrate this milestone, community libraries across the province invited Islanders to "Look at Us Now" and participate in a variety of activities during Public Library Week October 20-26. The wonders and excitement of magic that can be discovered through books was the theme for the 2003 Summer Reading Program launched at the Confederation Centre Children's Library in Charlottetown. On March 12, 2003, officials gathered in Summerside along with parents, teachers and students to officially open and name the newest branch of the Provincial Library Service - the Bibliothéque J.-Henri-Blanchard - located at the Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside. New and forthcoming initiativesConsultations on the future directions of the Provincial Library Service were held. While the final report is almost ready, it's not quite ready to be released. The public have asked the library to make changes and or improvements in public programming, collections, branch hours and technology. PEI is a test site for the National Library / TD Bank Summer Reading program. While the library is not particularly happy about this initiative, the library revised it's circulation policy for April 1 2004 to include overdue charges as well as a decrease in the total amount owed before a user is blocked. The library was experiencing a large number of overdue books coupled with a decrease in the ability to provide a browsing collection (effect of inflation on the book budget). By instituting overdue charges it is expected that people will return their books in a more timely fashion. It is still to early to determine what effect this will have. Web links |
