Saskatchewan

Annual Report
Provincial and Territorial Library Directors Council (PTLDC)
2003 - 2004

PTLDC Annual Reports Index

Mandate:

The Saskatchewan Provincial Library co-ordinates the province's public library system; facilitates the development of a multitype library system of public, special, post-secondary education and school libraries; and encourages cooperation and resources sharing among libraries throughout the province. The provincial public library system provides services through a network of municipal, regional, local and northern community public libraries. The Provincial Library supports a province-wide electronic library network to achieve this mandate.

Legislation:

The Public Libraries Act, 1996 and The Libraries Co-operation Act ensure equitable access to basic library services by all residents of Saskatchewan. The former establishes a structure for the provincial public library system and the latter provides a mechanism for formalized cooperation among all types of autonomous libraries.

The Public Libraries Act, 1996 recognizes that the following are fundamental components to a provincial public library system: a Saskatchewan union catalogue composed of the records of public, academic, special and school libraries; interlibrary loans; reciprocal borrowing; and, autonomous library boards.

In 1996, The Libraries Co-operation Act established the Multitype Library Board to advise and make recommendations to the minister and to Saskatchewan libraries of all types on the development of the multitype library system.

Structure:

The Provincial Library is a branch of the Saskatchewan Learning department with four units:

• Public Library Planning
• Multitype Library Development
• Library Network Development
• Library Planning and Administration

The Provincial Library operates in partnership with ten public library systems and the Multitype Library Board to develop policy for the delivery of services to all residents of Saskatchewan.

Finances/Grants:

Provincial government grants to public libraries in 2004-2005 will amount to $6,837,000. This includes a 1% increase in resource sharing grants, a continuation of the $250,000 grant created in 2003-2004 to support Aboriginal library services, and a transfer of $5,000 from Programs Branch for the Northern Library Bursary which funds northern residents who want to take post-secondary library training. The policy framework for funding public libraries is to support resource sharing. Provincial funding does not support local services.

There are three funding pools for regional libraries, municipal libraries, and the north. The regional library pool is distributed using the formula outlined in The Public Libraries Regulations, 1996, based on three components: headquarters operations, library material expenditures, and public hours of opening. The two municipal libraries, Saskatoon and Regina are funded for their role in province-wide resource sharing. The northern library system and northern community libraries are also funded for their role in resource sharing and for providing public library services to residents in the north.

Activities - Public Libraries

Amendments to Library Regulations
The Public Libraries Regulations, 1996, were amended in 2003 to ensure that First Nations residents have the same access to public libraries as all residents of Saskatchewan. As a result, First Nations people are no longer required to pay a fee to access off-reserve public library services. In addition, grants in the amount of $250,000 were provided to public libraries to improve library services to Aboriginal people. Funds were used to purchase books and develop programs that support Aboriginal culture and to hire Aboriginal library staff.

Activities - Network and Automation

CommunityNet
CommunityNet is an initiative to bring high-speed Internet access, on a virtual private network, to libraries throughout Saskatchewan is a result of the Canada/Saskatchewan Infrastructure Works Program; in cooperation with the Saskatchewan Library Trustees Association and the Information Technology Office of the provincial government. 152 of the province's 320 public libraries have been connected to CommunityNet as of March 31, 2004.

Industry Canada - Community Access Funding (CAP)
Provincial Library administered the Canada/Saskatchewan Agreement on Community Access to distribute $1.2 million in federal funding in 2003/04 to sustain 281 CAP sites in public libraries.

Seamless Access - One Stop Access and Retrieval
In 2003/04, the Government-On-Line fund awarded the Provincial Library an additional $100,000 to continue the implementation and training needs for a project to provide one stop access and retrieval to library resources. The scope of the project remains province-wide and multiyear. Citizens across the province, using the Internet, are verified as Saskatchewan citizens and able to access information databases and other library services in a single search from home or office. They are also able to make requests directly to borrow material, using a web form and/or from a gateway search through the interlibrary loan system software. The 10 public library systems continue to cooperate on the province-wide online question-and-answer reference service "Ask Us". Software upgrades are planned in the near future to upgrade both the reliability and the capacity of the service.

Activities - Other Developments:

Review of Financial Reporting
A draft financial reporting manual was distributed to the 10 public library systems in December 2003. This will help Saskatchewan public libraries move toward the goal of ensuring that their financial statements comply with the recommendations of the Public Sector Accounting and Auditing Board (PSAAB) and are comparable across the public library sector.

Multitype Library Board
The major accomplishment of the Multitype Library Board in 2003-2004 was the updating of their strategic plan. The Board created a long-range plan for multitype development based on the framework of the original multitype strategic plan and their consultations with the library sectors. The Strategic plan is divided into four strategic directions, which include performance indicators and a series of goals and objectives. There are four primary strategic directions:

1. Develop the multitype system; strengthen partners by developing co-operative strategies to address emerging issues. Nurture and build relationships.
2. Implement the multitype library system; expand access to content, including digitized information; broaden multitype partnerships; and, build capacity of the partners.
3. Connect libraries of all types to provide equitable access to and delivery of information; broaden the focus to include the way information is developed, organized and presented to the people of Saskatchewan.
4. Promote participation in the multitype library system; promote an image of multitype partners that illustrates their changing and central role in access to information.

Multitype Library Board Accomplishments 2003-2004

• Consulted with library sectors through an Annual General Meeting with all partners, where there was discussion of the Multitype Library Board Strategic Plan Update. This document is online at www.lib.sk.ca/staff/multitype/strategicplan.html
• The Saskatchewan Libraries Education Bursary was awarded to a second recipient. On the recommendation of the Board, Provincial Library has provided $50,000 toward the bursary since its inception.
• Established the Digitization Advisory Committee to work with the Saskatchewan Library Association to plan two digitization forums in September 2004. This will provide an opportunity for the Multitype Library Board to investigate the potential for a province-wide digitization strategy.
• Fostered multitype participation in the visual recognition project, which will use remote patron authentication software to deliver tailored access to various e-library services provided by each library and allow for online recognition of the library providing the services.
• Sponsored the Recruitment and Retention Issues for Librarianship in the Province and the Profession session at the 2003 Saskatchewan Library Association AGM and Spring Seminars.
• The public is beginning to see the results of the Centennial Enhanced Signing Program, as the highway signs are appearing throughout the province.

Multitype Database Licensing Program
The Multitype Database Licensing Program (MDLP) is a province-wide program in which libraries pool funds to purchase access to electronic information resources - magazines, journals, newspapers, directories, reference books, and other information products accessed via the Internet. The program provides index access to about 10,000 titles online, of which over 6,500 are full text.

In 2003/04, thirty-four libraries and 82 school divisions participated in the program. Participants included all ten public library systems; all K to 12 school libraries, through Saskatchewan Learning; the two university library systems, libraries on the four campuses of SIAST and four small colleges; plus sixteen special libraries and the Provincial Library. Provincial Library takes responsibility for coordination. The total value of the program was $380,000 in 2003.

The program effectively extends access to all residents of the province, many of whom live in small urban, rural or remote communities. The databases can also be accessed from a user's home computer. Through this program, libraries are helping to close the digital divide and ensure that all citizens have equitable access to the information that is so important to learning, work and leisure in a global, knowledge-based economy.

MDLP Accomplishments 2003-2004

• In 2003/04 patrons of Saskatchewan libraries accessed the databases 412,694 times, up by 129,532 over last year, or about a 46% increase in usage in 2003. This works out to a per use cost of about 92 cents.
• Strengthened the program by developing model partner agreements and creating a Statement of Financial Activity to enhance accountability for program funds.
• Implemented remote patron authentication (RPA) software in all public libraries and 3 special libraries to provide the capability to determine that a remote user who seeks to access the databases over the Internet is a registered borrower of a Saskatchewan library. Eventually RPA will be made available to all libraries in Saskatchewan.
• Saskatoon Public Library developed a template to guide users to databases using a subject approach. The template has been offered to all participating libraries to use, or modify for use, on their websites.

PTLDC Annual Reports Index