Saskatchewan’s Annual Report to the
Provincial and Territorial Library Directors Council (PTLDC)
June, 2007
Mandate:
The Saskatchewan Provincial Library co-ordinates the provincial public library system;
facilitates the development of a multitype library system of public, special, postsecondary 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 for 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 defines the fundamental components of the provincial
public library system: a Saskatchewan union catalogue composed of the records of all
libraries; interlibrary loans; reciprocal borrowing; and, autonomous library boards.
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.
The provincial public library system is composed of two municipal library systems in the
two larger cities, Regina and Saskatoon; seven regional library systems, that each
cover a specific geographic area in southern part of the province and are composed of
small cities, towns, villages and rural municipalities served by a network of about 315
local branch libraries; and the northern library system, which is a federated system that
includes public, school, college and special libraries in the north.
Finances/Grants:
Provincial government grants to public libraries will be $7,144,611 in 2007/08. This
represents a 1.8% increase in public library grants; a continuation of the grant created in
2003/04 to support Aboriginal library services in the amount of $266,620; $5,000 for the
Northern Library Bursary which funds northern residents who want to take postsecondary library training; and $25,000 for the northern library system to supplement
curricula support materials. An additional amount of $482,000 has been provided to
supply bridge funding covering CommunityNet connections for 162 public library
branches throughout the province. In addition, multitype library initiatives in will receive
$151,912 for a total amount of $7,474,699. The policy framework for funding public
libraries is to support resource sharing. Provincial funding does not support local
services, which includes salaries for local branch library staff, local collections and
facilities.
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:
CommunityNet
CommunityNet is the high-speed Internet access and virtual private network for 162
public libraries in Saskatchewan. 162 of the province’s 300 automated public libraries
have been connected to CommunityNet. An additional 40 public libraries are connected
to CommunityNet because they are located in schools or are able to use the satellite
connection for schools. 100 libraries remain unconnected to the public library network.
Community Access Funding
Provincial Library administered the Industry Canada Agreement on Community Access
to distribute $360,000 in federal funding in 2006/07 to sustain 197 CAP sites in public
libraries. Funding for 2006 had been proposed at $218,000 and was increased midyear. We have been informed that funding for 2007/08 is status quo but it is not clear
whether that is at the initial level or the final approved level.
Technology to Support E-Library Services
Libraries in Saskatchewan continue to provide e-library services which include:
services: Online Articles – 7000 full-text magazines, journals and other information
resources; Ask A Librarian – an e-mail/web form based question and answer service;
and Online Catalogs – a link to the gateway that allows users to search across all public
library catalogs simultaneously. The gateway also features a link to a request form
allowing patrons to request titles online and have the request, along with the
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bibliographic data, input to interlibrary loan software. A portal page, at mylibrary.sk.ca
redirects users to the library of their choice: one of ten public library systems; six postsecondary education institutions; 17 special libraries; or Saskatchewan Learning for
schools. These services create the virtual public library. In addition, citizens across the
province are verified as library patrons and able to access information databases and
other library services via a remote patron authentication service. Public libraries are
now preparing a business case for a single integrated library system for all 10 of the
province’s public library systems.
In 2007, an E-Library and Resource Sharing Committee was created to guide
development over the next five years, at a broad, strategic level, in a coordinated
manner, and with a user-centered focus.
Aboriginal Library Services
A Committee on Aboriginal Library Services (CALS), composed of representatives from
each of the ten public library systems, has completed the 5 year review of progress on
the 46 recommendations of the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Library Services for
Aboriginal People. They are now working on an action plan to continue implementation
of the recommendations over the next five years.
With $24,000 in support from Saskatchewan Learning, the fourth annual province-wide
Aboriginal Storytelling program has become a month long event that reaches more
communities, boasts increased audiences and is beginning to focus on making a
difference in the lives of First Nations and Métis people in Saskatchewan.
Collaboration Between Public Library Systems and School Divisions
In 2005/06, Saskatchewan Learning created a special fund, of $300,000 per year for
three years, to encourage collaboration between public library systems and school
divisions to improve library programs, resources and services. School divisions have
partnered with public libraries on innovative ways to cooperate on programs, collections
and services. Fifteen projects have received funding to date and many have focused on
literacy, pre-K program, encouraging student reading and writing, enhancing library
collections and increasing the capacity of both agencies in structural initiatives. The
program has been overwhelmingly successful and we anticipate receiving far more
applications than can be funded in the final year of this program.
MLB Board Accomplishments
The Board’s activities in 2005/06 focused on raising the profile of libraries and
information providers and making their products and services more accessible to
Saskatchewan citizens. Key highlights are:
PST Exempt for Electronic Reading Materials
At the beginning of 2007, Provincial Library was advised by Saskatchewan Finance that
fees paid by the Multitype Database License Program (MDLP) for electronic
subscriptions to newspapers, journals, magazines and reference books are not
considered a taxable computer service. Saskatchewan Finance has created guidelines
for MDLP electronic subscriptions and recommended that PST be exempted for these
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subscriptions. These guidelines will also apply to individual library subscriptions in the
province. There will be an estimated $450,000 in annual saving for all libraries, including
approximately $30,000 for the MDLP.
Digitization Funding
Working in consultation with the Saskatchewan Digital Alliance, the MLB initiated a
$25,000 grant program to support partnership digitization projects within the province.
Grant proposals were reviewed, and an announcement of the two successful projects
was made as part of the 2007/08 Budget. The first, “Explorations of Aboriginal Life” is a
partnership between Pahkisimon Nuye?áh Library System and the University of
Saskatchewan, and will digitize images and videos representing Aboriginal life in
northern Saskatchewan.
The second, “Culture and Heritage Image Bank of Southwestern Saskatchewan” is a
partnership between Swift Current’s Public Library, Art Gallery and Museum to digitize
related images and documents held in their collections.
Competency Profile
The Board has been working with the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission (PSC)
to develop competency guidelines for use when hiring information management
professionals (recommendation #3 of the discussion paper). Representatives from the
Board, Provincial Library, the PSC, and the library community are drafting guidelines. A
final version will be completed in 2007.
Multitype Database Licensing Program (MDLP)
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
resources. Access is via the Internet through partner library web sites. The program
provides access to more than 7,000 unique journal titles in full text. The total value of
the program was about $587,700 in 2006/07.
In 2006, Saskatchewan library patrons accessed the magazine, journal and newspaper
databases 577,376 times. This reflects an increase in usage of 89,374 over the
previous year, approximately 18%. Patrons performed 2,295,481 searches within these
databases. This works out to a per use cost of approximately one dollar, and
approximately 25 cents per search.
In 2006/07, 40 libraries and all K to 12 schools participated in the program.
Participants included all ten public library systems; all K to 12 schools through
Saskatchewan Learning; the two university library systems, libraries on the four
campuses of SIAST, and five small colleges; plus twenty special libraries, and the
Provincial Library. Provincial Library takes responsibility for the administration and
coordination of the program.
The MDLP program has significantly enhanced access to reliable electronic information
resources for Saskatchewan residents through their Saskatchewan libraries. By pooling
funds, the overall contribution needed by any one library is greatly reduced. The
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program allows all libraries to have access to extensive online resources that would
otherwise be impossible for a small library to acquire. This program effectively extends
access to all residents, the majority of whom still live in small urban, rural or remote
communities. The databases can be accessed from a user’s home computer. Through
this program, libraries are helping close the digital divide and ensure that all citizens
have equitable access to the authoritative, quality information that is so important to
learning, work and leisure in a global, knowledge-based economy.
New Products in 2006/2007 include:
 Gale Virtual Reference Library (19 e-book titles).
 Auto Repair Reference Center.
 Novelist and Novelist K-8.
CURRENT ISSUES:
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Funding for public libraries.
Recruitment, retention and competitive salaries.
Sustaining the library network and technology, including funding to continue
CommunityNet and expand it to include the remaining 100 libraries, funding to
implement the single integrated library system for all public libraries in
Saskatchewan, and funding for public libraries to continue to offer public access
to the Internet in 300 branches.
Provincial grants for library facilities.
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