Dear Barb Clumpus:

Thank you for writing with your concerns about the funding of library services and the interlibrary loan program in Ontario. As Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, I am pleased to respond.

Our government knows that public libraries play a critical role in rural, remote and Indigenous communities across the province. These are the very communities that we want to deliver more services to.

We are committed to working with Ontario’s libraries and with our library service organizations to maintain the interlibrary loan program. Both Ontario Library Service–North (OLS-N) and Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) will reimburse libraries for delivery costs such as postage, and they will preserve the online system libraries use to coordinate the program. This solution has been in place exclusively in the north for some time and is similar to models used by other jurisdictions across the country.

This structure will work for all parties involved, and I’m pleased to see the program continue. I value our strong partnerships with OLS-N and SOLS and will continue to work with them to provide modern and sustainable library services to the people of Ontario.Together, we are ensuring that services are delivered in the most efficient and effective ways possible.

Thank you again for writing and for your support of Ontario’s public libraries.

Kindest regards,

Lisa MacLeodMinister of Tourism, Culture and Sport