Interlibrary loans are back in business

Saskatoon library warns system may be unaffordable

Days after provincial library funding was put back in place, the interlibrary loan service was restored across Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Information and Library Services (SILS) announced Monday that its One Province, One Library service, which allows users to put items on hold at libraries in other regions to have them sent to their local branch, was back in effect immediately. The service had been cancelled as of April 10 in response to $4.8 million in funding cuts in the recent provincial budget.

After public backlash over the funding cuts and cancellation of the loan service, the provincial government reversed its decision.

Library funding was restored last week “to ensure that regional and municipal libraries and the interlibrary loan services remain operational,” the government said in its announcement.

Education Minister Don Morgan called the decision to remove funding “a mistake.”

The Saskatoon Public Library expressed caution about bringing back the interlibrary loan service, however.

In a statement issued on Monday, executive director Carol Cooley said the system “may be a luxury that we are no longer able to afford in its current form.”

She noted most library funding comes from the city, which is also dealing with a reduced budget.

Cooley said libraries should be able to save taxpayers money “while maintaining the spirit and the intention of the service.”

Libraries and the provincial government will be looking into better ways to share materials between libraries, the SPL said in its statement.