This summer, Yorkton Public Library went online with a new circulation system that is revolutionizing Saskatchewan's libraries.
The Saskatchewan Information & Library Services Consortium (SILS), a partnership initiated in 2008, aims to transform the province's ten public library systems and 320 locations into essentially a single library. On June 9, Yorkton Public Library/Parkland Regional Library implemented the Millenium Integrated Library System, which will connect it to every public library in Saskatchewan by the end of the year.
"We are making history," says Melody Wood, manager of public services for Yorkton Public Library, "because right now New York Library is classed as the largest library in the world. We will be serving more."
The benefits of the new system are numerous. A library card from any one of the province's libraries will be accepted at all of them. Books signed out in Regina or Swift Current can be returned in Yorkton-or Saskatoon, Tisdale, or La Ronge, for that matter.
For more tech-savvy patrons, the library's new online features will be of the most interest. By visiting the Parkland Regional Library website (www.parkland.lib.sk.ca) or the SILS website (www.sasklibraries.ca), users can search the province's catalogue, request or place items on hold, view their currently checked-out items, renew loans, and more. Printed books, audio books, magazines, and CDs (DVDs are excluded) in the system can be freely shipped to any library in the province through a government courier system with surprising speed-often within a week of the request. Audio books and e-books can even be downloaded directly to a home computer 24 hours a day.
The website's search system is modeled after the online catalogues of such businesses as Amazon and Chapters.ca, complete with cover images and reader reviews.
"In our old catalogue, you just saw the title, and you went, 'Uh, did I read that one, or didn't I?' You didn't know," says Wood. "But now with a click it brings up the title and the cover."
In addition to the added convenience, the change will make for better utilization of the library's resources.
"Instead of having books sitting on the shelf, we can actually have them going out and steadily being used by all people. It's not restricted to our region."
There are some growing pains associated with the new system. Province-wide consolidation means that all of Saskatchewan's libraries need to adopt standard policies, some of which are less generous than those under the old Parkland system. For instance, loan periods have been reduced from four weeks to three, and overdue fines are applied immediately after that date.
"Which is a little bit of a shock for most people," explains Wood, "because our system didn't start putting fines on until about two weeks after they were overdue."
But library staff and patrons are both adapting quickly, and most seem to agree that the unified system is a brave new world.
"It's exciting," says Wood. "Just to watch it happening and to watch the surprise on people's faces is really wonderful."
