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9 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,M ay 16,2019 theifp.ca for VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND EVENT © 2019 Pandora Jewelry, LLC • All rights reserved Buy Two Charms, Get the Third Free 3 F R 2 o Charms, Get the F R Offer valid 05/17/2019 - 05/20/2019 at participating retailers and online. Free PANDORA charm (must be of equal or lesser value) with your purchase of two or more PANDORA charms. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. No substitutions; selection may vary by store, while supplies last. Not valid with prior purchases. Product not for resale. Returns accepted only with the return of the free item(s), otherwise the original retail value of the free item(s) shown on receipt will be deducted from the amount of the return. Other restrictions may apply, see store for details. Georgetown Marketplace 905-873-6662 Many library patrons won't feel the effects of the funding cuts made to the Southern Ontario Library Services (SOLS) budget, but for patrons looking for for- eign language materials, large-print books or enough copies to run a book club, the cuts might be a chal- lenge. On April 11, the provin- cial government effectively halved the SOLS budget, re- sulting in the cancellation of the Interlibrary Loan Ser- vice, a courier service de- signed to help libraries across Ontario share mate- rials. "From our patrons' per- spective, if we don't have materials available, we would use SOLS to source those materials," Beverley King, manager of communi- ty and adult services for the Halton Hills Public Library (HHPL), said. "Whatever li- brary has them available to lend would lend them, and they would be delivered." A common use of the ser- vice to provide numerous copies of a book for book clubs and reading groups, but it may also be used to help patrons track down older, out-of-print material. The service is also com- monly used to source large- print or audio versions of materials for older resi- dents. Similarly, materials in different languages are commonly shared through the loan service. "It wouldn't be useful to get a small shelf of books for those people (interested in material in specific lan- guages)," Douglas Davey, children and youth services manager at the HHPL, said. In 2017, Halton Hills resi- dents borrowed about 2,000 items from other libraries through SOLS, while the HHPL lent out about 2,400 items to other libraries. Overall, the library lent more than half a million items in 2017. "The impact on Halton Hills is not huge," Geoff Cannon, chief librarian at HHPL, said. "What this change in service is really going to affect is the small, rural and, especially, First Nations libraries." While the courier service is effectively suspended, Ontario libraries can still do interlibrary lending. One avenue is a subsidized ser- vice through Canada Post allowing libraries to mail materials at a discounted rate. For medium-sized li- braries like the HHPL, this isn't a major concern, but small libraries with small budgets may feel the squeeze. Halton Hills residents benefit from "reciprocal borrowing" from neigh- bouring communities. "Patrons of our library can borrow from anyone in Halton Region, Brampton or Wellington County," Da- vey said. While the courier service has been a focal point of the cuts, SOLS provides much more value to libraries. Through the service, li- braries and, in turn, pa- trons have access to various collections lent out across the province, including training and professional development materials. The service also negoti- ates collective purchasing agreements. "The more libraries who purchase, the lower the price," Cannon said. "An ebook is still incredibly ex- pensive to libraries com- pared to what citizens can buy. Our role is to break down those barriers to knowledge." The HHPL receives about 98 per cent of its fund- ing from the town of Halton Hills, with about two per cent delivered through the Public Libraries of Ontario Grant (PLOG). "The government has not touched the PLOG," Can- non said. "It hasn't gone down, but the previous gov- ernment had promised an increase." The PLOG funding was frozen in the 1990s and has not increased since. Of the libraries roughly $3.5 mil- lion budget, the PLOG ac- counts for about $60,000. NEWS HALTON HILLS PUBLIC LIBRARY REACTS TO PROVINCIAL CUTS BRYAN MYERS bmyers@metroland.com The Halton Hills Public Library Georgetown branch. Dennis Roberts/photo