N.S libraries join forces

Nova Scotia’s public libraries have made their holdings available to libraries, including academic ones, anywhere in the province.

The Killam library book return. Photo: Mark Buckley

Borrowing and returning from the library just got a whole lot easier.

Libraries Nova Scotia, a partnership of all university, college and public libraries in the province, launched a program on on Oct. 21. that allows library card-holders access to more than 100 libraries across the province. There are similar loan systems already in place - Novanet, Amicus and WorldCat, to name a few. However this is the first time the public and academic libraries in Nova Scotia have come together as a collective body.

Until now, if you weren't a university student you would have to pay an annual fee to access academic libraries. For non-academics who were never told about this, they might assume that borrowing from university libraries was not an option.

The goal of Libraries Nova Scotia is to create seamless barrier-free access to the world's information sources. Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere (BARA) is a cooperative initiative designed to unite libraries across the province and allow everyone to borrow from and return to any library in Nova Scotia at no cost.

All you have to do is pick up a free membership card at one of the nine public library systems in Nova Scotia. Certain items, however, must be returned to their place of origin - such as reserves.

The library will review the pilot project regularly over the course of the next year by all those involved.

"We want to measure the impact and identify what the real costs are," says Jennifer Evans, director of the Nova Scotia Provincial Library. "We will find out if the program can be absorbed within the existing operating budget or if we will need to apply for special funding to sustain the service."

The Department of Education provides operating grants to regional library boards. The amount this year is $13.3 million, though there has been no mention of a specific budget for this initiative.

"Each library is responsible for any costs that are incurred, so there could be significant costs - we just don't know that yet," says Sandra Dwyer, Head of Circulation at Dalhousie University's Killam Library. "With the BARA program we won't be couriering items back. We will be using the Canada Post book rate, so it will be a little bit cheaper, though it depends on how much it is used."

Though it is too early to predict how this will pan out over time, Dwyer says that there are a lot of positives for Nova Scotians.

"The benefits outweigh the costs," says Dwyer. She thinks the program is a step in the right direction and says the response thus far has been very positive.

"It's great to have so many resources and that you don't have to attend university to have access," says Paige Littlefair, a bookseller at Bookmark, a bookstore in Halifax, N.S.

"I have been borrowing books from one library and returning them to another, says Littlefair. "Just to test them."

The initiative allows even those residing in the most remotes parts of Nova Scotia to access all library catalogues across the province. A comprehensive list of said catalogues can be found online at One Place to Look.

Libraries Nova Scotia has designed this initiative as a way of reaching out and advocating equal opportunity throughout the province.

In 2008 there were 36,809 new card-holders in Nova Scotia and 305,140 card-holders in total. This represents about 26% of the population - a number that Evans believes will rise as a result of BARA, and in turn may encourage more people to further their education.

"If the public has a better sense of what is available on university campuses it may increase interest in future enrollment," says Evans.

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