Building Bridges – Ontario Government and the Public Library Sector OLA 2012 Super Conference February 2, 2012 Peter Armstrong, Director of Culture Programs and Services Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

The Value of Libraries: Statistical Highlights Province-wide access to public libraries: Over 12.9 million people or 98.82% of the population served 1,085 service points across the province 265 library boards that serve 427 organized municipalities, and 48 First Nations Ontario’s Public Library system is well used and boasts: Over 5 million active cardholders Over 72 million in person library visits Over 29 million in-library materials use Over 152 thousand programs attended by over 3 million people Almost 128 million in direct circulation Almost 9 million standard and electronic reference transactions Holdings: Over 32 million circulating volumes held Almost 17.7 million circulating titles held 10,474 public computer work stations, of which 8,430 have internet access 1,396 full-time professional librarians, 534 library technicians, 4,610 other paid staff 15,505 volunteers

Support for Libraries MTCS Investments: $28 M in on-going annual funding  Public Library Operating Grants $18.7M  Ontario Library Service Agencies $4.4 M  Ontario Library Association (OLA) $35,800  Pay equity funding for public libraries $2 M  Connectivity $660,000  Virtual Reference Library $1.4M Cultural Strategic Investment Fund  From 2010 to 2012, 26 libraries received a total of $588,732 Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF)  To date in , OTF has invested $342,000 in library initiatives across the province. 2

The Power of Libraries: Building Bridges Programs Early literacy Newcomer focus Business development and career assistance Technology, social media and computer literacy Adult learning Partners Community museums Art galleries Municipal Cultural Planning partnerships School boards and local schools Government ministries and agencies Heritage organizations