The Federation of Ontario Public Libraries is committed to advancing the interests of Ontario public libraries across the province and with all levels of government.
In support of our advocacy and research & development mandates, the Federation has embarked on an ambitious project to develop a Capital Needs Analysis for public library facilities in Ontario. Through a RFP process, we are collaborating with the firm of Monteith Brown Planning Consultants (in association with The JF Group and MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects) on this project.
Aging facilities are an issue in virtually every community in Ontario. This project is a first step in identifying the scope of the problem. The inventory data that we collect through your participation will be grouped into various lifecycle stages and applied against a series of benchmarks. Through these extrapolations, province-wide needs will be determined and recommendations for required capital resources will be made.
The intended outcome of the Capital Needs Analysis is to identify the condition of existing Ontario public library facilities and place a dollar value on the infrastructure obligation. This will allow the Federation and stakeholders to advocate for the creation of an ongoing sustainable senior government capital program designated exclusively for the proper maintenance, renewal, renovation, rehabilitation and expansion of Ontario public libraries. We hope to present the research findings at the OLA Super Conference in February 2012.
The participation of all libraries is vital to the success of this project. All communities have the potential to benefit from an evaluation of province-wide library infrastructure needs. A commitment to library facility maintenance and development is crucial if Ontarians are to have access to the facilities that they need to support literacy development, lifelong learning, cultural vitality, and other community resources.
We need the best information possible to build our case for increased public investment in library facilities. We can achieve this only with your full participation. The survey is for all library systems across Ontario, not just those that are Federation members. Please help us by completing the online survey no later than October 5, 2011. The survey can be viewed by clicking here.
Thank you in advance for your collaboration. If you need more information about this project, please don’t hesitate to contact the Federation offices to speak to Erin or David.