How You Can Help! FOPL Government Relations Activities

by | Nov 9, 2015 | FOPL News, Member News

How You Can Help!

FOPL Government Relations Activities

There are a number of important items on the FOPL government relations agenda.  Many members have asked how they can help and there are many ways.

In the near term, FOPL is focusing on:

  1. Library Day at Queen’s Park (Nov. 25, 2015)
  2. Cabinet’s First Culture Strategy for Ontario
  3. Cabinet’s Province-wide consultations on Community Hubs
  4. e-Resources funding for Libraries
  5. Fair Pricing for eBooks for public libraries
  6. We continue to monitor a number of other issues including the consultations on the Municipal Act as well as emerging changes of policy at the federal level with the new Liberal majority government (especially copyright, TPP, and First Nations).

Here are some positive steps and actions you can take to help in our efforts to move the needle on these issues:

  1. Library Day at Queen’s Park (Nov. 25, 2015)

FOPL has created a set of great infographics, videos, presentations, and graphics to place public libraries in the context of Ontario’s culture, tourism, sport and recreation activities.  You can find these at http://www.fopl.ca and feel free to use them on your library’s website and social media networks.  We’d like to get these to go viral throughout Ontario and increase awareness of public libraries and our value in Ontario’s economic, learning, recreational, and social fabric.

  1. Cabinet’s First Culture Strategy for Ontario

OLA and FOPL will be submitting ideas and recommendations on behalf of all libraries but you should feel free to submit your libraries cultural roles as well even if they just provide examples of how you support local authors, performers, and artists and educate for the arts and culture sector.  The submission deadline is Dec. 5, 2015.

Here’s a link to the town hall dates and submission information: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-culture-strategy

You can attend the Culture Town Hall consultations across Ontario and introduce yourself as a member of Ontario’s cultural infrastructure.

Read the full discussion paper (PDF) and share your comments on the questions.

  1. Cabinet’s Province-wide consultations on Community Hubs

Describing public libraries as Ontario’s most important community hubs aligns us with a key cabinet level consultation agenda.  Much like we now describe our children’s programming as ‘early years’ work to align with government priorities, we now must adjust our language a little to align with policy and funding frameworks.  We do the work, gain the outcomes and need to position our sector for success with this government.

Community Hubs Action Plan Link: https://fopl.ca/?p=3544

  1. e-Resources funding for Libraries

As you know already the millions of dollars in funding for e-resources is ending Dec. 31, 2015.  FOPL proposes that the Minister of Culture enter into a relationship with the Minister of Education.  Forever, and more now with the funding and staffing decline of school libraries in this province, public libraries are doing a lot to support learning and homework – with zero funding from the Ministry of Education.  This creates inequities of access for large and small libraries and the school children are not equitably resourced for their 21st Century needs.  The Minister of Culture supports infrastructure for licensing and delivery through the Southern Ontario Library Service and OLS-North who also have expertise and experience with school boards to implement a good set of e-resources for schools and public libraries that deal with equity issues of everyone while supporting a seamless learning and resource experience for our K-12 learners – while at the same time benefiting all Ontarians.

FOPL’s letter is here: https://fopl.ca/?p=3671

Consider adopting a motion like this at your Board and informing the two ministries of your actions:

“WHEREAS The Ontario Government’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport has announced they will be sunsetting the public library e-resources funding ($2 million+) as of Dec. 31, 2015; and

WHEREAS No alternative source of funding has been identified or provided to Ontario’s public libraries to serve students and the public; and

WHEREAS Ontario’s public libraries are facing increasing budgetary pressure to increase the levels of eServices as well as traditional services; and

WHEREAS many school boards are cutting library budgets and staff bringing more learners into the public library at night and on weekends for homework help, as well as inequitable access in between rural, remote and urban/areas;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustee of [Name of library here] requests that the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Ministry of Education make a sustainable funding source available to Ontario’s public libraries, learners and residents so they can continue to invest in 21st Century service that support and benefit all Ontarians.

  1. Fair Pricing for eBooks for public libraries

We’ve sent out the materials on fair pricing for libraries regarding eBook pricing policies implemented by the Big 5 global publishers.  Canadian publishers and the small presses are library-friendly, but the Big 5 are pricing too high with no justification.  Here’s a link to the website:

http://www.fairpricingforlibraries.org/

Consider adopting a motion like this at your Board and informing the Coalition and FOPL (and your local media) of your actions:

Suggested wording for Board resolution: [Name of Board] directs [name of library] to join Canadian Public Libraries for Fair Ebook Pricing to advocate for fair pricing models for ebooks.

Here’s a link to the toolkit: https://fopl.ca/media/2015/10/Toolkit.pdf

It’s a start and your help is appreciated!