When I worked for the Ontario
Provincial Library Service, one of the branch’s objectives was to get
all public libraries in each of the 14 regional library systems to
agree to reciprocal borrowing – one card honoured throughout the
regional library system. The public library patron would register once
in his/her home library and be able to use his/her library card to
check out materials from any other public library in the regional
library system. Library patrons would also be allowed to return
material to any public library in the regional library system. We had
some successes mostly among the regional library systems in and around
Metropolitan Toronto and in Eastern Ontario. But, there were other
regional library systems where the largest public library strenuously
resisted, arguing that its neighbouring smaller public libraries just
didn’t have the same level of financial support from their communities
as they had and they needed restrictions to protect their own
collections and/or provincial compensation. With the 1984 Act
consolidating the regional library systems into larger units, regional
one card programs became even harder to achieve in Ontario. Now I find
that British Columbia has just initiated a province-wide One Card program following
the successful One Card programs in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The
western provinces have achieved province wide, what Ontario, in over 30
years of trying, failed to achieve on a regional basis! Oh how I envy
they!
were married seven month’s later.
Provincial Library Service, one of the branch’s objectives was to get
all public libraries in each of the 14 regional library systems to
agree to reciprocal borrowing – one card honoured throughout the
regional library system. The public library patron would register once
in his/her home library and be able to use his/her library card to
check out materials from any other public library in the regional
library system. Library patrons would also be allowed to return
material to any public library in the regional library system. We had
some successes mostly among the regional library systems in and around
Metropolitan Toronto and in Eastern Ontario. But, there were other
regional library systems where the largest public library strenuously
resisted, arguing that its neighbouring smaller public libraries just
didn’t have the same level of financial support from their communities
as they had and they needed restrictions to protect their own
collections and/or provincial compensation. With the 1984 Act
consolidating the regional library systems into larger units, regional
one card programs became even harder to achieve in Ontario. Now I find
that British Columbia has just initiated a province-wide One Card program following
the successful One Card programs in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The
western provinces have achieved province wide, what Ontario, in over 30
years of trying, failed to achieve on a regional basis! Oh how I envy
they!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Today is the 38th anniversary of our first date. We were at a library
school pub crawl that afternoon when I asked Pat to dinner that same
evening. We went to Hungarian Village for dinner, then to the Riverboat
to hear blues singers,
were married seven month’s later.
Eric C. Bow 