Libraries

One of the things keeping this particular contributor busy over the last few months has been writing small commentaries for the Spacing Ottawa weblog.

Today's instalment focuses on the state and perception of the Ottawa Public Library's Main Branch. Libraries being yet another form of civic infrastructure, that infrastructure being Spacing Magazine's main topic of interest.

All of which leads me to wonder how people across Canada view their local libraries...?

Free Access to Museums and Galleries via the Toronto Public Library

According to the National Post the Toronto Public Library will soon be providing free access to museums and galleries.

There are a limited number of passes each week, but any holder of an adult library card can take part – although they may have to reserve.

MAP, as the pass is called, will provide individuals and families with free admission to one of 10 Toronto cultural institutions.

They are:

-the Art Gallery of Ontario

-the Royal Ontario Musuem

-the Bata Shoe Museum

-the Gardiner Museum or Ceramics

-Black Creek Pioneer Village

-the Textile Museum of Canada

-the Toronto Historic Museums

-the Museum of Inuit Art

-the Ontario Science Centre

-Casa Loma.

The program comes at no cost to the city because it is sponsored by Sun Life Financial, which covers printing and promotional costs, and the museums and galleries involved.

Ottawa Libraries Make E-books Available

According to the CBC the Ottawa library is about to start e-books to borrowers.

The books include fiction and non-fiction for all ages and take the form electronic documents, (mostly .pdfs) that can be downloaded to your computer from the library's website. After three weeks, the file is automatically deleted, so there is no need to return it.
Wong said that after the library began offering digital audio books, which take the form of a sound file, patrons started sending e-mails to the library asking when it would start offering e-books, like libraries in Toronto, Hamilton, Oakville and Edmonton.

Online and downloadable books are no doubt good for literacy on a number of levels - in addition to saving trees and trips in the car it makes more books available to more people regardless of where they are.
There has been some argument that this is not good for libraries. The logic goes that if people stop visiting the library as a physical location that the need for them will decline. There is probably some truth in this - some smaller branches may close. It is worth noting though that the other roles of libraries as gathering/meeting spots and as collectors of historical documents will continue and libraries should increasingly focus on these and on internet access points for travelers and low-income people.

If Libraries can have more material, available to more people at a lower cost and cities gain extra public gathering spots it is good news for everyone.

Canadian Library Association Sides With Canadians

Michael Geist points to an article in todays Globe and Mail on the Canadian Library Association's objections to the Government's copyright bill. From Don Butcher, Executive Director of the Library Association:

“This is a battle between Hollywood lobbyists versus the average Canadian,”.

In case you miss it, in the reader comments section for this story Sam Genkins of Toronto has found a quote that seems to sum up the debate nicely:

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back."
-Robert Heinlein, 1939