A new chapter in the governance of the Lloydminster Public Library could be written soon.
The City of Lloydminster and the public library are mulling over transitioning the library as a member of the Lakeland Library Region in Alberta to a municipal library in the Saskatchewan system. A report made by both parties was presented to City Council on June 24 outlining what it might look like if Lloydminster’s public library became a municipal library.
“Through the development of this report, the working group comprised of City of Lloydminster and Lloydminster Public Library representatives have suggested to Council that the library’s unique and complex governance requirements as a bi-provincial operation could be better managed under a municipal model,“ said Mayor Gerald Aalbers in a news release.
“Since its relocation to the LloydMall in 2022, the library has experienced growing pains as through-the-door visits and collection borrowing have surged beyond our expectations.
“As a Council, we aim to support this positive momentum and provide the best possible library service for our community.”
Currently, the Lakeland Library Region, provides administration, processing and management services to 32 libraries across west-central Saskatchewan including the Lloyd library. Under the proposed municipal model, Lloydminster’s library director would continue to be responsible for the facility’s day-to-day operations, including the management of staff and resources, like the current model.
If the the boundary change is approved by Saskatchewan’s Minister of Health, the Lloydminster library board may require new bylaws and policies currently developed and maintained by the Lakeland Library Region. Transitioning to a municipal library model will remove the requirement to have representation on either of the Lakeland region boards, and Lloydminster’s library representatives will not be required to attend any Lakeland meetings.
Operationally, the Lloydminster library will not be affected by the change. By remaining within the Saskatchewan library system, the same services will be offered to patrons through the province-wide inter-library loans system and resources will continue to be shared to other libraries and patrons within the province.
In the meantime, the City is setting aside a four-week opportunity for those affected by the proposed change to write a submission to Office of the City Clerk at cityclerk@lloydminster.ca.
In addition, a public meeting on the proposed change will be held at the Servus Sports Centre on Aug. 8 from 3 to 6 p.m.
Following the meeting and after all submissions have been resolved, the City will apply for the boundary change to Saskatchewan’s Minister of Education.
The City of Lloydminster provides an annual operating grant to the Lloydminster Public Library, which is subject to City Council approval. In 2024, the Library’s operating grant from the City was just over $1.2 million, 76% of its annual operating revenue. Lloydminster’s public library currently provides audited financial statements to the City every year in March as per the agreement between the two parties. The library manages its budget and finances internally, with approval from its board. Additionally, the library receives grant funding from the Government of Alberta for the Alberta population of the City of Lloydminster currently 119,000.
Funding for Lloydminster’s Saskatchewan residents is provided by the Government of Saskatchewan and is distributed directly to the Lakeland Library Region. If the Lloyd library becomes a municipal library, the grant funds from the province of Saskatchewan will be provided directly to the library.
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