Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Catalyst  Premier’s instruction to Ministry (2001) Process  Consultation with community Opportunity & Challenge  $12 M new funding  Commitment by government to initiatives  Review/Evaluation after 3 years

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Strategic Directions :  Equitable Access to Information  Collaboration and Partnerships  Governance Reform  Technology and Equity Grants

Strategic Direction #1 Facilitate Equitable Access to Information  All public libraries connected to high speed Internet - Broadband  Province-wide suite of licensed database products  Virtual Reference Network  One Card for all British Columbians  Staff training opportunities  Province-wide marketing of public libraries/services

Strategic Direction #2 Encourage Collaboration and Partnerships to improve service delivery and cost- effectiveness  Establish library federations  Improve library and citizen access to government information  Multi-type library partnerships  Provincial ministry partnerships  Federal departments  Private sector and NGOs

Strategic Direction #3 Initiate Governance Reform  Review of Library Act  Development of Performance Measures

Strategic Direction #4 Targeted Grant Program  Technology Grants  Example: Standards-based Hardware/Software problems  Example: Collaborative System Solutions  Equity Grants  Match Government Program Objectives  Example: Early Childhood Learning  Example: Literacy  Example: First Nations  Example: Persons with Disabilities  Example: New Immigrant Communities

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Funding :  FY 2005/06-$3,303,000  FY 2006/07-$4,178,000  FY 2007/08-$4,978,000 $12,459,000

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Strategy 1 (over 3 years) :  Broadband (approx. $400,000)  Databases (approx. $2,000,000)  Virtual Reference (approx. $175,000)  Gateway (approx. $1,000,000)  One Card (approx. $400,000)  Marketing (approx. $495,000)

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Strategy 2 (over 3 years) :  Federation Grants  (approx. $2,500,000) [includes current level of expenditure for Public Library InterLINK]

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Strategy 3 (over 3 years) :  Governance Review  (approx. $300,000)

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Strategy 4 (over 3 years) :  Technology Grants ($2,500,000)  Equity Grants ($2,500,000)

Libraries Without Walls The World Within Your Reach Reaction…

Provincial Partnerships  Public libraries participation in other provincial programmes:  Example: HealthNow  Example: Early Childhood Learning  Example: Network BC

Virtual Reference Funding (projected) :  FY $25,000  FY $50,000  FY $100,000 Process:  Practitioner’s Task Group  Based on Vancouver Public Library as Provincial Resource  Symposium in Spring

Virtual Reference Scope  Distributed Reference Network?  Software?  Tools? (VRD, Homework Centre)  School partners?  Partners  BC Post Secondary Libraries?  Virtual Reference Canada?

Provincial Suite of Licensed Databases Basic suite for every man, woman and child in the Province Funding (projected) :  FY $300,000  FY $600,000  FY $1,000,000 Process:  Practitioner’s Task Group

Provincial Suite of Licensed Databases Scope  Determine products to be included  Potential for partners  K-12 sector?  Post-secondary sector?  Health sector?  RFP process where appropriate  Evaluation

Library Gateway Funding (projected) :  FY $200,000  FY $300,000  FY $550,000 Process:  Practitioner’s Task Group

Library Gateway Scope:  Inventory of existing systems / functionality; Authentication requirements  Partnerships  Evaluate software  RFP

One Card Funding (projected) :  FY $200,000  FY $200,000  FY $200,000 Process:  Committee (s)  Pilot project  Research / Surveys