Nova Scotia Makes Public and Academic Library Holdings Available to All

"Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere" backed by provincial role in library funding

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 10/23/2009

• Province funds all academic libraries
• Academic libraries drove this project
• Challenges in working with multiple ILS's

In an unusual partnership called “Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere,” all public, college, and university libraries in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, will lend all their materials to any library card-holder in the province, with no additional fees.

Other library groupings—by province, state, or consortia—in North America may buy electronic materials collectively, allow borrowing at all public libraries or university libraries, but this is the [corrected] one of the first program's that allows residents to access all libraries—in this case, more than 100.  (Updated: As noted in the comment, Alberta allows access to 290 libraries.)

Large provincial role
Notably, all academic libraries in Nova Scotia are publicly funded. According to Nova Scotia Department of Education spokesman Dan Harrison, the province also funds 71% of public library spending, except in Halifax, the largest city, where the province supports 51% of spending.

No specific dollar amount has been budgeted for the first year, which, while being called a pilot, will continue. “Part of the initial year is to determine potential costs and ongoing necessary funding,” Harrison said. “Startup was completed using existing resources at the partners, spearheaded by the Department of Education.”

Harrison said the program was driven mainly by the university libraries, which wanted to open their libraries up to more people. The collective is known as Libraries Nova Scotia.

The goal is to have returns back at the original library within seven days at most. While many books would be returned via a mobile library truck, others, in farther-flung reaches of the province, would be returned via Canada Post.

A web site, “One-Place-to-Look," offers links to various library catalogs in the province, including the provincial academic catalog known as NovaNet.

"Nova Scotians are voracious library users, borrowing more than seven million items last year from public libraries alone," said Education Minister Marilyn More. "This innovative program gives each library user a whole province full of choices. In other words, it's your library, everywhere you are. And with no fees, it makes life more affordable for families too."

Nitty-gritty questions
An FAQ addresses, among other things, how the program navigates among various integrated library systems.

Q. Can you use a post-secondary library card to register at a public library, or can you use one public library card to register in another public library system?

A. No to both. A public library card may be used by a post-secondary library in lieu of issuing one of its own cards, but not vice versa. Nova Scotians can get a library card from each of the nine separate, independent public library systems, but, because of ILS limitations, you can’t use a public library card from one system to register in another public library system.

Q. What materials may be returned under the “Return Anywhere” service?

A. In the pilot, all materials in all formats will be returnable to any library. Some local policies will require certain materials to be returned to the site at which they are borrowed (such as reserves).

Q. How will materials be returned to other library systems? Who pays? Will there be a guaranteed return time?

A. Libraries will use existing return mechanisms, including Canada Post and courier. Individual institutions may develop alternate returns mechanisms with specific partners as the pilot develops. The cost of returning the item to the lending library will be assumed by the sending library. All costs will be measured and reported during the pilot. Standards will be set for turnaround time and measured against during the pilot.

Q. How will materials be checked back in if a patron returns them to a different library system than that from which they were borrowed?

A. These materials will not be checked in at the point of return because the different integrated library systems do not communicate with each other. The Procedures Development Committee is working on a collaborative reporting mechanism which will allow the library at which the item is returned to report to the lending library. Internal procedures will determine when the item is checked in (i.e., Upon receiving notification, the lending library may remove the item from the patron record and set to transit status, or it may wait to receive the item.)

Q. RE: Holds, Fines & Renewals: Will clients be able to specify a holds pickup location outside the library system in which they place the hold? Will they be able to pay fines outside the system in which they were incurred? Will they be able to renew items that were borrowed in a different library system?

A. No. At this point, the different integrated library systems do not communicate with each other.

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