"Best Practices" 1998:
Innovative Internet Use in Canadian Public Libraries

Prepared by Danielle Pilon for LibraryNet, June 1998.

Bringing the Community In:

• Community Information and Partnerships
• Local History
• Fund-raising and Promotions
• Interactivity

Expanding the Library Walls:

• Organizing the Internet
• Special Services
• Reader's Advisory
• Web-accessible Catalogues

The Internet pervades the Canadian public library community (and vice versa) more thoroughly every year. The libraries cited below are all unique in the ways they have chosen to make the most of the Internet, and yet have in common the fact that they are using the technology rather than letting it drive them. Some of these applications are leading-edge technology, some are very plain and simple, yet all contribute to improving the patron's library experience in some way.

Bringing the Community In

These libraries use the Internet as a way of bringing the community into the network of the local library, both literally and figuratively, and encouraging patrons to communicate with the library in many ways. Their web pages offer unique services or make information about their community available to others all over the world. Canadian public libraries are digitizing local history archives at an amazing rate; more community heritage material goes online every day. And a growing number of libraries use the Internet to promote community library use or publicize fund-raising efforts. Meanwhile, so many libraries are adding feedback opportunities to their web pages that a new category of innovation best practice -- "Interactivity" -- had to be created.

 

Community Information and Partnerships

• For a nominal fee, the Wainfleet Township Public Library (ON) offers the web development skills its librarians have learned to local businesses and other agencies to create their own web presence.
• The Halifax Regional Library (NS) created and keeps updated a searchable database of adult education organizations and other clubs and associations in the Halifax area.

 

Local History

• At the North Bay Public Library (ON), the online story of the Dionne Quintuplets includes many pictures and photos, plus a time line of events.
• A searchable database of the Lloydminster (SK) cemetery is hosted at the Lloydminster Public Library's web site.
• Gordie Howe fans should be sure to check out "Prairie Gold", a collection of Saskatchewan sports history photographs and bibliographies created by the Saskatoon Public Library.

Fund-raising and Promotions

• A great concept! At the Prince Rupert Public Library (BC), you can read "Testimonials" from local patrons on what the library helped them to do -- find a new job, research a novel, etc.
• On the main page of the Ajax (ON) Public Library's web page, you will find updates on how much weight prominent community figures have lost so far as part of the "Anchors A-Weigh" library fund-raising challenge.
• Many libraries have an "Adopt-a-Book" program. Western Counties Regional Library (NS), however, has put online the entire list of books, videos, etc. available to be adopted.

Interactivity

• Just the facts -- the Hanna Municipal Library (AB) offers its patrons a simple, all-purpose Request Form for ILL or reference questions.
• Want to know if the library has ordered that hot new title yet? You can search the on-order file of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System (BC).
• Patrons can cast votes for their favourite book, author, video, etc. from the collection of the Wheatland Regional Library (SK).

Expanding the Library Walls

On the other side of the coin, many libraries use the Internet to expand outwards, taking traditional library functions and adapting them to delivery through the Internet. Some of these libraries provide special online resources for children and/or seniors, helping to make the Internet a gateway to life-long learning. Some of them use the Internet to encourage reading by promoting book clubs and reader's resources online. And there are libraries who use their staff's expertise in evaluating and cataloguing materials to select the web resources their patrons will find most valuable. Web-based catalogues are no longer just for large urban libraries; small and/or rural libraries are also able to offer them now, sometimes through provincial union catalogues.

Organizing the Internet

• It may not seem worthwhile, as a smaller public library, to create your own Internet directories. The North Vancouver City Library (BC) Reference Page is a wonderful example of how useful selecting Internet information of local relevance can be.
• The Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library has done it again with "Bob's Your Uncle, eh!" -- an excellent genealogy search engine.

Special Services

• The Calgary Public Library (AB) trail blazed with the first Canadian children's reading program online last summer. You can check out its archived Reading Games on the same page as the all-new Summer 98 version, which begins June 10.
• Edmonton Public Library (AB) has followed suit with its online "Take Me Out to the Library" baseball-themed reading program.
• At the North Vancouver District Public Library (BC), not only do seniors have access to a large-type computer monitor, the library has also created a great Seniors Page of Internet links for the "third age."

Reader's Advisory

• At the Calgary Public Library's Virtual Book Club, you can check out staff recommendations, find out how to start up a book club, and follow links to online book discussions.
• The Hamilton Public Library (ON) offers its pathfinders and booklists online; a special feature is the "Top 10 Holds of the Month", where you can see what other patrons are currently lining up for.

Web-accessible Catalogues

• MERLIN, at the Bibliothèque de Montréal, is one of the most highly sophisticated web catalogues in Canada. Due to the assistance of the Bibliothèque nationale de Québec, there is now an online Tutoriel [French only] to help users get the most out of it.
• On the other end of the scale, the web catalogue of the Aylmer Municipal Library (QC) shows how even a small library can maintain a simple, no-frills catalogue access online.
• Many provincial library services are taking the initiative in creating online union catalogues; for example, MAPLIN, maintained by Manitoba Public Library Services. Soon, Manitoba libraries and library patrons will be able to generate and email an ILL request directly from the catalogue record of the item they want.