The Lloydminster Public Library is changing from a regional to a municipal model under the Saskatchewan Public Libraries Act.
City Council on June 24 approved the transition and allocated $30,000 from the Recreation and Culture Operating Reserve to be paid out of the Library Operating Budget to facilitate the move. To complete the change, the library will need $154,950 to switch from a member of Lakeland region to a municipal library. The full details are contained in a report to council, concluding that with the library’s growth, a made-in-Lloydminster solution is a viable option.
The Lloydminster Public Library has been a part of the Lakeland Library Region (Lakeland) for several decades. In 2022, the library moved from downtown to the LloydMall. Officials report that since the move, the library has seen an uptick in traffic with over 90,000 visits, 120,000 physical resources circulated, 50,000 e-resources borrowed, and 30,000 resources from Lloydminster lent to other patrons in Saskatchewan. This growth means Lloydminster is using 32 per cent of the Lakeland’s resources making it difficult for the Lakeland Region to support smaller libraries, noted council.
The Municipal Library model, as detailed in the Saskatchewan Public Libraries Act would
allow the Lloydminster Public Library to operate autonomously from the Lakeland Region while continuing to participate in the provincial borrowing system, added council.
Meanwhile, city council has approved the appointments of Kristine Knourek and Lorelee Marin to the Lakeland Library Region Executive Committee Board until December 31, 2025.
