Perth South has reached a new five-year agreement to restore library services in St Marys and Stratford.
The agreement restores full services at both libraries for residents, after Perth South council backed out of a previous agreement due to budget concerns in early 2024.
Fred Tranquilli, CAO of Perth South, explained the outline of the deal.
"The budget that Perth South had set aside for library services was $100,000 annually which is what these two agreements are worth," he said. "The two library boards have each agreed that they'll take $50,000 each annually and increase by 2.5 per cent each year for a five-year agreement."
Residents of Perth South will have access to the full range of services offered by the St. Marys, Stratford Public Libraries and other Perth County Information Network libraries, including book lending, digital resources including Libby, educational programs, and community events.
"This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for our residents to benefit from the extensive resources and programs offered by St. Marys, Stratford and other PCIN Member Libraries," said Mayor Sue Orr. "We are committed to supporting educational and cultural initiatives that enrich our community."
Tranquilli says while the new deal gets things back to the way they were in 2023, its a more robust agreement than before.
"It was literally one paragraph," he said. "The agreement that we have negotiated now is a bit more fulsome and includes provisions for service disruptions."
Perth South did reach a deal this summer that allowed people to get non-resident library cards in Stratford and then receive reimbursement from the Township. Tranquilli said while some residents did take them up on the short-term fix, the services weren't the same.
"Effectively it would allow you to go in the library and borrow books. That was about the limit of the level of service you could get with a library card in Stratford," he said. "That wasn't the level that Perth South council was looking for: they wanted access to the digital collection, they wanted access to Libby, they wanted to be able to download books."
The new-five year agreement is effective January 1, 2025, although Perth South residents may be granted access sooner than that.
St. Marys Library Board Chair, Dr. Cole Atlin said it's great to have them back.
"The St. Marys Public Library Board is delighted to welcome patrons from Perth South back to our wonderful library," he said. "This new agreement is a testament to the importance of library services in our communities and the hard work of all those involved from Perth South and St Marys."
