June 23, 2008
To CEOs and Board Chairs of All Ontario Public Libraries,
As you know, SOLS and OLS-N are organizing ten 3-hour consultation sessions throughout Ontario during the month of July, designed specifically to hear from representatives from individual public libraries on how the $15 million grant should be spent.
In preparation for those consultations, you will find attached the email that was sent from the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries to SOLS and OLS-N (copied to the Ministry of Culture) prior to the June 16th meeting between the OLSs and the Ministry, at which the consultation process was decided.
The Federation's email was based on:
- responses to a questionnaire circulated to our 170 members in late May, and
- confirmation of support from our members in early June for the proposal that was eventually submitted. \
Please feel free to use part or all of the Federation's submission in preparing your own presentations to SOLS and OLS-N. We recommend that you circulate the Federation's submission to all members of your individual library boards. Recognizing the importance of speaking with one voice, the Federation is distributing this email complimentary to non-members as well.
Good luck with your upcoming consultations. Details pertaining to the dates, location and times for the consultation sessions can be found at: http://www.sols.org/aboutsols/reports/15MillionInvestmentConsultation.htm.
Let us know if we can help you further in this regard.
David Allen, CEO
Federation of Ontario Public Libraries
Tel: 416-395-5638
davidallen@fopl.ca