The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, announced today that for the fifth successive year, use of Island libraries continued to climb. In 1999-2000, residents of the Island borrowed over three-quarters of a million items from the collection, an increase of 7% over the previous year. Since 1995-1996, circulation of the Provincial Library Service has grown by almost 30% from 554,573 transactions to 772,416 books and videos borrowed.
Mrs Shea said, "Island library staff have worked hard to provide a wealth of information for the use of Island residents. We look forward to the greater use of public libraries in the future as staff continue to develop library services by taking advantage of the possibilities available via Internet technologies."
Provincial Librarian Allan Groen said he was pleased with the figures, as libraries elsewhere across the country have seen stable or declining circulation numbers. "The response of Islanders to the positive changes made by the Provincial Library Service and by our partners in the communities clearly demonstrates that they see libraries as an important part of their communities."
The Provincial Library Service is a division of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs. It operates libraries in 22 Island locations in cooperation with municipalities.