Surrey city council has endorsed Surrey Public Library’s request calling on the federal government to improve its patrons’ access to digital publications.
Council agreed Monday without debate to authorize library staff to share with local MPs a resolution for the feds to investigate and “help develop a solution to the limited access and high costs of digital materials to public libraries.”
It’s part of a nation-wide campaign coordinated by the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, of which Surrey Public Library is a member.
According to a corporate report that came before council, Surrey Public Library spends about $2.5 million annually on acquisitions and this year $500,000, or 19.6 per cent of the expenditure, is allocated to digital publications – namely eBooks and eAudiobooks.
This share, the report states, has nearly doubled over the past five years as more Library-goers are seeking out digital reads.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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