The St. Albert Public Library is on a streak lately. It is part of a consortium of libraries that just received the 2014 Minister’s Award for Innovation in Public Library Service.
“Second year running!” exclaimed an ebullient Peter Bailey, the facility’s director.
Last year the library took the Minister’s Award for Excellence for the St. Albert Readers’ Festival also known as STARFest.
This year’s award is for the unique ME Card service that was the result of a partnership of the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries that includes St. Albert, Fort Saskatchewan, Strathcona County and Edmonton. The service allows any registered user to access all of the libraries – including their programs and collections of an estimated three million items – within those four communities. It was introduced in the fall of 2013.
The results have already been encouraging.
“We’ve had good uptake on it,” he continued, mentioning that it has seen the best results from St. Albert library patrons who have been using Edmonton libraries. Before, they would have to pay a non-resident fee to join the Edmonton Public Library system.
There has also been a good response the other way around. Since the launch, nearly 1,400 library patrons have signed up to access the resources of the St. Albert library, borrowing 8,661 items in that time frame. Edmonton, by comparison, has seen only 1,300 new registrants borrowing almost 4,000 items.
There’s also the matter that it lightens people’s wallets.
“It’s a lot simpler having one card.”
The program only requires that users upgrade their pre-existing library card by registering online through www.MElibraries.ca to upgrade their account. The program is free.
Bailey suggested that maybe the name should change in the future.
“There’s a little bit of confusion about calling it a card. We’re moving to calling it a ‘service’ because you keep your existing card. There isn’t an actual physical ME card.”
The ME Card has been a good test example of how these kinds of partnerships could improve library services across metropolitan areas or beyond. The province has been looking to create an Alberta-wide card, although anyone with a library membership can already access other facilities through the TAL, or The Alberta Library, card system. Details on that are available through www.thealbertalibrary.ab.ca. The ME card, however, has already been started in Calgary and will continue to roll out across Alberta in the coming months.
Library board chair Charmaine Brooks is thrilled that such a strong and local concept has become a standard on a larger scale.
“The ME card service is innovative and cost-effective, and shows how partnerships can be so valuable,” she said in a prepared statement.
“The innovative work that went into making the ME card service a reality across the region has benefitted not only people in the Metro Edmonton area but also throughout Alberta. ME card holders can now access over 10 million items from over 300 libraries, as more and more libraries get on board with what will soon become Alberta-wide borrowing.”
The Metro Federation members were presented with the award at the annual Alberta Library Conference on the weekend of April 26.
