A big step towards the library of the 21st century

Montreal - The municipal council commission on cultural development and the quality of the living environment of Montreal unanimously adopted in public session the recommendations relating to the 21st century library project on Wednesday September 1st. It is now up to the city's executive committee to accept or reject the recommendations.

The recommendations aim to create a library improvement plan entitled "The 21st Century Library - Improving Citizen Services in Montreal Public Libraries Using New Technologies".

The municipal council's commission on cultural development and the quality of the living environment wants the city to pursue technological investments and accentuate the presence and services of the library on the Web.

Off-wall location
The commission put a lot of emphasis on the off-wall development of the library: for example, the possibility of renting electronic or audio books from home, via the Internet.

"These recommendations place Montreal's libraries as a priority in cultural development, which meets the demands of citizens," said Helen Fotopoulos, member of the Montreal executive committee. The library is the cornerstone of knowledge and its development requires major and urgent investments. "

The commission proposes that the city invest $ 8.7 million for its libraries and increase annual budgets by 4.9 million per year, between 2011 and 2013.

Living environment
Olivier Barette, section head of the Anjou library, is very enthusiastic about the progress represented by the 21st century library project: “Our goal is to find people who are not yet users and to offer them useful services. For example, the 21st century library offers courses in access to information, it introduces users to the Internet, it is available in digital format, it gives access to databases that are not available on the Web, etc. The 21st century library is a living environment! "

Tool for young people
Many teens believe that the resources they use on the Web are replacing the library, when they could benefit from the services that the library offers such as document enhancement and its online information portal.

Ivan Filion, librarian and head of division in the associate directorate of Montreal libraries, also agrees. “The web is filled with misinformation. The Montreal libraries have created a collection of documentaries related to homework and schoolwork as well as a selection of web links on which students can base their research. The 21st Century Library promotes these resources; I am confident that the city's executive committee should understand the importance of our goals. "

The 21st century library project therefore took another big step forward, last Wednesday, when the municipal council's commission on cultural development and the quality of Montreal's living environment adopted its principles and recognized the importance of its implementation. place in public session.

“Today's young people want to use technological means to learn,” notes Olivier Barette. By being accessible in their neighborhood, from home computers and at school, the 21st century library can be their ideal learning environment. "

All documents are available online

By Viviane de Repentigny