Reports on Public Libraries in Ontario

Ontario Summary and Comparison

Reports on Public Libraries, organized by population served

Under 2,500 population

2,501 to  5,000 population

5,001 to 15,000 population

15,001 to 30,000 population

30,001 to 50,000 population

50,001 to 100,000 population

100,001 to 250,000 population

Over 250,000 population

Reports for County Libraries (not by population served)

County libraries and county co-operative

Report for organizations that contract for library service

Contracting organizations

Sample of a 2003 Typical Week Survey Form

The data for the statistics is taken from the 2003 Annual Survey of Public Libraries, that is submitted by Ontario public libraries, and municipalities, local services boards and First Nations Bands that contract with library boards for library service. The validity of this report depends upon the accuracy of the data submitted.

Population and household figures in these reports are extracted from three different sources.

• For Municipalities: This report uses 2003 enumerated population counts, taken from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
• For Local Services Boards: The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines provides population data for Local Services Boards.
• For First Nations Bands: The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development provides population figures for First Nations libraries.

Provincial operating funding reported includes pay equity funding and excludes project funding.

In an effort to standardize statistical measures and increase the accuracy of key ratios, three changes were made to the library statistics in 2000 (which are continued in 2001, 2002 and 2003):

• Prior to the 2000 statistical year, there was no specific standard number of hours used to calculate the number of library staff in Full Time Equivalents. In order to increase consistency of data reported, a standard of 35 hours for a Full Time Equivalent position has been introduced for all personnel calculations.


• Prior to the 2000 statistical year, per capita service levels may have been misrepresented for libraries serving residents outside of their geographic jurisdiction (i.e. libraries that provide services to contracting municipalities, local services boards and First Nation Bands). This has now been remedied through the inclusion of contracting population counts in data reported for libraries that provide service to residents of contracting communities. Where a municipality, First Nation Band or local services board contracts for service with two or more public library boards, the population of the contracting organization is allocated among the library boards that provide library service. The allocated population is based upon the percentage of the total contracting expenditure that each contract represents. For example, if municipality X contracts for service with two library boards, paying Library A $70,000, and Library B $ 30,000, then Library A would be allocated 70% of municipality X’s population, and Library B would be allocated 30%.


• Prior to the 2000 statistical year, libraries were not required to report the number of 'active' library cardholders. Beginning in 2000, “active cardholders” was defined as those who used their library card in the past two years. All libraries are now required to provide this data.