The Province of Ontario is slashing Library Service funding by 50%.

According to Barbara Franchetto, CEO of the Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS), just after the 2019 budget was tabled, the ministry informed her that the SOLS would receive a funding cut of just over 50%.

She later learned that the same applies to Ontario Library Service-North.

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Franchetto shared the news in a post on the SOLS website.

“This is a substantial cut which must be absorbed in the current 2019-20, fiscal year. Valued services will have to be eliminated,” she wrote.

“I know you probably have many questions, as do we, but right now, my attention is wholly on the task of making difficult decisions that impact my staff and our continued capacity to provide you with the services that you need.”

Ontario Library Services exist to ensure that the public has access to worldwide library collections and e-resources, with the help of well-informed and skilled staff.

OLS staff assist libraries with statutory grants administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, including the Public Library Operating, Pay Equity, and the First Nation Salary Supplement Grants Program.

They also offer guidance on the management and governance of library services, such as policy development and planning assistance.

“I will keep you apprised as we work through this very dark time,” wrote Franchetto.