About Ontario Library Service

Our Mandate & Board
Strategic Plan
Board Assemblies
Board
Our History
Registered Charity
Employment Opportunities
Logos

Our Mandate

The Ontario Library Service was established in 2021 and is mandated to deliver programs and services on behalf of the Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming by:

Increase cooperation and coordination among Public Library boards and other information providers in order to promote the provision of library services to the public
Assist Public Library boards and First Nation public libraries by providing them with services and programs that meet their needs including consulting, training and development services.

Our Board

The Ontario Library Service Board is composed of 13 people: 9 elected Board Assembly representatives and 4 Ministerial Appointees. The full term for the Board is four years, beginning at least one full year after Ontario municipal elections.

On April 1, 2021, the first meeting of the Ontario Library Service Board took place. The interim Board made up of representatives from both the Southern Ontario Library Service and Ontario Library Service-North Boards. At the Board Assembly Meetings held in April and May, representatives were elected to the Ontario Library Service Board. At the June 2021 Annual General Meeting, the first elected Ontario Library Service Board will begin to serve its term from, June 2021 to June 2024.

View the Ontario Library Service Board Member Role Description.

Our Mission, Vision & Strategic Plan

Vision
The Ontario Library Service is universally recognized and highly valued as a robust, province-wide organization that provides seamless access to programs and services that strengthen all public libraries in Ontario.

Mission
The Ontario Library Service empowers Ontario’s public libraries to continuously adapt and improve services to their unique communities.

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Board Assemblies

About Board Assemblies:

There are 9 Board Assemblies based on population served to represent Ontario public libraries. (View the Ontario Library Service Board Member Role Description.)
All public libraries boards in Ontario are eligible to appoint an official representative to their respective Board Assembly.
One Representative from each Board Assembly is elected from their corresponding population-based Board Assembly to serve on the Ontario Library Services Board.

In addition to their role in the Ontario Library Service governance process, Board Assemblies provide library board members with opportunities to share information and hear how other boards deal with issues, like the ones you face, in governing a public library. They offer suggestions and support for board training and serve as a communication link between the Ontario Library Service and local boards.

Board Assemblies will meet virtually twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Visit the Meetings page for upcoming meeting dates.

An email discussion group for all Board Assembly Members and other interested board members to share comments, questions and best practices about governance and board topics is available to join. For more information, visit the Distribution Groups section of the website.

Update Board Assembly Rep Contact Info

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Public Libraries have appointed representatives to their Board Assembly?

53% of Ontario Public Libraries have nominated a Representative to their Board Assemblies as of February 2024.

How can my First Nation put a community member’s name forward to be a Board Assembly Representative?

Who can attend the Board Assembly meetings?

Does our library need to appoint a new Board Assembly representative?

Has our library board appointed a member to the Board Assembly?

Which Board Assembly meeting do I attend?

What role does our Public Library’s Board Assembly Representative play for our Public Library?

I am deciding to run for election in my Board Assembly, where can I get a sense of what my duties will be as a seated member of the OLS Board?

Board Members

To contact the Board, please email us: board@olservice.ca

Board Member	Local Public Library Board or Ministerial Appointment	Board Assembly Membership	Role
Vacant		Under 2,500 A to L	Director
Vacant		Under 2,500 M to Z	Director
Vacant		2,501 to 4,999	Director
Patricia Stephens	Powassan Public Library	5,000 to 9,999	Director
Cathy Peacock	Mississippi Mills Public Library	10,000 to 19,999	Director
David Mackey	Stratford Public Library	20,000 to 39,999	Director
Christina da Rocha-Feeley	Halton Hills Public Library	40,000 to 74,999	Director
Frank Mensink	Waterloo Public Library	75,000 to 149,999	Chair
Michael Ben	Brampton Public Library	150,000+	Director
Kimberly Grafton	Ministerial		Vice Chair
Carolyn Stamegna	Ministerial		Director
Karen Bachmann	Ministerial		Director
Vacant	Ministerial		Director

Our History

The Ontario Library Service was established through an amalgamation of Ontario Library Service-North (OLS-North) and Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS). OLS-North & SOLS, in turn, grew out of an amalgamation of regional library systems that themselves had provided support and development services to the libraries in their regions for decades. Ontario Library Service now serves the public libraries of over 300 municipalities and 45 First Nation public libraries across the Province of Ontario.

Registered Charity

Ontario Library Service relies on the Ministry to finance our core services to public libraries. However, Ontario Library Service is also a registered charity (business number 10779 8167 RR0001). Donations can be made through CanadaHelps.org.

Employment Opportunities

There are no open positions at this time.

Ontario Library Service Logos

Public libraries, library organizations, and any other institutions that has partnered with Onatario Library Service are welcome to use the OLS Logo for promotional/acknowledgement purposes.

Select the file size that best suits your use of the logo. Other than resizing, do not modify the logo.

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