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Nova Scotia Regional Library Structure
In Nova Scotia regional library boards provide services which are in each case centrally administered throughout the whole of a geographic area and determined to have sufficiently large population to support good library service. According to the Libraries Act a regional library exists when one or more cities, towns, or municipalities enters into agreement with each other and with the Minister of Education for the establishment and operation of a regional public library.
The first regional library in Nova Scotia was established under the Act in 1949. By 1972 a structure of eleven regional libraries covering the whole province was in place. By 1981 all sixty-six municipalities in the province belonged to one of the eleven regional libraries. Due to municipal restructuring in 1995-96 the number of municipalities has changed as well the number of regional libraries. Nova Scotia now has nine regional libraries, which are the basic institutions that form the public library system in Nova Scotia. They operate 75 branch libraries and 13 mobile branches throughout the province. Each region has geographic boundaries, recognized by a provincial-municipal agreement, contracting authority to engage staff, acquire physical property and develop collections. These established institutions have their own histories and have developed a wide variety of expertise, from literacy programs to innovative delivery services to remote locations and users. Regionally raised funds, municipal taxes and grants from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture support the regional libraries.
The nine regional libraries in Nova Scotia in 1998 are:
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