Huron County Library Receives Accreditation

August 10, 2015

Huron County – The Huron County Library Board is pleased to announce that for the first time, the Ontario Public Library Guidelines Monitoring and Accreditation Council has awarded a five-year accreditation status to the Huron County Library. The Huron County Library system and branches: Alice Munro (formerly Wingham), Bayfield, Blyth, Brussels, Exeter, Goderich, Hensall, Howick, Kirkton, Seaforth, and Zurich have all been approved for accreditation under the Ontario Public Library Guidelines. Clinton Library did not meet the minimum standards due to issues relating to accessibility at the branch and therefore will not receive accreditation.

“Receiving this accreditation is a significant achievement for our library system,” says Jim Fergusson, Chair of the Huron County Library Board. “It shows that wherever you live, rural or urban, you can have access to high quality services in cost-effective ways. By providing access to free resources, libraries function as a great equalizer in our communities. Huron County can be proud of the fact that, as demonstrated through the accreditation process, the library system does this for its residents.”

Library systems in Ontario are not required to engage in this rigorous process, which involves on-site reviews and external accreditors, to ensure that both the system and the individual branches meet standards for providing library service in Ontario.

“It’s not a mandatory program, but the five-year accreditation status effectively demonstrates that the Huron County Library is working well,”according to CEO, Meighan Wark. “In addition to verifying policies and processes, accreditation speaks to the planning, monitoring and continual program improvements that are undertaken on an ongoing basis”.

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For more information, contact:
Meighan Wark CEO, Huron County Library 519-482-5457 ext. 1

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For more information contact:

Susan Cronin, County Clerk
519.524.8394 (ext 3257)
scronin@huroncounty.ca