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From roadblocks to traffic jams : a history of three regional libraries in Saskatchewan Fox, Ken

Abstract

Although there was no widespread argument against regional libraries in Saskatchewan, broader political obstacles forced a widespread campaign at local levels, carried out by hundreds of volunteers across the province, guided by a small number of professional librarians, and relentlessly supplemented by a provincial lobby consisting of librarians and trustees. The study finds that there are two distinct strategies used by library advocates in promoting regional libraries. A principal conclusion is that the present regional library system was not the result of government initiative, but of public demand. While the CCF governments between 1944 and 1964 created the infrastructure that enabled regional libraries to exist, the Liberal Government responded to the public lobby in providing the key funding increases that led to the establishment of a province-wide regional library network. This study is derived from and based on primary materials, foremost among them the regional library collections owned by the Saskatchewan Archives Board. I have also used secondary materials to illuminate primary sources.

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