Educational Media Centre to be discontinued at the end of June

The Rainbow District School Board’s Educational Media Centre, which catalogues and lends books, videos and educational kits to schools, will be discontinued at the end of June. Media Centre resources will be redistributed to school libraries this spring.

Usage of Media Centre material has declined significantly since it was established in the 1970s. A review of the service concluded that the level of usage was not in keeping with its current allocation of funds and personnel. The availability of online resources, including the Internet and curriculum-based videos, has also had an adverse impact on usage.

The closure of the Media Centre will result in a reduction of nine positions and an overall savings of $625,500. The Board hopes to achieve these reductions through attrition.

“Like the majority of school boards in Ontario, our enrolment is declining due to the drop in birth rates,” said Rainbow District School Board Chair Tyler Campbell. “Less enrolment means less money, so we continue to look for savings to balance our budget.”

The closure of the Media Centre will not have an impact on teaching and learning. “Schools will continue to operate their own libraries, supported by a team of Library Clerks and Library Technicians. School libraries will be supplemented by the additional resources from the central collection,” said Director of Education Norm Blaseg.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.