Out-of-town students get a break at city libraries

Post-secondary students from Prince Twp., St. Joseph Island, Batchewana First Nation and Garden River First Nation will will no longer require a special $30 membership card to borrow materials from Sault Ste. Marie Public Library.

Members of the local library board agreed tonight to waive non-resident membership fees for students at post-secondary institutions including Algoma University and Sault College.

"If you're a student, you can have a [free] library card," said Matthew MacDonald, acting chief executive officer and director of public libraries.

"We have more and more international students coming into our community," said board chair Toni Nanne-Little.

"For them, that would be another motivation to come to the public library, not to stick at their institution's library."

Library membership is free to residents of Sault Ste. Marie, but adults from outlying communities will still pay $45 a year for library cards.

A $15 monthly non-resident membership is also available.

Board members were told tonight that only 37 students paid for non-resident memberships this year.

Previously, medical students and members of their families were exempted from the non-resident fee, as were elementary and secondary school scholars and Ontario Works adult literacy students.

The cost of renting rooms at the new North Branch library on Northern Avenue (former Alexander Henry High School site) was set at $5 an hour for a meeting room and $20 an hour for a program room.

Board members Doreen Simard and John Duke have not applied to serve on next year's library board.