What Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium does

SILS is a not-for-profit consortium established in 2009 that operates a unified library services platform for the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, delivering a "One Province, One Library Card" model across 300+ public library branches operated by 11 member systems — three municipal libraries (Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Lloydminster), seven regional library systems, one northern library system (Pahkisimon Nuyeʔáh), and the Provincial Library and Literacy Office. The technology backbone is the Polaris Integrated Library System, migrated to in 2015 and hosted at Canadian-owned and operated datacenters, which handles asset tracking, cataloguing, end-user search, self-serve account management, and routing of patron notifications through cloud-based third-party telephony, email, and SMS providers delivering approximately 250,000 notices per month.

The product portfolio extends beyond the ILS to include native iOS and Android mobile applications launched in fall 2017 (developed and maintained in-house), the Library2go shared digital collection on OverDrive (ebooks and eaudiobooks), a unified member-website framework with integrated catalogue search, a real-time visual reporting service introduced in fall 2016, helpdesk and intranet services, and reciprocal borrowing that lets patrons use one card at any branch in the province. End users — Saskatchewan residents — access all services at no direct charge; SILS instead collects operating funds from member library contributions and from the Provincial Library and Literacy Office under the Ministry of Education, with the Government of Saskatchewan also underwriting inter-branch logistics and the original 2009 startup grant of $5.2M.

Scale metrics as of 2025 show 408,805 registered cardholders, 292,139 active patrons (used a card in the past two years), 6,209,321 physical circulations, 2,904,110 OverDrive digital circulations, 872,786 holds filled through interagency shipments, and a catalogue of 1,141,814 titles backed by 3,490,719 physical items. SILS is governed by a Board of Library Directors and the Provincial Librarian, with day-to-day operations run by the Executive Director and SILS Office staff; no external private equity, venture capital, or parent company is involved.

Name

Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium

Legal name

Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium Inc.

Website

https://sasklibraries.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SILS is a not-for-profit Saskatchewan consortium operating a unified library platform serving 300+ public library branches across the province via 11 member systems, powered by the Polaris ILS, in-house mobile apps, and the Library2go digital collection, funded by members and the provincial government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Library & Learning Space Managed Operations (Circulation, Scheduling, Staffing) (EDAEALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK)

Keywords

• Library consortium services
• Integrated library system
• Public library access
• Digital library platform
• Library card management

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Saskatchewan

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Member Funding: The consortium is funded by member libraries and the Provincial Library and Literacy Office of the Ministry of Education. This is a not-for-profit corporation with no direct revenue from patrons for library services.
2. Government of Saskatchewan Support: The Government of Saskatchewan provides support including the service which moves hundreds of bins of library materials around the province every week. Initial project received $5.2 million from the Government of Saskatchewan in 2009.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SILS operates a unified library technology and service platform that powers public library operations across Saskatchewan. The consortium provides an integrated library system (Polaris ILS), a province-wide catalogue search, mobile applications, shared digital collections (Library2go/OverDrive), notification services, reporting tools, and website hosting, all delivered to 11 member library systems serving 300+ branches. The defining product is the "One Province, One Library Card" experience that allows Saskatchewan residents to access and borrow materials from any public library branch in the province with a single card.

Product overview

The Saskatchewan Information and Library Services (SILS) Consortium operates as a unified library services platform providing One Province, One Library Card access to over 300 public library branches across Saskatchewan. The core product portfolio centers on the Polaris Integrated Library System (ILS) as the foundational platform, which powers the province-wide catalogue, patron management, and account functions. The SILS Mobile App provides mobile access to catalogue search, holds management, renewals, and library account functions. Library2go (OverDrive) delivers the shared digital collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks. Supporting services include notification services (250,000 monthly notices), real-time visual reporting, data reporting and extraction, website framework hosting, helpdesk support, and reciprocal borrowing across member libraries. The consortium comprises 12 members: 3 municipal libraries, 7 regional library systems, 1 northern library system, and the Provincial Library and Literacy Office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SILS Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android devices providing Saskatchewan library patrons with catalogue search, the ability to place and manage holds, renew items, view reading history, check fines, and access a digital library barcode for borrowing materials.
• Polaris Integrated Library System Core integrated library software managed by SILS Office that helps member libraries track assets, catalogue materials, power end-user search interfaces and self-serve account pages, and relay account notifications to third-party services for delivery via email, telephone, and SMS.
• Province-Wide Catalogue Search Online catalogue search interface integrated into member library websites allowing patrons to search for and access materials from any public library in Saskatchewan, providing access to over 1.14 million titles and 300+ branch libraries.
• Library2go (OverDrive) Digital Collection Shared province-wide collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks coordinated and facilitated by SILS Office on behalf of all public library systems and the Provincial Library and Literacy Office, available to all public library patrons in Saskatchewan via the OverDrive platform and Libby app.
• Notification Services Electronic notification system that notifies borrowers of requests ready for pick-up and overdue items, delivered via phone, email, or SMS through cloud-based third-party service providers, delivering approximately 250,000 notices each month.
• Website Framework and Hosting Common website framework for member regional libraries providing unified user experience for public library patrons across the province, including integrated catalogue search and account components, hosted and maintained by SILS Office.
• Real-Time Visual Reporting Service Real-time visual reporting service displaying data about the volume and types of interactions member libraries have with patrons via the ILS, designed to support evidence-based decision making.
• Reciprocal Borrowing Service Service allowing patrons to use their library cards at library branches outside the library system that issued their card, enabling cross-region access to library services with 9,750 unique borrowers using reciprocal borrowing in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,209,321 physical material circulations in 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Polaris (Innovative Interfaces)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015SILS migrated to Polaris integrated library software in 2015. SILS Office staff work closely with Polaris product analysts and engineers to develop and implement solutions that meet member libraries' needs. SILS hosts the Polaris ILS at Canadian-owned and operated datacentres.
• OverDrive/Library2gocoreTechnology or IntegrationLibrary2go is a shared province-wide collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks provided by member libraries on behalf of the consortium. The collection is purchased and maintained by all public library systems and the Provincial Library and Literacy Office.
• Provincial Library and Literacy OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA branch of the Ministry of Education that is a member of the SILS consortium. Coordinates cataloguing services and manages database authentication through EZProxy, contracting with OCLC to host EZProxy. Also coordinates and facilitates the Library2go digital collection.
• Palliser Regional LibraryminorOthersProvides interlibrary loan services that allow patrons access to materials not owned by any Saskatchewan public libraries. Palliser coordinates the loan of materials from university collections or public libraries outside the province.
• Community Net (Provincial Government)minorOthersAn initiative of the provincial government which provides libraries with access to a protected, controlled network environment for library operations.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Bibliocommons: Vendor of the BiblioCommons discovery and patron-engagement platform used by numerous North American public library systems to deliver catalogue search, account management, events, and reader-advisory experiences. Comparable to SILS as it provides many of the same patron-facing technology capabilities that SILS delivers through Polaris and its in-house website framework.
• Koha (Catalyst IT / various): Open-source integrated library system used by thousands of libraries globally as an alternative to commercial ILS platforms like Polaris. Comparable as an alternative ILS platform that competes with SILS's Polaris deployment and represents a potential replacement technology for member libraries.
• Bibliotheca (now part of Axiell): Provider of library self-service, RFID, and library management solutions serving public libraries worldwide. Comparable as a vendor in the same library technology stack that SILS member libraries could select for physical-asset management, circulation kiosks, and patron self-service functionality.

Direct peers

• BC Libraries Cooperative: British Columbia's library services cooperative providing shared technology infrastructure, ILS hosting, and digital services to public, academic and special libraries across BC. Directly comparable to SILS as a province-wide Canadian library cooperative serving multiple member systems with shared technology services.
• Califa Library Group: California-based library consortium that negotiates consortial deals, manages shared e-resource licensing, and provides technology services to its 220+ member libraries. Directly comparable to SILS as a multi-library consortium delivering shared technology infrastructure, content licensing, and cooperative services funded by member fees.
• The Alberta Library (TAL): Alberta's provincial library consortium coordinating shared services, consortial licensing, and technology support for member public, school, and post-secondary libraries. Directly comparable to SILS as a Canadian provincial library consortium funded by government and member fees delivering cooperative technology and content services.

Broad incumbents

• OCLC: Global library cooperative providing WorldCat cataloguing, resource sharing (ILL), EZProxy authentication, and discovery services to libraries worldwide. Already a vendor partner of SILS via EZProxy hosting and is broadly comparable as the largest library-services cooperative globally, providing the underlying cataloguing and authentication infrastructure SILS relies on.

Others

• Innovative Interfaces (Innovative): Vendor of the Polaris ILS that is SILS's core library management platform, plus Sierra and other library automation products. Comparable as the technology vendor on which SILS's entire operation depends, making it a critical counterpart rather than a direct competitor.
• OverDrive / Libby: Digital content platform provider that powers SILS's Library2go ebook and eAudiobook lending service. Comparable as a vendor-partner delivering the shared digital collection layer that drives 2.9M annual digital circulations for SILS patrons.

Regional players

• Bibliomation: Connecticut-based library cooperative providing shared technology services including ILS hosting, courier, and digital content to public and school libraries in Connecticut. Comparable to SILS as a regional library cooperative delivering shared ILS and technology services to multiple member systems, though operating in a different geography.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium