Your Main Library Needs A Facelift

The Main Library on Queen Street is one of the city’s busiest services, averaging over 1,000 visits per day. You have told us you like this location and the services we offer. We can make the Main Library even better by renovating and expanding.

With your support we can transform this 46 year old building and create a special destination in this city. Imagine a place with:

• Expanded collections of books, CDs and DVDs


• More foreign language resources for new Canadians


• Three times as many computers for accessing information


• Free wireless access for laptops users


• Comfortable areas to sit, read or study


• Group study rooms and a unique space for teens


• A children’s discovery area and storytime room


• A café, art displays, lectures and cultural events


• Environmentally friendly, green building measures


• The same great staff to assist you

All this and more could be available at the Main Library. In May the Kitchener Public Library Board will ask City Council to approve funds that have been set aside for enhancing the Main Library. Your support will be essential.

Help us keep pace with community, cultural and technological changes. Join us at our public meetings. Visit our web site. Let Council know Kitchener needs an enhanced central library.


Why is a renovation/expansion necessary?


Video: Take a walking tour of the Main Library with Mike Farwell from Farwell Live!

Overcrowded collection with limited room to grow Inadequate facilities for the storage of archival collections High shelves with narrow aisles create accessibility challenges Insufficient computer terminals to meet increasing demand

Library Offers Much More Than Just Books

The following is an excerpt from the article "Library Offers Much More Than Just Books", which appears in the March/April 2008 edition of Your Kitchener magazine.

It’s a service that often flies under the radar – with few people realizing its many elements fulfill the educational, recreational and social needs of thousands of Kitchener residents on a daily basis.

In fact, 3,400 people visit at least one of its different locations across the community each day – making it one of the city’s busiest resources. Yet, there’s a common perception in the community that its popularity is passé… that the ever-expanding world of technology has lessened its worth.

That couldn’t be farther from the truth, says Sonia Lewis, chief executive officer of the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) system.

“The KPL is still one of the most heavily used city services,” she said. “More than half of Kitchener’s residents are library card holders; and in 2007, more than two million items were checked out of our libraries across the city.”

By items, Lewis means everything from books and reports to CDs and DVDs.

“We offer a lot more than just books,” she said. “While books are still very important and in high demand, we also offer efficient electronic services to help people find the information they need; a skilled staff who are always willing to assist visitors who may not know how to use some of our services; and a variety of programs – something for every age level."

[...]

Given the library’s universal usefulness and appeal, many people are changing their perception of the facility.

“There are still some people who still equate the library with books only, and they see it as a place their grandparents like to go,” Lewis said. “But that’s just not the case.

“We offer something for everyone – no matter who you are or how old you are.”

For example, the library recently hosted a Nintendo Wii tournament for youth.

“Our research has told us that gaming does help with reading and literacy skills,” Lewis said. “It proved to be an extraordinary way to draw teenagers through our doors; and when they were here, they got to see what else we have to offer and interact with others their age.”

Other efforts -- such as organizing community outreach work, which sees library volunteers deliver books to shut-ins and staff make presentations at local schools; promoting the work of local artists; providing contest opportunities for young writers; and offering interesting speaker series and film viewings -- continue to highlight the facility’s services to the community.

“There’s no question that the library contributes to the quality of life in Kitchener; and more and more people are realizing what we bring to the table,” Lewis said.

“You won’t find anyone ‘shushing’ you here – something many people still associate with libraries.

“We are encouraging people to come here, have fun and enjoy themselves. That’s what makes us the dynamic, lively environment that we are.”

Click here to read the full article (pdf)

A Vision For The Future

The Kitchener Public Library Board has been planning to expand and renovate the current Main Library in the near future, and build a new branch in southwest Kitchener by 2016. We also continuously explore ways of taking library services out into the community through special events, school visits and partnerships with other organizations.

The Main Library was built to serve a population of 73,000. To keep up with city-wide and downtown growth, the Main Library needs to expand. And yes, the city also needs branch libraries. Long range planning takes that into account.

The Main Library has a dual role. It supports the neighbourhood libraries by providing specialized collections, resources, services and staff. It also serves as a branch library for the residents and businesses located in the downtown area. Its services are in high demand. There are over 1,000 visits per day to the Main Library.

There is no doubt that technology and Internet access are changing the way KPL does business. The Internet has not rendered the traditional library obsolete. In fact technology has extended KPL’s reach and made operations more efficient. We are able to offer you 24/7 access to resources from your home, office or school. Many residents depend on KPL for free access to computers, the Internet, downloadable books, electronic databases and software. Our staff plays a key role in teaching information literacy skills and helping you find the information you need.

Technology creates new challenges for our buildings. They need to be flexible in design to accommodate technological change. They need to support traditional computer cabling, as well as wireless access. Space is needed to provide more public computers and workspaces. The Main Library is now 46 years old and was not designed with the latest technology in mind, nor is there space to add more public computers. A renovation and expansion can help address these challenges.

A study completed last year showed that it is possible to add space to the back of the current Main Library. By renovating the existing space we can make it more efficient, flexible and accessible. We will be sharing the details of that study with you this spring. We will show you how the current building can be transformed to meet the community’s needs. We will share projected costs and answer questions you may have. We will be looking for your support for this project, when we take our proposal to City Council in late Spring, 2008.

Today’s Main Library is a valued and well used community resource. However, it is crowded and showing its age. Space limitations mean we cannot add to our collections, computers and services. The KPL Board’s vision is to create a vibrant and welcoming community gathering place. We envisage an attractive, comfortable place where community members will come together to imagine, discover and connect.

Main Library Facts

• Current building is 46 years old
  
  
• Built for a population of 73,000 and now serves over 213,000 residents
  
  
• Supports a network of 4 branch libraries and community outreach initiatives
  
  
• Branch library for the residents and businesses located in the downtown area
  

This Month at KPL’s Main Library

• 30,000 people will visit the library
  
• 93,000 items will be borrowed
  
• 580 library cards will be issued
  
• 5,000 reference questions will be answered
  
• 3,200 people will attend library programs
  
• 5,500 computer reservations will be made
  

Growing Through The Years

1884 ... Berlin Reading Room established

1902 ... Berlin Public Library opens

1962 ... New Main Library on current site (85 Queen St. N.) opens

1971 ... Grand River Stanley Park Branch opens

1976 ... Forest Heights Branch opens

1979 ... Main Branch addition and renovation

1982 ... Pioneer Park Branch opens

1989 ... Pioneer Park Branch moves to a new library facility

1992 ... Forest Heights Branch addition and renovation

1994 ... Main Branch addition and renovation

1999 – present ... Planning for a new Central Library

2002 ... Grand River Stanley Park Branch moves to a new library facility

2004 ... Country Hills Branch opens

2016 ... New branch in southwest opens

Background

The need for a new library to meet the community’s growing demand for library resources and services was first identified in 1999. The current library was built in 1962 and no longer adequately meets the needs of Kitchener’s estimated 213,305 residents.

The Kitchener Public Library commissioned a series of studies and assessments of the Main Library and solicited public feedback regarding a new Central Library from 2000 – 2003.

In September 2004, the Kitchener Public Library presented City Council with a business case documenting the need for a new Central Library. An improved and expanded Central Library would allow KPL to address the need for:

• Space for Services and Programs – The format and display of collections and library resources continues to change and space allocations must be flexible to accommodate new and expanded services and programs.
  
  
• Services for Teens and Children – Crowded and outdated areas for teens and children work against the changing role of the public library as a desired destination.
  
  
• Accessibility – The current Main Library meets the minimum requirements of the building code but does not reach the standards indicated in the City of Kitchener’s Accessibility Plan. The new Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act will introduce customer service regulations that will challenge the library’s accessibility standards.
  
  
• Ambience – A library can provide access to wonderful collections, programs, and services, but if the atmosphere is not inviting and comfortable, people will not visit and linger.
  
  
• Building and Technology Infrastructure - The Main Library is now a 45 year old building with aging building and mechanical systems. The technology needs of a modern library are challenged by an inflexible technology infrastructure.

In 2005, the City of Kitchener committed up to $32.5 M towards the construction of a new Central Library. KPL contracted with Levitt Goodman Architects and Phillip Carter Architect to finalize the Library Building Program, to prepare conceptual drawings for a new Central Library, and to provide a cost estimate for the project.

In May 2006, the City of Kitchener held a Centre Block Citizen Forum to solicit public feedback on the development of the Centre Block. There was support for an “improved and enhanced central library”. Members of the Citizen’s Forum did agree that “the library needs support and an enhancement of services”:

• A strong central library is critical
  
  
• Library services need to be expanded
  
  
• There needs to be a redefinition of what a library is ... to include a broad offering of services
  
  
• A strong central library is the anchor to a strong branch system.

The community expressed support for an expanded and improved Main Library on the current site.

In 2007, KPL initiated a study with Levitt Goodman Architect to access to what degree the existing Main Library building and site could meet KPL’s future space and functional requirements. After careful study and evaluation of the current Main Library facility and site, the architect’s findings indicate:

• There is space on the existing library site to expand
  
  
• A renovated and expanded Main Library can meet the space and functional requirements identified by the library and community
  
  
• Adding additional library space will allow for services, collections and programs to be reorganized and expanded.