Brampton Library

Funded by the City, the Brampton Library is a system of public libraries in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

Brampton Library
TypeSystem of public libraries in Brampton, Ontario
Established1858
Coordinates43°43′7″N 79°43′12″W
Branches7 branches
Collection
Items collectedBusiness directories, phone books, maps, government publications, books, periodicals, genealogy, local history
Size562,000
Other information
DirectorRebecca Raven
Staff160
Websitewww.bramptonlibrary.ca
Map

In the 2003 Ontario Public Library Week (October 20 to 26), the library was rebranded with a new logo, and a change in name from the Brampton Public Library to the simpler and more direct Brampton Library had taken place. The shorter name has had mixed reception, with many patrons still referring to it by its old name, out of habit and the lack of need to refer to it differently.

The library currently has eight permanent locations, with a collection of more than 562,000 books, magazines, large print materials, audio books, and DVDs.[1] Currently, the library has a staff of 160 full-time and part-time employees.[1] Brampton Library services a population of just under 600,000 people spanning over more than 200 distinct ethnicities.[2]

Rebecca Raven[3] is the Chief Executive Officer of the Brampton Library, a position that replaces that of Executive Director.

History

As early as 1858, a library was founded in the Mechanic's Institute, serving the mere 50 people in what was then classified as Brampton. These 360 volumes, plus a federal grant of $160, were the starting blocks for the first actual public library in Brampton, founded in 1887 in the Golding Building on Queen Street. As printing presses were still relatively expensive to operate, and thus book prices high, the village-owned facility had full written contracts with patrons to check out books. Only the librarian and the library board were allowed to take books off the closely watched shelves.

In 1907, the library successfully received a grant from US steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to build a new library. Carnegie was a self-made millionaire with "very little formal education", and a well known drive to bring "learning to the masses". Records show donations to 1700 libraries, and the hundreds of facilities across the continent still bearing his name are living proof.

Despite being a supporter of culture in general, Carnegie was opposed to the multipurpose facility the village intended to build, as it exceeded his default start-up donation of $10,000. After a meeting with the Brampton Board of Trade's R.J. Copeland, and a promise from Brampton itself to up its funding from $1000 to $1250 a year, Carnegie provided another $12,500 for the town's long-time showpiece facility.

In 1946, the Brampton library took on a relatively novel concept for the era, in letting residents under the age of 16 sign out books from the collection.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the system expanded to fit the needs of a growing population. The expansion included the Northwood Park Branch (Flowertown and McLaughlin), South Branch (at Brampton Mall on Main Street at Nanwood), and Heart Lake Branch. The Heart Lake branch would later become known as "Cyril Clark", after a Chinguacousy reeve.

Chinguacousy Branch, the cornerstone of Brampton's Library system pictured before the construction of the nearby Bramalea Transit Terminal

In 1972, developer Bramalea Consolidated Developments Ltd constructed the Civic Centre facility for the town of Bramalea, the cornerstone of which was officially laid as part of the finished building during Brampton's Centennial celebrations in 1973. Along with government offices and a theatre, this facility included a large space for a central library branch. When Brampton and Bramalea merged in 1974, their library systems became one. Bramalea's Chinguacousy Branch joined Brampton's Main Branch (which had replaced the Carnegie library with a larger building next door, and which was later renamed to "Four Corners Branch" due to its location near downtown Brampton's Four Corners) and others, becoming the system's resource library. As the reference branch, Chinguacousy was host to an extensive collection of microfilm, local history materials, and genealogy resources. In 2008 the majority of these materials were moved to the Four Corners location in the newly renovated Local History section on the second floor.

Books-by-mail services ended in 1975.[4]

A neighbourhood branch was eventually created in a mall at Ray Lawson Blvd. and Hurontario St., and renamed the County Court Branch when it was moved to an office building nearby (later renamed again to Fletcher's Creek Branch). When the South Fletchers Sportsplex was built, Fletcher's Creek moved from private to public property, and was renamed South Fletchers Branch.

In 2011, the Brampton Library system opened the new Mount Pleasant branch in the north-west area of the city. This replaced the North-West interim branch which had been located approximately 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) north-west of the new regular branch.

The Gore Meadows branch was built in the north-east of the city on Castlemore Road at The Gore Road and opened in 2013. This location is part of a city recreation centre located in parkland that is planned to provide multiple services, similar to Chinguacousy Park.

In addition to the six regular branches, Brampton Library also operated an interim site in the north-east region of the city. This housed a very small collection, mostly DVDs and paperbacks, as well as allowing customers a location at which to pick up and return items. A new full-service location at Torbram and Sandlewood, one kilometre north of the former North-East Interim site, is planned to start providing services to residents in the surrounding area in 2017. This interim site closed October 1, 2016; the lease on the site was not renewed because at the time the nearby full-service branch was expected to begin operating in the summer of 2016.

Discussions are still ongoing regarding replacing the current downtown branch with a modern facility.

Branches
Name Location Dates Notes Image
Chinguacousy Bramalea
150 Central Park Drive		 Opened 1972 or 1973 This branch is located inside the Bramalea Civic Centre.

Brampton was the first public library system in Ontario to acquire federal and provincial case law records. The case law collection was opened in this branch in 1978, on the prompt of the Central Ontario Regional Library System.[5]

This branch was renovated in late 2016 and early 2017, and was reopened in August 2017.[6][7]
Cyril Clark Heart Lake
20 Loafer's Lake Lane		 Opened 1985 Opened September 21, 1985, it was said to be the first public library in Canada to be fully computerized.[8] The 12,000 sq. ft. structure cost $1.5 million, and was to house 30,000 books and audio-visual items.[8]

It is named after the Township of Chinguacousy's last reeve, Cyril Clark.[8]
Four Corners Downtown
65 Queen Street East		 Until 1979, this was known alternatively as the Main Branch and Central Services Branch.[4] It has had numerous renovations, including in 1991.[9]
Gore Meadows Gore Meadows
10150 The Gore Road		 Opened 2013
Mount Pleasant Village Mount Pleasant
100 Commuter Dr.		 Opened 25 Nov 2011[10] This replaced the North-West Interim Site after several years of operation. It is a multi-use facility attached to Mount Pleasant Village School and Community Centre.
Springdale Springdale
10705 Bramalea Road		 Opened 2017 In 1991, it was announced for a 2006 opening.[9]
South Fletcher's Fletcher's Creek South
500 Ray Lawson Blvd		 Opened 1997
South West Branch[11] Huttonville
8405 Financial Dr.		 Opening 2019[12]

Previous branches
Name Location Dates Notes Image
Bramalea Bramalea
106 East Drive		 Closed around 1972 or 1973 This branch was replaced by the Chinguacousy branch. It was located on East Drive, just east of Bramalea.
Carnegie Downtown
55 Queen Street East		 1907-1974 It was funded by Andrew Carnegie; see Carnegie library. It was replaced by the Four Corners branch, in the building immediately to the east. The building is now home to the Brampton Concert Band and the Jazz Mechanics.

At the 1938 annual general meeting, it was announced that Wm. Perkins Bull's "pioneer and Indian relics" would be housed at the library on display.[13] When former Brampton High School principal William James Fenton died in 1952, it was decided that the proposed addition to the structure would be named in his honour.[14]
Carnegie Building serving as the Brampton Public Library, 1909. Postcard from the Richard L. Frost collection.
County Court Fletcher's Creek South
201 County Court Boulevard		 1988-1991 This branch was replaced by the Fletcher's Creek branch. It was located in a commercial office building.
Fletcher's Creek Fletcher's Creek South
7700 Hurontario Street South		 1991-1997 This branch replaced the County Court branch. It was housed in the City South Plaza in two floors of what is now professional office space. The second floor was renovated in 1991.[9] The branch was replaced by the South Fletcher's branch.
Northeast Interim Site Springdale
55 Mountainash Road, Unit 24		 Closed Oct 1, 2016 Located at the Springdale Square shopping centre. It was closed based on expected availability of a new near-by branch, which was not yet ready when the branch was closed.
Northwest Interim Mount Pleasant
10500 Creditview Road		 Closed 2011 This branch was opened to serve the rapid population growth in the area. This branch was replaced by the Mount Pleasant branch.
Northwood Park Flowertown and Northwood Park
10 Flowertown Avenue		 Closed 28 June 1975 With usage dropping in 1974, with people heading to the larger branch, the library distributed 3000 flyers to area households in February 1975.[4] The branch was closed due to budget cutbacks and staff relocated, at the same time as the South branch.[4]
South Eldomar Heights/Peel Village
160 Main Street South		 November 1966-28 June 1975 Located at the Brampton Mall, the South branch was opened by Mayor Russell Prouse in an 18 November 1966 ceremony, with circulation starting the next day, a Saturday. It offered both adult and children's books.[15] The branch was closed due to budget cutbacks and staff relocated, at the same time as the Northwood Park branch.[4] The library system considered South branch too small, and asked council for new facilities west of Main Street South; the plan was turned down by council. A branch would be needed in the area within five years.[4]

Services
  • Information and reference services
  • Access to full text databases
  • Community information
  • Internet access
  • Readers' advisory services
  • Programs for children, youth and adults

List of teen services
  • Youth Leadership Program
  • Teen Library Council
  • Animation-Manga Club
  • Toastmasters Program
  • Babysitting courses

See also

References
  1. "About Brampton Public Library". www.bramptonlibrary.ca. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  2. "Brampton Community Profile (PDF)" (PDF). Brampton.ca. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-20. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  3. "Brampton Library Contact List". Brampton Library. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  4. "Library Planning To Close Branches". The Daily Times. Brampton ON. 3 June 1975. p. 1.
  5. Kashmeri, Zuhair (19 September 1978). "Brampton library has law records". The Globe and Mail. p. 9.
  6. "Library Construction Notice" (PDF). Brampton Library. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  7. Brown, Nikita (1 August 2018). "Chinguacousy Library Branch Reopens After Major Revamp". Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  8. "New library named after colourful politician opens soon in Brampton". The Toronto Star. 10 September 1985. p. H2.
  9. Perkins, Alana (31 October 1991). "Brampton's libraries keeping pace with rapidly-growing communities". The Toronto Star. Toronto ON.
  10. Goodfellow, Ashley (7 November 2011). "New library opens". The Brampton Guardian. Brampton ON. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  11. https://issuu.com/bramlib/docs/bl_ic_1909-12_v9_-_web
  12. Johnson, Bryon (30 October 2019). "What's going on here? New Brampton library branch opening soon". The Brampton Guardian. Brampton ON. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  13. "Brampton Library Gets Collection of Relics". The Globe and Mail. 22 February 1938. p. 4.
  14. "William James Fenton: School Principal For 36 Years, Active in Sport". The Globe and Mail. 9 July 1951. p. 4.
  15. "Mall Branch Library", The Bramalea Guardian, 16 November 1966, page 3.
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