Waterloo Public Library

Waterloo Public Library serves the residents of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It aims to help develop Waterloo and its citizens and fulfill the community's literacy needs. The three branches offer print and digital resources, programs for children, teens, adults, and free Wi-Fi. The John M. Harper Branch offers bookable study rooms free of charge to non-commercial groups. This branch and the Main Library both have rooms for rent for commercial groups.[1] The Main Branch has a VHS converter available to use for free.[2]

Facade of main branch at Albert Street

History

The Waterloo Mechanics' Institute purchased their first books in 1876 and stored them on a table in Town Hall, and this was the origin of the Waterloo Public Library. They had a $2.00 annual subscription fee to use these materials. The funds were used to purchase more books and eventually shelves. In 1888, the Mechanics' Institute transferred their assets to the brand new Waterloo Free Library. By 1902, the Waterloo Free Library contained 7,013 works. In 1902, $10,000 were granted by Andrew Carnegie, a prominent philanthropist, to build the Carnegie Library building (located at 40 Albert St, across from the current Main Branch).[3]

Branches

It has three branches [4] with a fourth under construction:[5]

BranchLocationCoordinatesYear OpenedNotes
Main Branch35 Albert Street43.466115°N 80.524383°W / 43.466115; -80.5243831966oldest branch
Albert McCormick Branch500 Parkside Drive43.488943°N 80.544564°W / 43.488943; -80.5445641973Located at Albert McCormick Community Centre
John M. Harper Branch500 Fischer-Hallman Road North43.474329°N 80.571201°W / 43.474329; -80.5712012011Newest branch and located near Stork Family YMCA
East Side BranchRIM Park Manulife Sportsplex and Healthy Living Centreplanned July 2021under construction

References
  1. "Room Rentals". Waterloo Public Library. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  2. "Book the VHS Converter". Waterloo Public Library. 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  3. "History of WPL". Waterloo Public Library. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  4. "Locations & hours". Waterloo Public Library. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. "Design revealed for Waterloo's $10M east side library branch". CTV. Retrieved 18 December 2019.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.