Burnaby Public Library

Last updated
Burnaby Public Library
Burnaby Public Library logo.png
Burnaby Public Library
Established1954
Branches4
Collection
Items collectedbooks, e-books, music, cds, periodicals, maps, genealogical archives, business directories, local history,
Size700 000+ items
Access and use
Circulation3,010,470 [1]
Population served232,755 [2]
Other information
Budget CA $14,188,200 [1]
DirectorBeth Davies (Chief Librarian), [3] Lorraine Shore (Library Board Chair) [1]
Employees120.59 (FTE)
Website bpl.bc.ca

Burnaby Public Library or BPL is a public library that serves Burnaby, British Columbia and the surrounding Lower Mainland. According to its 2019-2022 strategic plan, BPL aims to "empower the community to engage with and share stories, ideas and information." [4] BPL provides access to information services and library collections (including books, DVDs, newspapers, magazines and research materials) through its four branches as well as online and through community outreach.

Contents

Services

BPL provides a broad range of services and programs that reflect the needs of its community. The following list is a small sample of the regular services available:

History

Burnaby's first library was founded in 1927 as the North Burnaby Library Association with members paying one dollar to use a collection of 397 books. [9] The first actual library building was established on East Hastings Street in 1935.

In 1954, a municipal bylaw was enacted to officially establish the Burnaby Public Library. After merging with the North Burnaby Library Association in 1957, BPL's first permanent library building, the McGill Branch, was built in North Burnaby in 1961. [10] The current 27,00 square-foot branch was completed in 2001. The branch was named after Grace McGill, a volunteer with the North Burnaby Library Association since its 1927 inception. [11]

The Kingsway branch was established in 1962 followed by the Central Park branch in 1974 and the Cameron branch in 1980. [10]

In 1991, the Central Park branch was replaced by the Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, named in honour of former Burnaby teacher, MP, alderman, mayor and library board member Robert "Bob" Prittie. Building on the nucleus of the Kingsway branch collection, the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch became BPL's 'central' branch, and between 1991 and 2008, the library assembled remarkable subject collections at the location. A notable example was the British Columbia "Special Collections", [12] first established at the library's administrative/technical services site on Thunderbird Crescent in 1973 and moved to the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch in 1991. The purpose of the collection was to provide a comprehensive resource on the history, peoples and lands of the province. Beginning in 1973, the significant British Columbia titles published each year were added to the collection, and the library also purchased important out of print titles as they became available. By 2020 the collection had grown to over six thousand volumes and included periodical/annual titles dating back to the 1870's.

Between 2009 and 2023, in a series of steps the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch discarded approximately half its adult non-fiction collection, and focused more on library (event) programming and community relations. In 2022/23 due to shelf space constraints, approximately four thousand volumes and the historic back-files of B.C. periodicals/annuals were discarded from "Special Collections". Following a 2022 fire adjacent to the ground floor Children's area, the interior of the branch was re-arranged to better reflect the library's new priorities.

In 2009, the Kingsway branch was closed and replaced with the Tommy Douglas branch. [11] The branch is named after Canadian politician Tommy Douglas, who served as the Member of the House of Commons of Canada for the now-defunct Burnaby—Coquitlam district from 1962 to 1968.

Branches

Bob Prittie Metrotown branch BByLibrary.JPG
Bob Prittie Metrotown branch

The library has four branches:

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Annual Report 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  2. ↑ City of Burnaby Quick Stats
  3. ↑ Members of the Library Board
  4. ↑ "Burnaby Public Library 4-Year Plan 2019-2022" (PDF). Burnaby Public Library.
  5. ↑ "Storytimes | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  6. ↑ "Programs and services at BPL | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  7. ↑ Boothby, Lauren. "Burnaby brings "book bikes" to libraries". Burnaby Now. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  8. ↑ "Café schedule by location - Continuing Studies - Simon Fraser University". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  9. ↑ Marleen Morris & Associates Ltd. (May 2007). "Report from the Community Needs Assessment" (PDF). Burnaby Public Library. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  10. 1 2 City of Burnaby Planning & Building Department (May 2014) [June 15, 1998]. "Official Community Plan Burnaby British Columbia" (PDF). City of Burnaby (revision). Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  11. 1 2 "History of Burnaby Public Library". Burnaby Public Library. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  12. ↑ The collection was closed stack and for in library use. Titles were to be retained permanently and hence in time became comparatively 'rare'.
  13. ↑ "Bob Prittie Metrotown | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  14. ↑ "Reference & Research | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  15. 1 2 "McGill | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  16. 1 2 "Tommy Douglas | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  17. ↑ "Grand Opening | Edmondslib's Weblog" . Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  18. ↑ "Bibliotech: BPL's creative technology lab | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  19. ↑ "Cameron | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  20. ↑ "Cameron Branch virtual tour | Burnaby Public Library". www.bpl.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
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