Whitby Public Library

The Whitby Public Library serves the town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada (pop. 111,000), with three branches. The library is governed through a ten-person Library Board appointed by the town, and operated by a staff of over 80 full and part-time employees. The current CEO is Ian Ross.

In 2007, there were over 1.11 million total items circulated and the system had a budget of over $4 million. [ [http://http://www.whitbylibrary.on.ca/WPL_AR_07.pdf Annual report of Whitby Public Library, 2007] ]

History

The roots of the Whitby Public Library can be traced to a circulating collection started by Whitby tailor Hugh Fraser (1815-1890) in 1850. Fraser later became librarian when a local Mechanics' Institute was formed in 1852, offering reading material to institute members. [LeClair, Kevin "the Institute of Mechanics"] Support for a public library grew, and in 1911, the Town of Whitby appointed a Library Board and applied for a grant from American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Construction of the Carnegie library began in early 1913 and the building was officially opened the following year. The new building housed 5,000 books and contained separate reading areas for men, women and children. Cards cost five cents and required the signature of a “responsible person” who could identify the borrower.

The Carnegie Building served the community for many years. However, by the 1970s, it was no longer adequate to serve the growing community. In 1973, the library was moved to the lower floor of the Whitby municipal building on Dundas Street. In 1978, a new Town Hall opened and the library occupied the whole of the former municipal building. The Carnegie library still stands at the corner of Dundas and Byron Streets and is currently used as a lawyer's office. [Winter, Brian (1999), Pages 76-78]

The Town of Whitby continued to grow, and the Dundas Street facility, originally built as the town municipal building in 1960, became increasingly inadequate. Plans to build a new central library as part of a civic recreation centre in the late 1980s did not come to fruition, although a new neighbourhood branch was opened in a shopping plaza at 701 Rossland Road East in 1989 as a "temporary measure" until the new branch could be built. [ "New, temporary library branch opens Sept. 19." "Whitby Free Press". 13 Sept. 1989. ] Instead, plans were made to keep the main branch in Whitby’s downtown core on the property of the existing library. The initiative was approved and funded by the Town and additional funding obtained from the provincial and federal governments through a SuperBuild grant. Architects Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners were hired in 2002 and construction began the following year. The old library remained open as the new one was built and was demolished after its completion.

The new Central Library opened in 2005 and has won a number of design awards, including the Ontario Library Association’s Building Award [ [http://204.200.206.210/site/showPage.cgi?page=awards/ola/bldg.html "Ontario Library Association, Library Building Award, 2007"] ] and an interior design award from the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario [ [http://www.arido.ca/awards-2006.asp#public "Public and Institutional Spaces: award of merit"] ] . The convert|54000|sqft|m2|sing=on building is anchored by a civic square with a reflecting pool. In addition to traditional library services, the facility also offers wireless internet access, fireplace-equipped lounges and an onsite café.

Whitby Township (Brooklin) Library

Library services in the Township of Whitby date back to 1897, when a subscription-based “Association Library” was formed in Brooklin. In 1958, the Township decided to establish a public library supported by property taxes and a new building was completed on Vipond Road in 1961. [ "A History of Brooklin Public Library. "Whitby Free Press". 30 June 1971. ] In 1968, the Town and Township of Whitby amalgamated to form a newly expanded Town of Whitby. The Township library branch in Brooklin became part of the Whitby library system and operates from the same location today.

Planning is underway for a new convert|10000|sqft|m2|sing=on branch in Brooklin as part of a new community centre. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2009, and will take approximately two years to complete. The new building will be built on the site of the existing library and the Brooklin branch will move to temporary quarters until construction is complete. [ "Brooklin community centre and library move forward." "Whitby This Week". 5 Nov. 2006. ]

Whitby Archives

The Whitby Archives were established by the Whitby Historical Society in 1968 at the historic Whitby Centennial Building. Local historian Brian Winter was named archivist. In 2005, the Archives were moved to the second floor of the new Central Library where it remains located today. The Archives houses a collection of several thousand items, including over 5,000 photographs, documentation on approximately 3,000 Whitby families and information on an estimated 400 buildings. There are also special collections on a number of well-known Whitby landmarks, including Camp X, Trafalgar Castle School and the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital.

ee also

*Public libraries in Ontario

ources

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References

External links

* [http://www.whitbylibrary.on.ca Whitby Public Library Website]
* [http://hip.whitbylibrary.on.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=remote Whitby Public Library Catalogue]
* [http://ourontario.ca/Whitby Whitby Public Library and Archives Historic Photo Collection]