The Guelph Public Library is excited to announce the public launch of its community fundraising campaign in support of the new Central Library, a net-zero carbon-ready building that will enhance library services and programs for all Guelphites.

Anchoring the Baker District redevelopment, Guelph’s new Central Library will be close to three times the size of the existing Main Library. It will provide enhanced accessibility, advanced technology, spaces for community use, programming and partnerships, and will be fully equipped to serve as the hub supporting our five Library branches across the city.

In 2020, as a valuable partner in the new Central Library, the City of Guelph committed $62 million to fund the construction, basic furnishings, and equipment for the new facility. A $13.5 million grant from the Government of Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program, announced in March 2024, is being applied to the project cost.

With 1.99 million visits, over 2.2 million items checked out, 1,294 events, and more than 1.5 million technology uses each year, the Guelph Public Library system is the most used public resource in the City of Guelph. To ensure the new Library is fully equipped to meet the needs of our growing and diverse community, a community campaign was initiated last September to raise funds and secure the additional funding required for the programs, special equipment, cutting-edge technologies, and other enabling resources necessary to enliven, animate, and activate the new Central Library spaces and inform, empower, and engage all who enter our doors.

Over the past 12 months a small volunteer committee has invited local families, businesses, and organizations to make founding campaign gifts. Thanks to these early leadership donors, $2.7 of the $4 million goal has been raised to date.

Last September, the Friends of the Guelph Public Library made an outstanding gift of $1 million – proceeds raised through their annual book sales - to launch this fundraising effort. As the 2024 book sale begins on September 19, the Library is now inviting all community members to contribute to this exciting new project and help make the vision of expanded and enhanced library services a reality.

“As someone deeply involved with the Friends of the Guelph Public Library, I’ve had the privilege of seeing how our library enriches the lives of people throughout our community. Guelph’s new Central Library represents not just a building, but a vital hub for learning, creativity, and connection. We chose to support this project because we believe in its power to inspire future generations, provide equitable access to resources, be an economic driver and create spaces where everyone feels welcome. Our library is the heart of Guelph, and we’re proud to stand behind this important campaign to ensure it thrives for years to come,” shares Ian Findlay, Executive Chair of the Friends of the Guelph Public Library. 

Donations to the Library’s community campaign are directed to five specific areas:

• Community spaces and meeting rooms to host gatherings, programs, and community partnerships
• A Makerspace equipped with tools and technologies for innovation and creativity  
• Dedicated Children and Teen areas to welcome and support young people  
• A temperature-controlled Archives to protect, share, and celebrate Guelph’s rich history and heritage now and into the future
• An Endowment to fund future programming to meet emerging needs and opportunities

“By building on the City and Federal Government’s generous investment in the new space, this campaign is advancing the Library’s capacity to provide free, inclusive, and equitable learning opportunities which enrich, improve and transform lives. Every gift makes a difference as we maintain, develop, and evolve programs and services to meet the growing needs of our community,” says Guelph Public Library’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Dan Atkins.

Many of our donors to date have reflected on the important role of libraries in our community, and how they have been inspired to help ensure our accessible and evolving resources are available for future generations. Some have shared their own personal stories and motivation, including:

“We were inspired to give because libraries provide a sense of community, and a place for human interaction in our increasingly digital world.” ~ Ted and Rebeka

“When I came to Canada in 1956 after the war, I utilized library services to learn English and teach myself about investing and building. My special gift honours of the special role that libraries have played in my life and those of my children and grandchildren.” ~  John

“Those who knew Debbie, know she loved reading, libraries, and sharing her passion for lifelong learning with those she loved. As a proud ‘library person’ and valued member of the Guelph Public Library family, her legacy will live on as gifts in her memory will support the Guelph’s new Library.” ~Lori and Stacie

“Over many decades, my visits to the public libraries of Guelph and elsewhere have opened my world through various media, meeting spaces for seminars, workshops, exhibitions, concerts, repair sessions, etc. They’ve also provided a safe and calming - and often exciting! - space for study, reflection, socializing, and betterment. Guelph has been good to me and my family. My parents were both very involved in the health and growth of this community. And so I was delighted to have the opportunity to lend a hand, in my parents’ memory, in the raising of a new, modern library for all of Guelph.” ~Nancy

"From the time I read under the covers with a flashlight I have known the joy of books and the value of libraries. Without books our ignorance dominates. A new library will be so important to all.” – Gary and Wynne

From September 19 to 22, 2024, as the Friends of the Guelph Public Library open their doors for the 16th annual BIG Book Sale, the Guelph Public Library is inviting the community to visit the sale or the library's website to learn more about the new Central Library and to support the campaign.            

Become a visionary partner today.

 
For more information, please visit – www.guelphpl.ca/donate

Kirsten Bester
Guelph Public Library Development Officer
Phone: 855-548-0399
Email: kbester@guelphpl.ca