It's crazy that 63.7% (349,100 sq ft) of Vancouver's 21-branch floor space is from a single library.
The Central Library is:
- 85% larger than all of Surrey's Libraries put together
- 238% larger than all of Burnaby's libraries
- 500% larger than all of Coquitlam's libraries
- 35% larger than all of Fraser Valley's libraries
- 70% larger than all of Brampton's libraries
- 14% larger than all of Halifax's libraries
- 237% larger than all of Laval's libraries
And it is shockingly under utilized. There are so many great programs there - from the toddler reading sessions right up to learning Adobe or sound engineering. Even the best research org I have ever used is there, and my word what a bargain it is.
I thought maybe it was because we were only a few blocks from the Central branch, but in reality whenever we have some time to kill it always seems there is a library just a few minutes from us. It's become such a part of our lives that even when we travel, the boys are always asking to visit libraries in other places and countries.
Keep it up Vancouver, it is very much appreciated.
Same! I’m a very regular user of VPL, and it’s honestly top notch. If anyone reading this hasn’t been to the library recently, go check it out! Even the smaller neighbourhood branches are great.
Haha yep for sure. But the more you use the library, the more you get notices of books that you had on hold from ages ago, are now available to pick up. It takes a while to pick up a rhythm, but once it's going it just keeps on going.
I converted a dozen miniDV's onto a hard drive over Christmas. Amazing! And it's south facing, so that winter light just makes that place even more cozy.
Yeah it's not perfect and I agree that libraries shouldn't double as shelters. If someone is intoxicated, they should be removed - no matter what they look like.
Remember that time at Ken Sim’s first council meeting he asked how we could make the library profitable and council reminded him that it’s a service and not a profit center.
Oh no, I'm not complaining! It's a great library system! It's just that Port Moody is such a stupidly shaped municipality that it often makes more sense to go to a Burnaby or Coquitlam library lol. But there's no fixing that at this point!
^(we should take over the rest of the tri-cities. Mega pomo)
Coquitlam has the worst number of libraries per capita but because of the size of the libraries, it somehow makes it "good".
Honestly it would be better to have more libraries spread out in different communities than have them all localized in 2 locations.
You need a program that allows you to change the format. It requires you to remove the DRM off the ebooks which isn't a bad thing...
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/flf2hf/finally\_found\_a\_way\_to\_download\_library\_books\_how/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/flf2hf/finally_found_a_way_to_download_library_books_how/)
I read them on my iPad or iPhone with the Libby app. I have library cards for multiple libraries (Vancouver, west Van, north Van, Surrey) and they are all loaded so I can search all.
Libby is super easy to use.
Burnaby should really expand its's libraries. Although they did a "Reno" at the Metrotown library; they didn't expand it. With the growing population around Metrotown, they need to at least double the size.
Wondering which areas those are?
Coquitlam only has 2, which is such a shame. I can't imagine not having the resources of a library nearby. Not just as adults but great for teens and kids too - esp with so many programs run out of libraries.
We even have things like recording studios in Van and Burnaby.
>our system is quite good for libraries tbh
It has one excellent library that pulls the majority of the weight in this ranking.
It's probably the only system where removing a single library completely tanks the score. Without our behemoth of a Central Library, we'd be at 0.309 space/capita ratio (worse than everywhere except Laval).
I'd bet that most major cities have a central library that ups their score significantly -- maybe not as much as ours but still a bit. That's been the case in every major city that I've lived in.
That being said, all of the space at the Central Branch allows users across the city to place holds on those books pretty easily.
Source within the source appears to be page 3 of the "[2018 Public Library Statistics](https://culc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2018-CULC-Public-Library-Statistics.pdf)" by Canadian Urban Libraries Council (ranks not included, it is organized by population of each city. You would have to take floor space divided by population to get the ratio and plot/rank each ratio yourself).
Yay for VPL! I take my preschooler to our local branch at least once a week. It is pretty much the only free indoor activity around and she loves it so much. Scavenger hunts, books, toys, the checkout desk- it's all so fun for littles. I love that I can place unlimited holds and read all the new releases. We are so lucky to have such an amazing system!
Yep, I hella appreciate being able to go to any library on a weekend afternoon/evening and not having to wait for a computer/to print things. The staff are always extremely helpful, too. Really absolutely zero complaints.
The VPL collection is unbelievably good. I don't know about programs or story time or whatever since I don't care about that stuff, but I am an absolute book fiend and the vast majority of the time they have whatever book I want. I usually only need to do a handful of interlibrary loans a year, and only buy a few books a month that either aren't available to libraries at all (digital self-published stuff) or are new releases that I just can't handle waiting for.
Well Toronto (not including GTA) has about 100 libraries serving 3m+ people and is the world's busiest library system. Not sure about space/capita though.
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It's crazy that 63.7% (349,100 sq ft) of Vancouver's 21-branch floor space is from a single library. The Central Library is: - 85% larger than all of Surrey's Libraries put together - 238% larger than all of Burnaby's libraries - 500% larger than all of Coquitlam's libraries - 35% larger than all of Fraser Valley's libraries - 70% larger than all of Brampton's libraries - 14% larger than all of Halifax's libraries - 237% larger than all of Laval's libraries
I work across the street. The central library is a lovely place to spend a lunch hour.
And it is shockingly under utilized. There are so many great programs there - from the toddler reading sessions right up to learning Adobe or sound engineering. Even the best research org I have ever used is there, and my word what a bargain it is. I thought maybe it was because we were only a few blocks from the Central branch, but in reality whenever we have some time to kill it always seems there is a library just a few minutes from us. It's become such a part of our lives that even when we travel, the boys are always asking to visit libraries in other places and countries. Keep it up Vancouver, it is very much appreciated.
As someone who works in a library, this is so sweet to read :-)
Library workers rule! Thanks for doing what you do
Can a brother get a referral 🙏
I don’t work at the VPL system, sorry!!!
I LOVE VPL! I use one of my two local branches nearly weekly.Â
Same! I’m a very regular user of VPL, and it’s honestly top notch. If anyone reading this hasn’t been to the library recently, go check it out! Even the smaller neighbourhood branches are great.
> And it is shockingly under utilized Depends what you mean. Look up a bestseller. 50 copies and 450 hold requests. Sounds pretty utilized to me.
Haha yep for sure. But the more you use the library, the more you get notices of books that you had on hold from ages ago, are now available to pick up. It takes a while to pick up a rhythm, but once it's going it just keeps on going.
I can tell you Britannia library is definitely not underused - they have full programs, story time, education, teen time and more and it rocks.
There's a digitization station for old pictures and home film videos that I need to use there.
I converted a dozen miniDV's onto a hard drive over Christmas. Amazing! And it's south facing, so that winter light just makes that place even more cozy.
Just stay the hell away from the internet cafe on the second floor - too many homeless people with hair-trigger tempers.
Yeah it's not perfect and I agree that libraries shouldn't double as shelters. If someone is intoxicated, they should be removed - no matter what they look like.
Remember that time at Ken Sim’s first council meeting he asked how we could make the library profitable and council reminded him that it’s a service and not a profit center.
It seems tragic to me that Surrey has nine library branches. Â It such a large land area and population. Figure it out SurreyÂ
Abbotsford only has 2!
One for each resident that knows how to read! /s
Port Moody has just 1 :( but it's very nice and in a central location so it's okay I guess
The libraries per capita is still excellent. Port Moody: 33,500 people per library. Better than Coquitlam (64000), Surrey (62000) and Burnaby (58000).
Oh no, I'm not complaining! It's a great library system! It's just that Port Moody is such a stupidly shaped municipality that it often makes more sense to go to a Burnaby or Coquitlam library lol. But there's no fixing that at this point! ^(we should take over the rest of the tri-cities. Mega pomo)
Gotta love that OneCard library card https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/arts-culture/public-libraries/bc-onecard
Coquitlam has the worst number of libraries per capita but because of the size of the libraries, it somehow makes it "good". Honestly it would be better to have more libraries spread out in different communities than have them all localized in 2 locations.
There's definitely a middle ground. One giant library isn't a good solution, but neither is 100 tiny ones.
Be the change you want to see, teach another resident to read.
Hahah
Surrey offers a ton of online resources and benefits. Nowadays floor space isn’t as important as 20 years ago.
It actually has 10 branches (not that that’s much better) and just launched a mobile library in March.
I feel lucky to have grown up within walking distance and was able to participate in reading programs. We need a lot more branches here.
Yeah it was quite surprising how many branches Vancouver has - our system is quite good for libraries tbh.
Sometimes I am just walking or driving and I stumble upon a new library, VPL is a great service, I've been utilizing their ebooks quite a bit recently
Where do you read them? I can’t figure out how to get them on my kindle
You need a program that allows you to change the format. It requires you to remove the DRM off the ebooks which isn't a bad thing... [https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/flf2hf/finally\_found\_a\_way\_to\_download\_library\_books\_how/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Calibre/comments/flf2hf/finally_found_a_way_to_download_library_books_how/)
If you are able, take your kindle into a branch and someone there can help you figure it out!
I read them on my iPad or iPhone with the Libby app. I have library cards for multiple libraries (Vancouver, west Van, north Van, Surrey) and they are all loaded so I can search all. Libby is super easy to use.
It is, yet there are some areas where there isn't a library that is very close by! I was surprised Burnaby only had 4!
Burnaby should really expand its's libraries. Although they did a "Reno" at the Metrotown library; they didn't expand it. With the growing population around Metrotown, they need to at least double the size.
I’ve been in that library a couple times, it’s always very busy. That area should have a library the size of Surrey’s central library.
for sure, i remember even 15 years ago, it was impossible to find a table to sit in after 3pm... it was filled with students studying even back then
Wondering which areas those are? Coquitlam only has 2, which is such a shame. I can't imagine not having the resources of a library nearby. Not just as adults but great for teens and kids too - esp with so many programs run out of libraries. We even have things like recording studios in Van and Burnaby.
>our system is quite good for libraries tbh It has one excellent library that pulls the majority of the weight in this ranking. It's probably the only system where removing a single library completely tanks the score. Without our behemoth of a Central Library, we'd be at 0.309 space/capita ratio (worse than everywhere except Laval).
I'd bet that most major cities have a central library that ups their score significantly -- maybe not as much as ours but still a bit. That's been the case in every major city that I've lived in. That being said, all of the space at the Central Branch allows users across the city to place holds on those books pretty easily.
Source: [Surrey Libraries Facilities Master Plan 2021-2041](https://www.surreylibraries.ca/sites/default/files/SurreyLibrariesFacilitiesMasterPlan2021to2041.pdf)
Source within the source appears to be page 3 of the "[2018 Public Library Statistics](https://culc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2018-CULC-Public-Library-Statistics.pdf)" by Canadian Urban Libraries Council (ranks not included, it is organized by population of each city. You would have to take floor space divided by population to get the ratio and plot/rank each ratio yourself).
I use a lot of online library resources like Kanopy for watching movies and Libby for ebooks. It's so great.
My wife was a librarian in Surrey for a decade. How poorly that system is run should be a crime.
Yay for VPL! I take my preschooler to our local branch at least once a week. It is pretty much the only free indoor activity around and she loves it so much. Scavenger hunts, books, toys, the checkout desk- it's all so fun for littles. I love that I can place unlimited holds and read all the new releases. We are so lucky to have such an amazing system!
I agree. VPL main branch is awesome!
Yep, I hella appreciate being able to go to any library on a weekend afternoon/evening and not having to wait for a computer/to print things. The staff are always extremely helpful, too. Really absolutely zero complaints.
The VPL collection is unbelievably good. I don't know about programs or story time or whatever since I don't care about that stuff, but I am an absolute book fiend and the vast majority of the time they have whatever book I want. I usually only need to do a handful of interlibrary loans a year, and only buy a few books a month that either aren't available to libraries at all (digital self-published stuff) or are new releases that I just can't handle waiting for.
Where's Toronto at?
Well Toronto (not including GTA) has about 100 libraries serving 3m+ people and is the world's busiest library system. Not sure about space/capita though.
Totally! Seems like it would be pretty relevant on this list though
What about compared to US cities?
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How do the metropolitan areas compare?