Surrey Libraries

Surrey Public Library, operating as Surrey Libraries, is the municipal library for the City of Surrey in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Surrey Libraries serves the City's residents with programs, reference services, free resources, and holdings of digital and physical items across its ten branches. It is the third-largest library system in British Columbia by total population served, after Fraser Valley Regional Library and Vancouver Public Library.^[3]

Services

Surrey Libraries provides:

• A borrow-able physical collection, including print books, DVDs, Blu-Rays, music CDs, audiobook CDs/MP3s, book club kits, children’s storytime kits, and technological resources .^[4]
• An online library, with databases, e-books, e-periodicals, streaming audio/video, and interactive modules geared toward topics such as genealogy, accessibility, career advancement, citizenship, and lifelong learning ^[5]
• Information services, including reference and Reader’s Advisory
• Programming for patrons of all ages
• Accessibility services, including home delivery, assistive technologies, and collections for people with print disabilities^[6]
• Resources for newcomers to Canada, including assistance finding work and housing, information on low cost or free services in the area, English Language training programs and collections, and books in many different languages spoken around the world ^[7]
• Partnerships with community organizations to provide supplemental services
• A Family History department at the Cloverdale branch, with over 3,000 books, 5,000 microfilm reels, and more than a dozen online databases in its collection ^[8]

History

1980s

Before 1983, all City of Surrey library branches were part of the Fraser Valley Regional Library system. On November 20, 1982, Surrey voters passed a referendum to establish a separate, amalgamated municipal library system. Five months later, on March 17, 1983, five branches (Guildford, Newton, Ocean Park, Port Kells, and Whalley) began operations in the new Surrey Public Library system. ^[9]

1990s

On May 2, 1992, the current Newton branch building opened to the public. ^[10] The facility, designed by Vancouver firm Patkau Architects, won the Governor General's Award for Architecture in 1994.^[11] The Fleetwood branch opened on June 24, 1995, as part of the Fleetwood Community Centre. ^[12] It became the seventh branch in the Surrey Public Library system.

2000s

The 2000s saw the addition of the system’s eighth and ninth branches: Strawberry Hill in 2000 and Semiahmoo in 2003. ^[13] In 2004, the Semiahmoo branch attained a LEED Silver Certification. It was the first LEED Certified library building in British Columbia and the first LEED Certified building of any kind in the City of Surrey. ^[14] The second iteration of the Ocean Park branch also opened in 2000, nearly doubling the floor space of the previous building. ^[15]

2010s - present

The City Centre Library opened in 2011, replacing the old Whalley branch. Designed by Bing Thom Architects, the four-floor, 82,000 square-foot LEED Gold Certified facility now serves as the system’s main library. ^[16] The public space includes four meeting rooms for 40-80 people, five consultation rooms for 3-8 people, a silent study, a meditation room, a classroom for computer learning programs, a large children’s section on the first floor, and stations for assistive technologies. ^[17] Its concrete-and-glass exterior and spacious, naturally-lit interior makes it a popular filming location for movies and television shows.

In 2024, a new Mobile Library service launched. The mobile library is equipped in a van that travels to various locations and contains over 1,000 books, Wi-Fi hotpsot, and laptops.^[18]

Locations

The library has ten branches:

• City Centre
• Clayton
• Cloverdale
• Fleetwood
• Guildford
• Newton
• Ocean Park
• Port Kells
• Semiahmoo
• Strawberry Hill

Collections

• Surrey Libraries provides patrons with books, music CDs, books on CD, databases, DVDs, magazines, reference books, newspapers and online materials. Library material is available in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese. The online learning collection includes a large collection of streaming/downloadable eBooks, eAudio and movies.
• Accessibility Services offers home delivery services and specialized collections including downloadable eBooks and eAudio to Surrey patrons with print and other disabilities.
• Genealogy services are offered through the Family History Department which holds the largest collection of Canadian genealogy resources in Western Canada and offers numerous programs on genealogy.

Awards

References

1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
3. ^ Surrey, City of (2020). "2019 Canadian Public Library Statistics". culc.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-27.^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Borrowing". 17 October 2023.
5. ^ "Online Library". 17 October 2023.
6. ^ "Accessibility Services". 17 October 2023.
7. ^ "Newcomers". 17 October 2023.
8. ^ "Family History". 17 October 2023.
9. ^ Brown, Jack (10 October 2023). "The History of Surrey's Public Libraries"
10. ^ Brown, Jack (10 October 2023). "The History of Surrey's Public Libraries"
11. ^ cf. 1994: Patkau Architects Inc. Architecture Canada, The Governor General’s Awards for Architecture: pp.92-99, Newton Library
12. ^ Brown, Jack (10 October 2023). "The History of Surrey's Public Libraries"
13. ^ Brown, Jack (10 October 2023). "The History of Surrey's Public Libraries"
14. ^ Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership (16 October 2023). "Semiahmoo Library & RCMP District Office"
15. ^ Brown, Jack (10 October 2023). "The History of Surrey's Public Libraries"
16. ^ Arch Daily (17 October 2023). "Surrey City Centre Library / Bing Thom Architects."
17. ^ "City Centre Branch". 17 October 2023.
18. ^ Brockman, Charles (2024-05-24). "Mobile library launches in Surrey". CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved 2025-04-16.

External links

• Official site