Vancouver Public Library

The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is the public library system for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a place where people can go to read, learn, and explore many different kinds of materials.

In 2023, VPL had more than 4.6 million visits. People borrowed nearly 10.4 million items, including books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs, video games, newspapers, and magazines.

VPL has 21 physical locations and also offers services online. It serves over 236,000 active members, making it the largest public library system in British Columbia. The library helps people of all ages find information, enjoy stories, and participate in community events.

Services

The Vancouver Public Library offers a wide range of books and digital materials. It also provides community information, programs for children, youth, and adults, and delivers items to people who cannot leave their homes. The library gives access to information services, text databases, and interlibrary loan services.

One Book, One Vancouver

One Book, One Vancouver was a citywide book club supported by the Vancouver Public Library. Library staff chose one book from four options each year. This program stopped after 2010. Some of the books included:

2002: The Jade Peony – Wayson Choy
2003: Stanley Park – Timothy Taylor
2004: The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power – Joel Bakan
2005: Obasan – Joy Kogawa
2006: There is a Season: A Memoir in a Garden – Patrick Lane
2007: My Year of Meats – Ruth Ozeki
2008: The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky – Aren X. Tulchinsky
2009: The Crazy Canucks: Canada's Legendary Ski Team – Janet Love Morrison
2009: The Farm Team – Linda Bailey
2010: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

History

The Vancouver Carnegie Library was completed in 1903. The building was used as the main branch of the public library until 1957. The Carnegie Branch is currently located in the building.

In January 1869, the manager of the Hastings Mill started the New London Mechanics Institute, a meeting room and library for mill employees. It was later renamed the Hastings Literary Institute. After the Great Vancouver Fire in 1886, some of its books were donated to the new Vancouver Reading Room, which opened in 1887.

VPL moved its Central branch location from the Carnegie Library to 750 Burrard Street in 1957. The building was used as the Central branch until 1995.

Thanks to a donation from Andrew Carnegie in 1901, Vancouver built a new library. The building, designed by Vancouver architect George Grant, opened in November 1903. It included special reading rooms for children and other features. The library moved to a new central location in 1957 and again in 1995 to its current spot in Downtown Vancouver.

City librarians

George Pollay (1887–1890)
James Edwin Machin (1892–1910)
Alfred E. Goodman (1910)
Robert Waite Douglas, city librarian (1911–1924)
Edgar Stewart Robinson, director (1924–1957)
Peter Grossman, director (1957–1969)
Morton P. Jordan, director (1970–1978)
George C. Wootton, director (1979–1983)
Aileen Tufts, director (1984–1987)
Madge Aalto, director (1988–2003)
Paul Whitney, city librarian (2003–2010)
Sandra Singh, chief librarian (2010–2018)
Christina de Castell, chief librarian (2018–2025)
Ben Hyman, chief librarian & CEO (2025–present)

Branches

The Vancouver Public Library has 21 branches across the city. The first permanent branch opened in Kitsilano in 1927, and the most recent one, the Terry Salman Branch, opened in 2011. The largest branch is the Central Library, located in downtown Vancouver at Library Square.

The Central Library is a big, modern building that serves as the main branch. It includes books, study areas, and even a rooftop garden. The library building also has space for offices, shops, restaurants, and parking underground. It was completed in 1995 after a public vote supported the project. Since it opened, many more people have visited the library each year.