Announcement:
Under the province-wide stay-at-home order, Kitchener Public Library locations are open for curbside pickup only. Learn more
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Central Library
85 Queen Street North
Kitchener ON N2H 2H1
Phone: 519-743-0271
| Monday - Thursday | 9:00 am - 7:00 pm |
| Friday | 9:00 am - 5:30 pm |
| Saturday | 9:00 am - 5:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
Transit Routes
Direct route to the library:
Routes with stops near the library:
Parking Options
Attached to the library, the Civic District Parking Garage offers hourly parking from 6 am to 10 pm.
- First 1/2 hour: $1.15
- Next 1/2 hour: $1.15
- Each 1/2 hour thereafter: $1.75
- Daily maximum: $15.00
- Sunday: free
Pay & Display parking is available 8 am to 6 pm in the Ahrens Street parking lot next to the library.
- Hourly rate: $2.40
- Daily maximum: $11.90
- Sunday: free
Parking garages and surface lots are owned and operated by the City of Kitchener. For additional parking options, or for questions and concerns, visit the City of Kitchener's Parking Information page.
Hacienda Coffee
Located in the Central Library reading lounge, Hacienda serves hot and cold beverages, as well as a selection of salads, sandwiches, wraps, cookies, muffins and other treats.
Hacienda is open during library hours (excluding holidays), and closes a half hour before the library.
About the Library
Central Library is the largest library in Kitchener and functions as the administrative headquarters for the four Community Library locations in the Kitchener Public Library system.
Besides functioning as the community library for our downtown customers, Central Library houses a diverse collection of over 250,000 materials and circulates over 800,000 items annually. The library also has numerous specialized collections and services which are impossible or too costly to duplicate at our community libraries located elsewhere in the city.
Originally built in 1962, Central library saw the completion of a major renovation and expansion project in 2014. The innovative construction project received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the Canada Green Building Council. The LEED certification process is an independent verification system that grades building and renovation projects on sustainable practises, including energy efficiency, water savings, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
In 2015, the Central Library Renovation and Expansion project was the recipient of the prestigious OLA Library Building Award for “Library Architectural and Design Transformation.”
Questions?
Do you have a comment, question or suggestion about the Central Library? Contact us at 519-743-0271 or email askkpl@kpl.org.