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.”
