History of WPL

An Introduction to Libraries in Ontario

During the 18th century, due to the improvements made in printing methods, books had become more readily available. The first recorded library in Ontario was that of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) which was established in June 1800. It was a subscription library with an annual fee of $4.00 which, at that time, was a lot of money.

By the 1830’s what were known as Mechanics’ Institutes were being formed in places such as Kingston and Toronto. These became broader in mandate than the earlier subscription libraries, and “were intended to provide their members – ‘mechanics and workingmen’ – with lectures, classes, reading rooms and lending libraries.”*

*For more information, please read The Best Gift: a record of the Carnegie Libraries in Ontario by Margaret Beckman.

The History of WPL

1875

Waterloo’s Mechanics’ Institute was formed in late 1875 when a group of interested citizens got together in the market, which at the time was located in the new Town Hall, built in 1874.

On February 18, 1876, the first account for books was passed ($38.55) but the matter of shelving was laid over for consideration until after the town council election. In the meantime a table was provided and the books purchased by librarian David Bergey were displayed. So, Waterloo’s first library consisted of one table of books on the main floor of the Town Hall.

A constitution was adopted and the objective of the Institute and conditions of membership were developed. The objective of The Mechanics’ Institute was “…the mental and moral improvement of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood.” The organizing committee agreed that “All well conducted persons shall be eligible for membership.”

A list of rules was also posted:  

1. The Library Room will be open from 7 to 9 o’clock on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
2. German Books only will be distributed on Tuesday evenings.
3. English Books only will be distributed on Friday evenings.
4. No person under the age of fifteen years will be allowed to select books.
5. Not more than two persons from one family will be allowed in the Library Room on the same evening.
6.  The utmost good order and decorum must be observed by all persons while in the Library Room. Smoking prohibited.
7. Fifteen minutes will be allowed each party for the selection of Books, which when chosen, must be presented to the Librarian for entry in his books. Whether a selection is made or not, the party must retire at the expiration of fifteen minutes so as to give place to others.
8. Any Book taken from the shelf and not selected must be put back into its place.
9. Membership was a privilege and “If any member … bring dishonour upon the institute, he may be expelled by the Directors.”
10. The subscription fee was two dollars and subscribers were asked to state their preference of books written in English or German.

1887

Due to the public’s demand for better reading material and facilities, the Free Library of Waterloo was formed. Subscription fees were abolished and a Board of Directors was appointed.

1888

After twelve years, the Mechanics’ Institute decided to “…transfer its assets and liabilities” to the “Municipal Corporation of the town of Waterloo.” The Institute would become known as the Waterloo Free Library.

There were a number of fairly strict rules for library users, including “Noise and loud conversation in the Reading Room, also the use of tobacco and the filthy practice of spitting on the floor, are strictly prohibited!”

1900

To quote from an article from the Chronicle Telegraph (now the Waterloo Chronicle) of November 19, “The necessity for new quarters for the Waterloo Public Library arose from certain conditions over which the Board of Directors had no control. In 1900 and the subsequent year the Education Department threatened to withhold the Legislative Grant if a more suitable reading room were not provided for the general public.” In the fall of 1901, the Library Board laid the matter before the Town Council and proposed a scheme. The plan was not favourably received for a number of reasons, including the worry that the Librarian would not be able to exercise the necessary supervision over the reading room.

1902

David Bean, Mayor of Waterloo, informed council that Library grants were available from Scottish-American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. A joint meeting of the Board of Trade, Waterloo Town Council, and the Library Board was held. An application for $10,000 was drafted and mailed to Andrew Carnegie.*

At this time the Waterloo Free Library’s collection contained 7,013 volumes. 6886 volumes circulated in 1901. Annual expenditures were $500. Waterloo’s population had increased to 3600 inhabitants. The Library Room in the old City Hall on Albert Street was no longer large enough. On July 18, 1902, the grant was approved.

*Who was Andrew Carnegie?

In 1848, Andrew Carnegie (13) immigrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania with his family. His formal education ended upon immigration and, as a teenage telegraphic messenger boy, he borrowed books from a private library with a $2.00 annual subscription fee. Carnegie successfully argued that all fees should be eliminated and it became a free library.

In 1901, Carnegie retired, having made his fortune in the steel industry, and devoted himself full-time to his philanthropic works. He felt the provision of a library to a community was the “best gift” that could be made. Over the years Carnegie, and later the Carnegie Corporation, donated over $56 million to build more than 2,500 public libraries world-wide, with over $2.5 million granted for library construction in Canada. A total of 125 libraries were built in Canada, with 111 of these being in Ontario. One being in Waterloo!

1903

Architect, Charles Moogk drew up plans for the Carnegie Library building, and submitted them to Mayor David Bean for approval.

Charles Moogk was born in Preston in 1848, the son of Germany immigrants. As a young teen, Charles left school and began working.  He developed an interest in carpentry and construction, spending several years both in Ontario and the United States honing his skills. He met his future wife Josephine Lockard in Philadelphia, and the couple moved to Waterloo in 1874.

Through family connections, Moogk was hired to work on the building of the new Village Hall in 1874. Being involved with this prestigious building, now the site of the Marsland Centre, boosted Moogk’s career.   Thanks to his considerable talent as an architect, as well as his integrity, promptness and reliability, Moogk became Town Engineer in 1899.  He would be responsible for a number of buildings in Waterloo including the Waterloo Park Pavilion (1897) and the Carnegie Library in Waterloo!

His award-winning library plans included book stacks, a general reading room, a children’s room, a reference room and librarian’s office on the main floor. The second floor featured a 300 seat auditorium and a boardroom.

An opening ceremony was held on November 4, 1909 to celebrate. An orchestra kept the crowd entertained until the speakers were ready. Then Mayor Weidenhammer welcomed the guests and reviewed the history of the Library to the present. Following was the Reverend Mr. Lee, who after expressing his delight at working with the Board of Directors in the betterment of the community, concluded his speech by “…hoping that the Waterloo Library shall be as a spring from which there shall ever gush forth a fountain of knowledge and truth that will be a blessing to the whole community.”

Property was purchased at Albert and Water (now Dorset) Streets. On November 12 the cornerstone was laid during a large, public ceremony. Within the cornerstone was laid a metal box containing copies of the local newspaper, the history of the Free Public Library (to date), a list of town officials and copies of correspondence concerning the Library. By December 25 the roof was in place and the interior work began.

Emma Belle Roos  (pronounced Rose) was the Waterloo Carnegie Library’s first librarian. She was born on November 15, 1880, one of eleven children. Her mother was Mary Ann Springer, a daughter of Moses Springer, one of the most influential citizens in Waterloo’s early history. Emma Belle was the Town Hall Librarian before taking on the new task of the Carnegie Library.

As the new public librarian, she commanded an atmosphere of whispered silence, with no chatting, and demonstrative behaviour was frowned upon. For a number of years, she alone checked out books, did the re-shelving and carried out the ordering and cataloguing of new purchases. Her salary was $200.00 a year. She held this position for 46 years until her retirement in the summer of 1949.

1905

November 1 was the grand opening of the new Carnegie Waterloo Free Library.   The new library cost $9,100 to build.  The Library was 44 x 54’ and built in the Classical Revival Style. The exterior was constructed of red Milton pressed bricks, with a Credit Valley sandstone basement. The numerous large windows admitted an abundance of light into the interior. There was ornamental brickwork and pediment over the front entrance, the stained glass window to the east of the entrance, and a Bronze Honour roll on the south elevation.

The library was an immediate success! A story from the Chronicle Telegraph of December 14, 1905 has the following headline: “Books Taken From Library During the Month of November Reach a Grand Total of 818.” and continues, “An evidence that the Waterloo Free Library is being patronized better than ever since moving into the new building may be seen in the large number of books taken out during the month of November, which totalled 818. Moreover, books have only been issued since Nov. 7th, so that the number issued during the month may be considered a very good showing indeed.”

By 1909 the second floor was completed and served as a meeting hall with a capacity for 300 people. Books cost between $0.40 and $1.05; Ladies’ Home Journal was $1.65 for a one year subscription.

1920

A special section of the library was devoted to the younger readers.

1922

To encourage children’s reading, the first Story Hour was held. The program was a resounding success. 1300 books circulated each year.

1931

The Meeting Hall at the Free Library is renovated to become the Children’s Department and the first Children’s Librarian is hired.

1961

The Waterloo Lion’s Club donated time as well as $7000 to renovate the basement to become the Children’s Department.

The Adult Department expanded to include the second story.

1962

Waterloo Public Library becomes the first Library in Ontario to open on a Sunday.

1964

The Library had again outgrown its location. The site chosen was opposite the Carnegie Library on land which originally housed the old fire hall and the Waterloo Market.

1966

On Jun 11 the new Waterloo Public Library opened at 35 Albert Street. The cost of constructing the new Library was $515,000. The two-story building boasted 17,000 square feet of floor area, an auditorium-gallery, adults’, children’s and reference departments. The Carnegie building was occupied by the Waterloo Police Force (later the Waterloo Regional Police). After the Police moved to large offices on Erb Street, the building was (and still is) used as the national head office for Habitat for Humanity Canada.

1973

A new concept, combining an arena with a library, was initiated on September 15 when the Parkside Branch Library (later renamed McCormick Branch) opened at 500 Parkside Drive.

1983 to 1986

Report was submitted to City Council which stresses the immediate need for an expansion of the existing Library. The city’s population and the Library’s membership had doubled since 1966 yet the size of the building remained virtually unchanged. The City did not approve the grant for 1984, so a portable building was erected as a staff workroom, and the auditorium was converted to a Reference Room (in 1985). In 1986 a Library Needs Survey again recommended expansion and City Council granted approval.

1985

The Carnegie Library building was given a heritage designation.

1987 to 1988

Construction on the expansion of the Main Library on Albert Street began in 1987 and was completed in the spring of 1989.

The renovations cost $2,000,000.

The result was double the main floor (Adult Department) space, an audio visual department, a reference area, reading areas, and more room to display the books.

1991

The card catalogue was replaced by a Dynix computer system at both the Main and the McCormick Branch. The system cost $616,000.

1999

Over 718,000 items were circulated to customers in one year. Free Internet service became available in all departments.

2000

New computer workstations (donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) were available to customers. These stations provide such software products as MS Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint and more. There were over 200,000 books in the collection and there are over 48,000 members. Over 6530 customers visited the Library in an average week. One hundred and forty volunteers assisted the staff in various tasks from shelving of books to delivering books to retirement homes. In honour of the 125th anniversary, calendars, note cards and book bags were designed and sold as a fundraiser.

2001

The WPL web site and the new computer system, shared with Kitchener Public Library, were launched in late spring.

2003 to 2004

There is a major redesign and reorganization of the Main Library.

The Children’s Department receives the first treatment, with a cheerful new colour scheme, a revised layout plus new bookshelves and furniture to suit their smaller customers.

The circulation desks are moved to a more central location, the Dupont Street lobby.

2005

On February 21, 2005 the Waterloo Public Library Board presented recommendations to Waterloo City Council for library expansion. These recommendations were approved by Council.

The redesign project at the Main Library continues with the Adult Department drastically changing the layout, plus purchasing new book shelves to hold the thousands of wonderful new books which are arriving weekly.

2007

Over 1600 people visit the Waterloo Public Library daily.  Over 1 million items are borrowed by library customers annually.  However, when virtual visits and information questions etc. are tallied, there are closer to 3 million uses per year.

2008

The redesign project was completed. 

The Main Library and the McCormick Branch had received new carpeting, furniture, paint and signage.  

 The Library was even busier than in 2007, with 1700 people visiting each day to use the various services offered by WPL, and to browse the 250,000 + items on the new shelves.

 

2009

The WPL web site, after 8 years, has been completely redesigned with input from the general public.  The system for checking out and in books changed over to RFID technology and self-serve checkout stations were installed at both the Main Library and the McCormick Branch.  The groundbreaking ceremony for the new John M. Harper District Branch Library took place in the autumn.

2010

Construction of the new John M. Harper District Branch Library continues at 500 Fischer-Hallman Road in Waterloo. 

Laurie Clarke (pictured left) is hired as the new CEO (Chief Librarian).

58,600 people have active memberships with WPL

1.5 million items were circulated in 2010

46,000 reference questions were answered by WPL staff

576,000 unique visitors accessed wpl.ca

894 programs were held with over 21,000 people attending

88,500 holds were submitted on books, DVDs, CDs etc.

2011

October 22, 2011 - the John M. Harper District Branch Libraryopens at 500 Fischer-Hallman Road North in Waterloo.  This 21,000 sq. ft.  “green” building saw over 500 people line up to be one of the first to cross the threshhold.   In the first 3 hours of opening, almost 3000 items were checked out and 89 new members registered for library cards.   In the first 2 weeks, over 400 new memberships were registered.