CLOSURE NOTICE: The McCormick Branch will be CLOSED for extensive construction as of Monday, August 24. Click here for more details.

Job Opportunities

Discover rewarding opportunities to contribute your skills, passion, and innovation in a dynamic library environment dedicated to fostering knowledge and enriching lives.

View Job Opportunities

Staff person peering through a shelf of books
A staff person stands in the Gamerspace at the Eastside Branch smiling at the camera

Why Work at WPL?

Embark on a rewarding journey with these compelling benefits – discover why working at WPL goes beyond a job, offering a fulfilling experience that positively impacts both you and the community we serve.

  • Collaborative and supportive teams
  • OMERS pension with employer contributions
  • Support for professional development
  • Your birthday off with pay
  • Casual dress code

Our Vision,
Mission & Values

Our Vision

We envision a thriving community that is multi-literate, engaged and welcoming to all.

Our Mission

We provide equitable access to lifelong learning and contribute to the wellbeing of all.

Our Values

  • Trust
    We are a trusted community resource for diverse information and perspectives where the needs and privacy of all are respected.
  • Equity
    We prioritize equity, access and inclusion in everything we do.
  • Joy of Discovery
    We spark and sustain a culture of creativity, innovation and self­-expression.
  • Future Readiness
    We support our community to address today's needs and tomorrow's potential.
  • Compassion
    We embrace the humanity in everyone and treat all with respect.
Shelver putting books through the sorter at the John M. Harper Branch
View Our Strategic Plan
Close up of the mural at the John M. Harper Branch

Statement on Race and Social Equity

As leaders of North America’s public libraries, we are committed to achieving racial and social equity by contributing to a more just society in which all community members can realize their full potential. Our libraries can help achieve true and sustained equity through an intentional, systemic and transformative library-community partnership. Our library systems are working to achieve equity in the communities we serve by:

  1. Eliminating racial and social equity barriers in library programs, services, policies and practices
  2. Creating and maintaining an environment of diversity, inclusion and respect both in our library systems and in all aspects of our community role
  3. Ensuring that we are reaching and engaging disenfranchised people in the community and helping them express their voice
  4. Serving as a convener and facilitator of conversations and partnerships to address community challenges
  5. Being forthright on tough issues that are important to our communities

Libraries are trusted, venerable and enduring institutions, central to their communities and an essential participant in the movement for racial and social equity.

Originally endorsed by the Canadian Urban Libraries Council
Download the Statement in English & French

Job Postings

  • Library Assistant

    Library Assistant

    Main Library / Part-time 15 Month Contract / 16 hours per week

    We’re looking for an individual who is curious, approachable, and passionate about connecting others with knowledge. At WPL, Library Assistants play a hands-on role in welcoming and supporting our diverse community from young children to lifelong learners. This position is centred on creating a positive customer experience, using good judgment to respond to a wide range of needs, and helping make the library an engaging, accessible, and supportive place for everyone. Sound like you?

    What You’ll Do

    • Provide excellent customer service, reader’s advisory and circulation services for customers of all ages.
    • Conduct reference interviews to understand customer needs and connect them with accurate information and relevant resources.
    • Support customers with technology in the library by confidently assisting and educating them on WPL’s current and emerging maker technology, digital tools, resources, devices and services.
    • Use sound judgement in responding to customer questions, service issues and day-to-day situations knowing when to problem-solve independently and when to seek support.
    • Promote WPL, its services, and its resources, helping customers discover opportunities to learn, explore, and engage with the library.
    • Contribute to an environment that encourages curiosity, learning and digital confidence for both customers and staff.

    What We’re Looking For

    • Post-secondary diploma or degree plus at least 1 year of customer service experience working directly with the public.
    • Exceptional customer service skills, including the ability to create a welcoming, positive, inclusive, customer-first environment while using sound judgment and critical thinking to assess needs and respond appropriately.
    • Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with customers and colleagues. Proficiency in a language other than English is considered an asset.
    • Strong technology literacy, with confidence to support customers with technology, and the ability to explain digital tools and concepts clearly.
    • Flexible and collaborative, with a proactive, team-oriented mindset and a willingness to adapt to changing service needs.
    • A genuine interest in learning, curiosity, and desire to help others learn.

    Schedule

    The regular schedule will be Mondays 2:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., alternating Fridays 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., alternating Saturdays 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

    Schedules are subject to change. The ability to work at any library location and flexibility to pick up additional shifts where needed is required.

    Salary/Wage/Benefits

    The starting wage is $29.36 per hour (level D)

    Optional OMERS pension provided. WPL offers a casual work environment, support for professional development and your birthday off with pay!

    How to Apply

    To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume by August 27, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. using the online application form below.

    Apply Now

Waterloo Public Library welcomes applications from diverse backgrounds including Indigenous persons, Black persons, persons of colour, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons and others that will contribute to the broadening of our ideas and experiences.

Waterloo Public Library accommodates individual needs in accordance with the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), within our recruitment process. If you require accommodation at any time throughout the recruitment process please contact Human Resources by phone 519-886-1310, TTY 1-866-786-3941, or email jobs@wpl.ca.

Job Application Form

Interested in applying for one of the current job openings at Waterloo Public Library? Complete the form below to apply.