SERVICE UPDATE: Due to electrical and network upgrades, the following will not be available at the Eastside Branch on Monday, March 9 & Tuesday, March 10: public computers, 3D printers, all printing services and the photocopier.

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

  • Manager, Collections & Systems

    Manager, Collections & Systems

    Main Library / Full-Time 15-Month Contract / 35 hours per week

     

    We are seeking a strategic, collaborative, and technically confident leader to join our team as Manager, Collections & Systems. This role provides vision and direction for WPL’s physical and digital collections, technical services, and library systems to ensure excellent, equitable customer service across WPL.

    Our ideal candidate excels in a multi-branch system, coordinating work across locations and building alignment across diverse stakeholders. They will bring both strong people leadership and the technical/analytical capability needed to steward core library systems and workflows.

    Sound like your next chapter?

    What You’ll Do:

    • Set direction for WPL’s physical and digital collections and library systems so all customers can discover and use materials easily and equitably across the system.
    • Lead, coach, and evaluate the Collections team staff to ensure effective performance and consistent, customer-focused access to collections across all branches.
    • Direct core technical services work (acquisitions, cataloguing/metadata, processing, serials, authority control), improving workflows so materials are accurate, findable, and available in a timely way. Collaborate with teams across the system for process efficiencies and improvements.
    • Oversee key Integrated Library System (ILS) functions that affect customer experience and staff efficiency (borrowing rules, item/record quality, acquisitions and related financial processes).
    • Create and maintain system-wide collection policies and standards that support consistent service across locations, while responding to different community needs and reducing barriers to access.
    • Manage collections budgets and vendor relationships (contracts, licensing, shared purchasing), using evidence to guide decisions and ensure responsible use of public funds.
    • Act as Person-in-Charge (PIC) regularly at the Main Library and represent WPL in relevant partnerships.

    What We’re Looking For:

    • Master of Information and Library Science (MLIS) from an accredited institution.
    • At least 5 years of library leadership experience, including direct staff supervision and responsibility for budgets and strategic planning and decision-making.
    • Strong knowledge of collection development and technical services work (print and digital), with a commitment to improving access for people with different needs, languages, and ways of using the library.
    • Experience working with an ILS and bibliographic/metadata standards (e.g., MARC, awareness of evolving standards such as BIBFRAME), and the ability to explain technical issues clearly to vendors and partners.
    • Strong communication, relationship-building, and project management skills. Ability to bring people together, navigate differing views, and implement changes that work across multiple locations.
    • Proven skill in budgeting, analysis, and resource planning, with sound judgement and transparency in decision-making. Experience managing large budgets (over 1M) is an asset.

    Schedule

    The regular schedule is Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and alternating Fridays and Saturdays 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

    Schedules are subject to change. The ability to work at any library location is required.

    Salary/Wage/Benefits

    The starting wage is $58.34 per hour (level H)

    Optional membership in OMERS pension plan is provided. Other entitlements include paid sick time, personal time and appointment time. 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 March 11, 2026 at 4:00pm  through the online application form.

    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.