| Vaughan Public Libraries | |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Location | Vaughan, Ontario |
| Branches | 7 |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | business directories, phone books, maps, government publications, books, periodicals, genealogy, local history, |
| Website | http://www.vaughanpl.info/ |
Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) is a public library system consisting of seven libraries in the city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It has a collection of more than 534,000 items and serves over 1.7 million visitors a year. VPL has seven branch locations, including two resource libraries. The Bathurst Clark Resource Library opened in 1994, and houses VPL’s administration offices. Pierre Berton Resource Library opened in 2004. A third resource library is planned for the Civic Centre campus at the intersection of Keele Street and Major Mackenzie Drive. VPL serves the growing multicultural community of Vaughan by offering collections in Chinese, Persian, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu, in addition to French and English.[1]
The current Chief Executive Officer of Vaughan Public Libraries is Margie Singleton.[2]
Contents |
The branches of Vaughan Public Library are:[3]
| Branch | Location | Collection Size |
|---|---|---|
| Ansley Grove Library | 350 Ansley Grove Road, Woodbridge, ON L4L 5C9 | 55,687 |
| Bathurst Clark Resource Library | 900 Clark Avenue West, Thornhill, ON L4J 8C1 | 148,398 |
| Dufferin Clark Library | 1441 Clark Avenue West, Thornhill, ON L4J 7R4 | 61,084 |
| Kleinburg Library | 10341 Islington Avenue N., Kleinburg, ON L0J 1C0 | 23,441 |
| Maple Library | 10190 Keele Street, Maple, ON L6A 1G3 | 79,830 |
| Pierre Berton Resource Library | 4921 Rutherford Road, Woodbridge, ON L4L 1A6 | 117,212 |
| Woodbridge Library | 150 Woodbridge Avenue, Woodbridge, ON L4L 2S7 | 48,767 |
Free library memberships are available for those who live, work, attend school full-time or own property in the city of Vaughan. VPL also offer free membership to members of Aurora Public Library, Caledon Public Library, King Township Public Library, Newmarket Public Library, Richmond Hill Public Library, and Markham Public Library. All other people may acquire a membership by paying an annual fee of $80.00.[4]
Members of Vaughan Public Libraries have access to a diverse collection of resources including books, media, electronic databases, and other library services.
Holdings are loaned to a patron for a period of time dependent on the type of item borrowed:[8]
| Item Types | Loan Period |
|---|---|
| Books, Talking Books, CDs, eBook Readers, Non-fiction Videos & DVDs | 3 weeks |
| Bestsellers | 2 weeks |
| Magazines | 7 days |
| Fiction Videos & DVDs | 7 days |
| Fast Track Books | 7 days |
| Fast Track Audio-Visual | 3 days |
Special collections at VPL include:[9]
Adult Basic Literacy – This is a collection for adult learners. It includes books, kits of books and audio, Internet links, and databases. Adult Basic Literacy collections are available at all locations.
Black Heritage - Vaughan Public Libraries' Black Heritage Collection was begun on February 25, 1989. It was the first of its kind in York Region, and is housed at Dufferin Clark Library.
Cinema Collection - This collection is housed at Pierre Berton Resource Library and Bathurst Clark Resource Library. It features the work of important directors from around the world and films not made by the major studios or with big Hollywood budgets. Award winning films from world cinema festivals can be found in this collection.
English as a Second Language – This collection includes books, DVDs, and kits of books and audio or CD-ROM to meet the needs English Language learners. Of particular note are book chat sets of short novels at various learning levels, and TOEFL, IELTS, and other test preparation materials.
Government Documents – Housed at the Bathurst Clark Resource Library, the Government Documents collection offers access to Federal and Provincial Government documents, including statistics, policy and research papers, and other historical records.
Local Studies – This collection is especially useful for genealogists, those wishing to construct family trees, and local researchers needing access to current and historical municipal documents. The Local Studies Collection assists contains informaiton concerning the history of Vaughan as a township, a town and finally a city. This collection now features VPL’s first digital local history project “Villages to City: An Oral History of Vaughan”.[10]
Professional Collection – The professional collection offers access to resources for public and school library professionals. Topics covered range from program planning, to collection development, to library management. The professional collection is housed at the Bathurst Clark Resource Library.