A new library for Stratford could be a decade away

Stratford Public Library (SPL) continues to advocate for more space, though that project may be a long one. 

Brandon Fratarcangeli and Allison Pilon of Ontario Library Services, an organization mandated to increase coordination between public libraries and their boards, presented to the library board at a meeting on Tuesday night. 

Information on governance was provided and what role the board has in leading the library. They also talked about space. 

In October 2023, the board established an ad-hoc committee to address a severe space-deficit at the St. Andrew Street location. 

The SPL building, which opened in 1903, is currently 12,472 square feet, but it should be about 20,000 square feet bigger to meet the needs of the community. 

“A new library build is probably like a 10-year project,” Fratacangeli estimated. “You'll have to really work with your municipality … there’s really no clear path.”

Pilon added that should not dissuade the board from creating long-term goals, given Stratford’s unique identity as a cultural hub in the region. 

Both Fratacangeli and Pilon said that it’s great that the library board owns the building, rather than the municipality. Stratford’s board is one of the few boards that does. 

After the presentation, the board spoke about next steps in their pursuit of more space. Committee members will tour potential facilities in the near future and a brainstorming session will take place for communications and advocacy strategy. 

A solution could be the Grand Trunk shops, located just a few blocks away. It is currently being developed by the City of Stratford as part of the Grand Trunk renewal project.

The board and space needs committee are advocating for the library’s needs to be considered at the community hub, though the ad-hoc committee overseeing the project has just started and plans for the space are still up in the air.

At the board meeting, a report on the 2023 statistics for the library was also discussed. 

Card usage is up five per cent over pre-pandemic levels. Visits to the library are also up year-over-year.

The library’s programming is also soaring over pre-pandemic levels: 30,881 people attended 1,043 library events in 2023. In 2019, 20,340 people attended 867 library events.

Previously, SPL CEO Krista Robinson looked into how that compares to other libraries in the region. Robinson found that Stratford (population 33,232) has the most programs and attendance out of all libraries in Ontario with a community population of 30,000 to 50,000.

“The story that I'm hearing here is not only have we rebounded to 2019 levels, but we're also running a library as though we are a town of 50,000 people,” said board member Kaitlyn Kochany. “When we're talking to the community, it’s like ‘you have a big city library for a small town … let's get a space for it.’”