Regina Public Library is a city-wide library system spread throughout nine locations that serves the citizens of Regina, Saskatchewan

Regina, Saskatchewan

Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...

 by providing an open and accessible environment where anyone can access information for work, study, and recreation. With limited parking available in downtown Regina and increasing anxiety as to personal safety the regional branches are an ever greater part of the Regina Public Library's operations. Each location plays a key role in its local neighbourhood

Neighbourhood

A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...

; diverse cultures are represented; literacy

Literacy

Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...

 is stressed.

Mission

The mission of the library is to reduce the decline in quality of life

Quality of life

The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...

 in Regina by providing access to information for cultural, economic, educational, and recreational involvement. The library inspires and supports lifelong learning, from the fundamental skills of reading and all other forms of literacy, to the full extent of the individual's capability for personal fulfillment. By the provision of collections and services, the library supports the principle of intellectual freedom

Intellectual freedom

Intellectual freedom is the right to freedom of thought and of expression of thought. As defined by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is a human right. Article 19 states:...

 and the right of each citizen to privacy of thought, communication, and action within the law. The library endorses the Canadian Library Association

Canadian Library Association

The Canadian Library Association is a national, predominantly English-language association which represents 57,000 library workers across the country. It also speaks for the interests of the 21 million Canadians who are members of libraries...

 and UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 Statements of Intellectual Freedom.

The Regina Public Library is established under the provisions of The Public Libraries Act, 1996. The general management, regulation, and control of the Library is vested in the Regina Public Library Board. The Board consists of the Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Regina and eight members of the public appointed by the City Council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

 for two-year terms.

Locations

Regina Public Library has nine locations and provides service to the community in the form of resources, programs, and client and staff interactions.

Film Theatre

The RPL Film Theatre, which is located at the Central Library, screens world cinema - up to fifteen films a month. The Film Theatre provides a wide range of films to accommodate a range of tastes and is the only cinema in the city to present contemporary and alternative cinema

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

: Canadian, foreign and independent films and documentaries.

Dunlop Art Gallery

The Dunlop Art Gallery, located at Central Library and Sherwood Village Library, is dedicated to presenting, researching, and engaging a diverse range of visual arts

Visual arts

The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...

 and culture.

Prairie History Room

The Prairie History Room is a specialized collection of research materials focusing on the history and development of the Prairies from pre-settlement times to present day.

Special literacy services

The library also offers special literacy services and programs for all ages.

Central Library

Central Library is located in downtown Regina, on 12th Avenue between Lorne and Smith Street on the site of the second Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...

 Library, built after the Regina Cyclone

Regina Cyclone

The Regina Cyclone is the popular name for a tornado that devastated the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on June 30, 1912. At about 4:50 p.m., green funnel clouds formed and touched down south of the city, tearing a swath through the residential area between Wascana Lake and Victoria Avenue...

 destroyed the original (see Regina's historic buildings and precincts

Regina's historic buildings and precincts

Many historically significant buildings in Regina, Saskatchewan were lost during the period 1945 through approximately 1970 when the urge to "modernize" overtook developers' and city planners' sense of history and heritage...

).

Assorted detritus and rubble from the previous library building is featured decoratively in the library forecourt.

It is the largest of the nine libraries in the system, and it is a social and informational hub in the heart of downtown Regina. Central maintains an extensive calendar of programs, training opportunities and art exhibits in the Dunlop Art Gallery, along with film screenings in the Library's own repertory film theatre. Its story room has been a favoured recital hall since its opening.

Albert Library

Albert Library is located in North Central Regina on Robinson Street, just north of Dewdney Avenue. It is an inner-city branch that serves the North Central area of Regina. A significant segment of the population in this area is of aboriginal ancestry; the library offers an extensive collection of adult and juvenile items that focus on aboriginal peoples. The library also offers programming that develops knowledge and understanding of the diverse cultural groups in Regina, while highlighting the aboriginal community.

Connaught Library

Connaught Library is located on the corner of Elphinstone and 13th Avenue in the leafy West End (latterly deemed the "Cathedral Area") of Regina, across Elphinstone Street from Connaught Public School, opened in 1913 after a visit to Regina by the vastly popular Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...

, the then-Governor General

Governor General of Canada

The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...

, his wife and even more popular daughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught

Princess Patricia of Connaught

Princess Patricia of Connaught was a member of the British Royal Family, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria...

.

It is one of Regina Public Library's inner-city branches and it offers visitors a variety of services and diverse collections. This branch first opened to the public in 1930, and continues to play a pivotal role in the community, co-sponsoring programs with the Cathedral Area Community Association and the Community Schools in the neighbourhood. This Library offers after-school programming for children, as well as a selection of programming for teens and adults that reflects the diversified interest of this area of Regina.

George Bothwell Library

George Bothwell Library is located in the south area of Southland Mall on Gordon Road. This Library first opened its doors to the public in 1995, and operates as a full-service branch within the Regina Public Library system. This branch has a seating area with comfortable chairs, natural light, and lush plants.

Glen Elm Library

Glen Elm Library is located on Dewdney Avenue between Oxford and Cavendish Streets next to the Glencairn Shopping Centre. It is a full-service branch that offers a variety of programs, services, and collections suitable for all ages.

Prince of Wales Library

Prince of Wales Library is located just east of downtown Regina, on the corner of Broder Street and 14th Avenue. It is a cozy inner-city branch of Regina Public Library that offers visitors a variety of services and resources. Open since 1913, the Prince of Wales Library remains one of the oldest locations in the system, and is one of the oldest buildings in the city of Regina. The Prince of Wales branch has popular and up-to-date reading and listening materials. There is a collection of fiction and non-fiction paperbacks; there are also popular items for children, such as board books, picture books, and comics. Visitors to this branch can also find music CDs, a DVD collection, and more than 100 popular magazines and newspapers.

Regent Place Library

Regent Place Library is located in the northern area of Regina on Albert Street at 5th Avenue. In 1966, Regina Public Library opened its first shopping mall location in what was then known as Regent Park Branch. Nearly thirty years later, Regent Place Library opened at its current location. Today the Library is a full-service branch, which offers free public programs for all ages, access to computer workstations, and a variety of collections.

Sherwood Village Library

Sherwood Village Library is located in the northwest area of Regina, near the Rochdale Crossing on Rochdale Blvd. This is a full-service Library that offers free public programs for all ages and houses a wide variety of collections.

Sunrise Library

Sunrise Library shares its facilities with the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre, located in southeast Regina. Sunrise Library first opened its doors to the public in 1990 and since then has operated a small branch with limited programs, services, and collections.