Surrey Public Library
Encyclopedia
Surrey Public Library is a municipal public library system serving Surrey, British Columbia
and the surrounding Lower Mainland
.
. In 1982, Surrey held a referendum on the withdrawal from FVRL, which passed. On March 17, 1983, Surrey began operating as an independent municipal library. The Surrey Public Library includes the Newton branch, which was awarded the Governor General's Award
for architecture in 1994. The Semiahmoo branch, which opened in 2004, was the first LEED certified public library in Canada.
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The library has nine branches:
The publication "Canadian Genealogical Resources: A Guide to the Materials Held at the Cloverdale Library" details the library's microfilm holdings, includes research instruction and can be searched online. Patrons can also access the Ancestry Library Edition database and Heritage Quest at the Cloverdale Branch.
Beyond the extensive holdings, the department offers orientations to the collection once a month and provides a variety of programs on genealogical topics, generally offered from September to May.
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
and the surrounding Lower Mainland
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...
.
History
Prior to 1983, Surrey was a member of the Fraser Valley Regional LibraryFraser Valley Regional Library
Fraser Valley Regional Library is the largest public library system in British Columbia, Canada with 24 community libraries serving nearly 680,000 people in its service area. Established in 1930, it is funded with taxes raised in the community it serves, plus a Government of BC operating grant...
. In 1982, Surrey held a referendum on the withdrawal from FVRL, which passed. On March 17, 1983, Surrey began operating as an independent municipal library. The Surrey Public Library includes the Newton branch, which was awarded the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
for architecture in 1994. The Semiahmoo branch, which opened in 2004, was the first LEED certified public library in Canada.
Collection
Surrey provides patrons with books, music CDs, CDROMs, books on tape/CD, databases, videos, DVDs, magazines, reference books, newspapers and e-books. Library material is available in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese. The database collection include Alldata (mechanical - Guildford only), Novellist, Press Display, and Worldbook online.Locations
- City Centre
- Cloverdale
- Fleetwood
- Guildford
- Newton
- Ocean Park
- Port Kells
- Semiahmoo
- Strawberry Hill
Hours
- Monday to Thursday: 09:30–21:00
- Friday: 09:30-17:00
- Saturday: 10:00–17:00
- Sunday: 13:00–17:00 (Year round at Guildford, Whalley, Newton, Semiahmoo, Fleetwood, Strawberry Hill, Ocean Park, Cloverdale)
Assistive Technology
ART (Accessing Resources and Technology) is located at Guildford and Semiahmoo Branches. These computer workstations help those with visual impairment, learning, reading or physical disabilities read and listen to books, documents and web pages or use word processing applications.Genealogy
The Cloverdale Branch of Surrey Public Library, located on the same corner as the Surrey Archives and Surrey Museum, holds the largest collection of Canadian genealogy resources in Western Canada, with over 4000 microfilms and 1300 books. Unique record sets include Métis Scrip, Chinese Head Tax Registers, Li Ra Ma, and the Peter Robinson papers for example.The publication "Canadian Genealogical Resources: A Guide to the Materials Held at the Cloverdale Library" details the library's microfilm holdings, includes research instruction and can be searched online. Patrons can also access the Ancestry Library Edition database and Heritage Quest at the Cloverdale Branch.
Beyond the extensive holdings, the department offers orientations to the collection once a month and provides a variety of programs on genealogical topics, generally offered from September to May.
2008 Writer-In-Residence
As part of its 25th anniversary, Surrey Public Library hosted a writer-in-residence program. The writer-in-residence is playwright and fiction writer Mansel Robinson.Awards
| Year | Award | Giver |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | John Cotton Dana Award | Outstanding Public Relations among Libraries |
| 1994 | Governor General Award for architecture Newton Branch Patkau architects | |
| 1997 | Citation for Citizenship | Citizen and Immigration Canada |
| 2004 | Cultural Diversity Award | Surrey Delta Immigration Services Society |
| 2005 | Honorable Mention | Community Learning - Conference Board of Canada |
| 2006 | Cultural Diversity Award | Surrey Delta Immigration Services Society |
| 2009 | DIVERSEcity Award for Business, Public Institutions | DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society |
2009 Library Board
- Isiuwa Aimiose
- Jay Bains
- Carolyn Bugnon
- Jas Cheema
- Peter Leblanc
- Muhammad Afzal Malik
- Larry Onusko
- Wayne Webber
- Council Representative: Marvin Hunt
- Chief Librarian and Secretary of the Board: Beth Barlow