East Gwillimbury library sets course for the future

Among key elements of the library's new strategy is planning for the new Queensville branch

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 20, 2020
Simon Martin

The East Gwillimbury Public Library is planning for the future.

Library CEO Monika Machacek laid out the new strategic plan going forward until 2022. While the library waits for its new branch that will be part of the Health and Active Living Plaza in Queensville, Machacek said they will continue to try to provide the services people want.

“Our first priority is building and innovating,” she said. “(We want to be) responsive to the evolving needs of the user.”

From 2012 to 2017, Michalek said use of the library increased. Registration was up 20 per cent, and library visits up 35 per cent with 75,418 individual program visits. The library wants to continue to build on that momentum by developing programs that are inclusive, affordable and accessible

“Our library in East Gwillimbury has evolved from a place to check out a book to a destination of learning, creating and connecting with knowledge. It is truly a place where all residents belong,” Mayor Virginia Hackson said.

Machacek wants the library to continue its focus on technology to help give technological access to residents. The No. 1 circulated item at the library is internet hot spots, she said.

Ward 2 Coun. Tara Roy-DiClemente lauded the library for undertaking the strategic plan itself without the use of a consultant.

“What tremendous value we get for the money invested in the library,” Ward 1 Coun. Loralea Carruthers said.

Hackson said the importance of the role the library plays in the town could not be understated. “Quite often the first place of dropping in is not the town office, it’s the local library,” she said.

Last year general manager of parks, recreation and culture Aaron Karmazyn told council that the Health and Active Living Plaza is dependent on East Gwillimbury population reaching 40,000 people. In conversations with the planning department, Karmazyn said the town is likely to reach that threshold around 2023 or 2024.

To manage the current phase of growth, staff said they are scaling the scope of the plaza to ensure it is designed in a fiscally responsible manner. The estimated cost of the construction of the plaza was $38 million in 2016.