2024 Community Report - Flipbook - Page 7
A Message from Our
Board Chair
Waterloo Public Library began 2024 with a clear mandate
for action in the form of a new strategic plan. Year one
was 昀椀lled with a variety of exciting projects that advanced
the goals of that plan. Library space was a key theme in
2024. We added new study, lounge and meeting spaces to
improve our in-library experience and reimagined our virtual
space with a brand new website.
Our biggest, most exciting action on library space, though,
has been our work towards a renovated McCormick Branch.
A well-loved community hub for more than 50 years, the
McCormick Branch has outgrown its current space. In 2024
we advocated, planned, engaged and collaborated to
advance the future vision for this branch. A renovated Albert
McCormick Community Centre with a fresh, modern McCormick Branch will open in the fall
of 2027. The new McCormick Branch will include valuable amenities like dedicated program
space, maker tools and technology, a community partnership room and plenty of space for
reading, study and connection. This growth will help the library expand its impact and become
a point of pride for the neighborhoods it serves.
The Waterloo Public Library Board extends its wholehearted gratitude to the staff who
work each day to make the library a special place for Waterloo. I am inspired by their
comprehensive, future-forward thinking about what a library should be and may become.
On behalf of the Board, thank you, Waterloo, for your ongoing interest and investment in
your library. As the measurements and achievements of this report show, public libraries are
essential community infrastructure that we should never take for granted.
Frank Mensink
Chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board
2024 LIBRARY BOARD
Frank Mensink, Chair
Kelly McManus, Vice Chair
Julie Wright, Council Liaison
Nicole Campbell
Rick Chambers
Dawn Charlton
Micaela Kelly
Leilei Li
Jennifer Murphy
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