The CEO’s Corner – Planning for 2026
In challenging economic times, libraries become even more important to their communities. Research has shown that library use increases when budgets are tight. As Burlington—and cities across Canada—face difficult decisions about municipal spending, Burlington Public Library (BPL) is committed to providing service and value that residents can rely on.
This week, BPL launched our Strategic Plan for 2026-2027 and presented the Library’s 2026 budget proposal to City council. Preparing for these important milestones gave me a chance to reflect deeply on BPL’s role in the community. The library advances well-being, supports lifelong learning, and provides equitable access to resources. But it's the human connection at the heart of all of these roles that makes BPL such a crucial part of our community.
The Value of Connection
The theme of our 2026-2027 Strategic Plan is, “Burlington Public Library is bringing people together.” Our strategic priorities from the past four years haven’t changed. We are continuing in the same direction, but with an enhanced focus on human connection.
We see all of our core services as a way to foster a more connected community. A community with robust civic engagement, a strong sense of democracy. A community where residents have empathy for others and are willing to share skills and resources to help everyone thrive.
We see all of our core services as a way to foster a more connected community.
Books are core to that sense of human connection. They help people discover and understand a wide variety of perspectives and identities they may not otherwise encounter. Providing access to a broad range of stories and information in our collection and encouraging borrowing remains a very important part of what we do.
Input from the community also reinforces that people deeply value the in-person interactions they have in the library with staff and fellow visitors. Rates of isolation and chronic loneliness are soaring. People are seeking more opportunities for conversation, shared activities, and learning. We’re making a point to provide more ways to connect—with people, resources, and local events through our programs, spaces, and partnerships.
The Library's books, spaces, and programs create opportunities for learning, conversation, and exposure to new ideas. Together, they build empathy, skills, and relationships - all crucial elements for a connected community.
What are the Numbers Saying?
In 2024, BPL provided about $320 in economic impact per resident—a nearly five-fold return on the City of Burlington’s funding for our budget. As we prepare our 2026 budget, we are working with the City to balance out the funds needed for our newly relocated New Appleby Branch. This location is three times the size of the old one. It operates under the Robert Bateman Community Centre’s new tenant model, which is different from our other branches. We pay rent to the City of Burlington to cover the maintenance and operating costs for our portion of the building. A 3.5% operating budget increase, including a key operating investment of $180,000, for 2026 will bridge us into this new tenant model, and the funding will go back into the City’s operation of the facility.
The value of our expanded New Appleby Branch is substantial. In the first six weeks of service at the new location, we have seen nearly 200% increase in visits, 43% more borrowing, and 30% more program attendance compared to the average six-week period at the previous location. Customers have also made great use of our new bookable meeting spaces, making 442 reservations.
In the first six weeks of service at the new location, we have seen nearly 200% increase in visits.
Under our new strategic plan, we also have our eyes on increased use of our borrowing and programming services system-wide for the years ahead. We’ve seen a modest decrease in borrowing of physical items in the first half of 2025, partly due to an extended flood-related closure of our Aldershot Branch. To maximize the value of our collection for Burlington residents, we’re targeting increases in use of adult print books, and digital magazines, newspapers, eBooks, and eAudiobooks, including items from libraries in our digital borrowing partnership. The publishing industry has been affected by the global economy and books are more expensive now than ever. Instead of requesting more money for our yearly collection budget, we’ll concentrate on finding innovative ways to connect readers with hidden gems as they wait for in-demand titles.
Exceptional Cities, Exceptional Libraries
Burlington residents take pride in the City’s exceptional quality of life. So do we. And we believe the library is a key part of that. Every resident can find something of value at their local library, whether it’s a quiet place to read, a digital resource to explore, or a community event to attend. These individual benefits are clear. But it’s the quiet impact of human connection that has the power to make a community great. Each small lesson, moment, or interaction stacked on top of another builds us into the kind of resilient, engaged, thriving community we cannot become alone.
As Burlington plans for the years ahead, I hope you’ll see investment in the Library as an investment in our community’s future. Burlington Public Library is a place to borrow books, yes. It’s also a community hub, a driver of economic value, a catalyst for social health, and a beacon of hope. We take the honour of serving our community very seriously. Every dollar invested in the Library is a commitment to the power of human connection.
Lita
