Region of Waterloo Library 2025 Report Card shows growing impact

Waterloo Region — The Region of Waterloo Library is celebrating a strong year of growth, connection and community impact, as highlighted in its 2025 Library Report Card.  

 For many residents, especially in rural communities, the library is an essential local service. With 11 branches and one satellite location across the four townships, the Region of Waterloo Library has been an important part of community life since 1973, providing access to books, internet, digital tools, children’s programs, recreation passes, unique collections and community events. These services help reduce barriers and make it easier for people to access resources, opportunities, and social connection.  

The annual report card provides a snapshot of how the library is performing in key areas of service. These areas include welcoming spaces, service excellence, diverse collections, dynamic programs, and evolving technology.  

In 2025, community interest in library programs and services continued to grow. Highlights include:  

• Branch visits increased by more than 10 percent, with 131,729 visits  

• Active users reached 17,974 members, the highest number to date  

• Public computer use increased by nearly 42 percent  

• Program attendance increased by more than 37 percent  

• Print and digital borrowing each increased by about 5 percent  

• Borrowing from unique collections increased by 33 percent. Unique collections include hobby kits, museum family passes, park passes, sensory kits, and so much more.  

 “The 2025 Library Report Card shows how important library service is to residents across Waterloo Region’s townships and the broader community,” said Sue Foxton, Regional Councillor and Vice Chair of Region of Waterloo Library Committee. “In addition to borrowing books, libraries are welcoming and accessible community spaces where people of all ages can use technology, attend events and programs, explore ideas, make connections and find inspiration.”  

The report card also highlights key goals the library achieved in 2025, including:  

• Expanded hours at Elmira, New Hamburg, St. Clements, Wellesley and the Clyde satellite location  

• 298 free trees distributed to the community during Earth Month  

• New additions to unique collections, including C-Pen Lingo devices (a hybrid reading and translator pen), Chromebooks, sensory kits, Whazoodles (multi-media devices) and Nintendo Switch games and consoles  

• Programs led by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities  

• A new Local History Digital Collections website  

• An expanded multilingual children’s collection with books in Hindi, Portuguese, Punjabi, Ukrainian and Urdu  

 Under the Public Libraries Act, public libraries must report annual results to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming to receive provincial funding. This data, along with information from the Valuing Ontario Libraries Toolkit (VOLT), helped inform the 2025 Library Report Card.  

“The continued growth in library use reflects strong community support, the dedication and care of staff, and the collaborative partnerships that continue to strengthen library services across the region,” said Cristina McLaren, Manager of Region of Waterloo Library Services. “The 2025 Report Card tells us that local library branches continue to inspire ideas, build connections and help strengthen the communities they serve.”  

For more information and to read the 2025 Library Report Card, visit the Region of Waterloo Library website: www.rwlibrary.ca