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Orangeville Public Library celebrates Ontario Public Library Week

October 15, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Oct. 18 to 24 is Ontario Public Library Week, so now’s the perfect time to celebrate the value the Orangeville Public Library brings to the community.

This year’s theme is Loud for Libraries. It invites us to speak up about the important role libraries play in our community and share what they mean to us.

The Orangeville Public Library began around 1878 as the Orangeville Mechanics Institute, a members-only organization that opened its doors to the public in 1895.

By the early 1900s, like many communities across North America, Orangeville benefited from Andrew Carnegie’s support for public library construction.

The “rags to riches” entrepreneur devoted millions of dollars to libraries worldwide, believing that access to books and knowledge gave people opportunities to educate themselves and improve their lives.

With Carnegie’s financial support, the Library Board and the Town of Orangeville worked together to establish a new library at the corner of Mill Street and Broadway. It opened in April 1908 as the Orangeville Public Library, beginning a new chapter in the community’s access to learning.

More than a century later, our library is still committed to learning and sharing resources. Like many libraries, our role has evolved into building and sustaining community. Whether you’re a parent of a newborn or just starting high school, a lifelong resident or new to the community, a young professional or a newly retired resident, the library offers something different for everyone while connecting us all.

Residents of Orangeville, Mono, East Garafraxa and Amaranth are all eligible for a library card, which will give you access to thousands of physical items such as books, birding backpacks, ghost hunting kits, and more. It will also give you access to hundreds of thousands of online movies, newspapers, magazines, ebooks, and audiobooks.

Learning can happen at any stage of life. Through LinkedIn Learning, you can develop career skills, explore creative interests or prepare for professional certification exams.

Kermode offers accessible modules to strengthen media literacy skills, helping people think critically about the information they encounter online. These resources support both practical goals and the simple pleasure of learning something new.

Other services help make everyday tasks easier and keep people connected. Wireless printing offers a convenient way to print documents, while Ancestry Library Edition, available through our library computers or WiFi network, helps people explore their family history.

Book Club in a Bag supports shared reading and conversation, and Home Delivery brings library materials to residents who cannot visit us in person.

You’ve probably heard about the Makerspace at the Alder branch. Open Lab hours offer opportunities to explore independently or get support from our knowledgeable staff. Shared access to tools and equipment gives people room to experiment, develop skills and bring an idea to life. You don’t have to arrive as an expert; curiosity is a good starting point.

The true meaning of libraries goes beyond our resources. Last week we shared some of our exciting fall programs. Come in to discuss ideas and make connections through book clubs, learn from experts in our Experts in the Library series, and share your creations at our open mic events this month. Each offers a different way to participate in community life.

This Ontario Public Library Week, we invite you to rediscover your library and be Loud for Libraries. Share a favourite library memory, tell a friend about a service you enjoy, or introduce someone to something they haven’t tried. When you share what the library means to you, you help someone else discover what it could mean to them.

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