City of Surrey's 2025 Annual Financial Report

CITY OF SURREY OVERVIEWS SURREY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Surrey Public Library (“Surrey Libraries”) has ten branches, located in the six town centres of Whalley, Guildford, Fleetwood, Newton, Cloverdale and South Surrey, as well as in Clayton, Strawberry Hill, Ocean Park and Port Kells. The Library collects and loans a wide variety of materials in print, audiovisual, and online formats. It also offers home delivery service utilizing volunteers to take library materials to people who cannot visit a branch. Additionally, the Mobile Library service provides access to library materials in underserved areas of the city. The surreylibraries.ca website provides 24/7 access to the library catalogue, digital collections and program information. From the website, patrons can download eBooks and eAudio books, as well as access a wide selection of online resources, including articles, courses and streaming media. Partnerships with local community agencies extend literacy programs beyond the Library’s walls. Surrey Libraries offers a wide variety of programs that support life-long literacy and learning, including storytimes for children, job finding and career workshops, reading clubs for children, teens and adults, computer literacy and coding classes, services for newcomers, and support for patrons with print disabilities, just to name a few. Surrey Libraries is a member of the Public Library InterLINK, a federation of 18 library systems in the Lower Mainland that allows citizens to borrow directly from all partner libraries and to return materials at their home library branch. The BC OneCard program allows Surrey residents to borrow materials directly from other participating public libraries from across BC when they are travelling.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Administrative Services manages the physical spaces, as well as the finance, human resources and information technology functions of the Library system, ensuring day-to-day service requirements are met. This division also manages the Library’s public profile and raises awareness and funds to support and enhance its community services.

PUBLIC SERVICES Public Services manages the borrowing and information services offered in branches and online, and plans, promotes, and delivers a wide variety of programs. This division also acquires and manages the print and digital collections that suit the needs of Surrey’s diverse community.

2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Launched a Newcomer Welcome Centre at City Centre branch, providing dedicated support and resources for immigrants and refugees, including settlement information, language learning, and community connections • Circulated 5,102,505 materials (3,507,401 physical plus 1,595,104 digital) • Installed a Lightwall and Bookable Pods at Guildford branch, enhancing interactive learning and study spaces for children and adults • Welcomed 28,136 new library members

• Installed cashless payment options for public printing, streamlining patron experience and improving convenience • Offered library services and literacy skills to Surrey’s vulnerable and newcomer populations through outreach programs, reduced barrier access cards, online programming, and Internet only passes • Served as a cooling and warming centre during extreme weather • Offered programming on AI (artificial intelligence)

• Supported a wide variety of inclusion themes such as Pride, Orange Shirt Day, Islamic Heritage Month, and Diwali, through booklists and displays • Expanded World Language Collections and began cataloguing materials in multiple languages, making it easier for patrons to discover and access resources in languages other than English • Provided programs to support skill-building, resume writing, and job seeking

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