CEO’s Corner – Spring 2026
I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you as part of our 2025 Annual Report, which was released this week. It was an excellent year with the opening of the New Appleby Branch, two new Maker services, free bookable meeting rooms, a new technology support program, and more.
Nearly 50% of Burlington’s population are members of the library. In a time where affordability is top of mind and rates of loneliness are rising, Burlington residents are choosing their local library as a space to connect to people, resources, and local events. We are extremely grateful for your support and for using the library, whether you’re borrowing a book, accessing our services, attending a program, or using our spaces. Because of your support:
- Library customers borrowed, streamed, and accessed more than 2.1 million books and resources last year, including 1 million physical books!
- Burlington library branches saw more than 1 million visits last year.
- In 2025, Burlington Public Library created over $59 million in total economic impact.
Rising Demand for Digital
While physical books remain the most popular, we’re continuing to see a rise in digital formats such as OverDrive/Libby, PressReader, and TumbleBooks. Most notably, eAudiobooks saw an 18% increase in borrows from 2024 to 2025! With the rising costs of licensing eBooks and eAudiobooks, we’re continuing to find creative ways to reduce wait times, including adding Milton Public Library to our partnership, bringing access up to 375,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks.
Getting Ready for Summer
We’re busy getting ready for another exciting summer! Our children’s areas have been undergoing a refresh that will be ready just in time for summer, thanks to a legacy gift from the Estate of James Williams and support from the Kids Learning Fund. We’ll be kicking off Summer Reading Club, a free program to help kids keep up their reading during the summer, with parties across our branches on Saturday, June 27.
We’ve also added summer items to our new Outdoor Play Collection, such as badminton, pickleball, giant Jenga, and lawn game favourites like ring toss.
We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Lita
