3.3 Community Stakeholder Focus Groups

Two workshops with community stakeholders and library users were carried out on April 21, 2021. The meeting brought local agencies, educational institutions, community advocates, library volunteers and interested members of the public together to discuss the future of Brampton’s library branches.

Participating Organizations

1. Brampton Library Branch Volunteers 2. Arts, Culture & Creative Industry Development Agency 3. Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives 4. The Hive Performing Arts Centre 5. Rose Theatre 6. Brampton Multicultural Centre 7. The Regional Diversity Roundtable 8. Achev 9. Elizabeth Fry Society 10. Family Education Centre 11. Peel District School Board 12. Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board 13. Peel Alternative School North 14. Moyo Health & Community Services 15. Roots Community Services 16. Members of the General Public

A summary of themes from the two workshops is consolidated below.

The Library Brings People Together

People are Looking for Space

Library branches were described as places where people from different walks of life can be found, and where community organizations can bring their members together in spaces that are inclusive and affordable. Participants discussed a continued need for new and renovated libraries to be mindful of designs that provide physical accessibility, offer accessible and gender neutral washrooms, and consider spaces for personal reflection, prayer and Indigenous Smudging Ceremonies.

Whether meeting rooms for community organizations to convene or deliver services, study areas for students, or simply places to sit comfortably, space within library branches is highly sought after. Certain stakeholders indicated that they could have up to 30 participants meeting at a time and thus adequately sized rooms would be beneficial.

Arts & Culture in the Library

Libraries are seen as places that embody, nurture and develop communitybased arts and culture. Participants value the tools, equipment and services provided to creative individuals (e.g. 3D printers and recording equipment found in the makerspaces) but also the space that the Library has offered to groups such as those in the performing arts.

With affordable studio and creative space in short supply across Brampton, the Library was encouraged to push the idea of makerspaces even further. This could include artist space, “messy” space, shared studios and coworking spaces. A suggestion was made to optimize use of the recording studio to further career goals of individuals in the performing arts, potentially through a partnership between the Library and a theatre(s). A future library could also consider a basic black box theatre intended for small recitals and rehearsals. The potential to combine a future library with a farmer’s market and other community spaces was also raised.

Libraries are Still an Important Place for Learning

Transit-Friendly & Bike-Friendly Libraries

Bringing the Library Outdoors

Representatives from the school boards emphasized that there could be opportunities to work with educational institutions to develop libraries in conjunction with their facilities as well as collaboratively deliver programs and services to students and the public-at-large.

There was an observation that libraries are important places for people to “learn how to learn” by virtue of the resources available in branches and some educators bring their students to library branches to learn what is available and how to use them. There is a common misconception that all information can be found online and thus people may not think to visit a library branch, and thus the Library must find ways to remind people that it is a place where information is available in an unbiased way; in addition to the design of libraries and the resources that are available, the Library would also need to promote itself if it is to draw more non-users into branches or its website.

Providing access to library branches for residents that do not drive or own a personal vehicle was discussed. From broad planning principles such as integrating libraries as part of Transit-Oriented Developments to specific details such as situating transit stops as close to the doors of a library as possible, the point that was made that many library users arrive by bus.

In addition, libraries were seen as an integral part of walkable/bikeable community designs that promote health and wellness. Participants indicated that libraries should be located in proximity to active transportation routes including bike paths and trailways, and that bike racks and other means to secure a bicycle should be provided at each branch. It was suggested that the Library could engage resources such as Peel Region Public Health and Bike Brampton to plan future branches with active transportation routes, discuss bicycle storage/racks, and potentially offer workshops on cycling.

The idea of providing outdoor library space was raised, building upon the traditional “reading gardens” and potentially extending other library spaces and services in outdoor settings. With indoor space seemingly at a premium, the thought was to provide outdoor study space or outdoor collaborative areas, and potentially outdoor creative or makerspaces. Such spaces could also be complemented by outdoor programming.