City of Kitchener celebrates grand opening of Southwest Library

Earlier today, the City of Kitchener celebrated the grand opening of the Southwest Library, Kitchener’s newest community branch library. This is Kitchener Public Library’s sixth location, expanding service to Kitchener's quickly-growing southwest. Southwest Library is the first municipal building in the region, and one of the first libraries in Canada, to achieve the Zero Carbon Building designation from the Canada Green Building Council.

"Together with my Council colleagues, we were thrilled to join the community for the official opening of this new Southwest library branch," said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. "From the participation of dancers from Six Nations of the Grand to area school kids who joined in the opening, seeing an incredible new facility like this come to life in a growing part of our city makes me excited for the decades of reading, learning, community activities and fun that will happen within those walls."

Located at 100 Rosenberg Way in Kitchener, Southwest Library will serve a vibrant and new neighourhood and is the first new branch library for the Kitchener Public Library since 2004.

The net-zero design of the library was thanks in part to funding received from the Government of Canada through the Green and Inclusive Buildings program. This has resulted in a library that will use less energy and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

“Southwest Kitchener is one of the fastest growing areas in the city and we're excited that Kitchener Public Library will play an essential role in shaping the neighbourhood into a thriving and inclusive community,” said Darren Solomon, Kitchener Public Library’s Chief Executive Officer. "With all Southwest Library has to offer, it will build on our vision of a library system that works with the community to break down barriers and enhance people’s lives.”

The library is also home to the newest artwork in the City of Kitchener’s public art collection. Wintertime Stories, by visual artists Isaac Murdoch and Nyle Miigizi Johnston, tells a powerful story that celebrates the relationship between generations, species and the earth. The 50’ long wall sculpture is rooted in the Anishinabek storytelling tradition, intersecting cultures and life in the northern woodlands. Wintertime Stories represents an important acknowledgement of First Nations’ relationships to the land on which KPL Southwest was built. It also introduces Indigenous representation in the City’s public art collection for the first time. Both artists are represented by Highness Global Inc., with their artwork brought to life through the creative support of the firm’s design team. The artists also share more detail about the piece and their inspiration in a short film, Wintertime Stories: As Told by the Artists, produced by Bawaadan Collective and available now on the City of Kitchener’s YouTube channel.

The library was designed with engagement with the Indigenous Rights Holders, Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit. As a result of this engagement, Southwest features strong connections to nature, an Indigenous Four Directions learning garden, and space for ceremony and gathering. The library also features a large sunroom, children’s area, demonstration kitchen, and a studio for podcasting, music and video production.

For more information about the Southwest Library and its design, visit the Southwest Library Project page.

For more information contact:

Kerri Hutchinson

Manager, Marketing and Communications
Kitchener Public Library
kerri.hutchinson@kpl.org

Philip Price 
Communications and Marketing Associate 
City of Kitchener   
media@kitchener.ca  

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