Interior of the Aberdeen Tiny Library. (Image Credit: TNRD)

By Victor Kaisar

Aberdeen Library Extended Again

Aberdeen Tiny Library lease extended for three more years as planning for southwest Kamloops library continues

Feb 23, 2025 | 3:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Aberdeen Tiny Library in Kamloops will remain open for the next three years, as its lease has once again been extended by the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL).

Chief Librarian Judy Moore says the TNRL has agreed to a three-year lease extension for the 352-square foot library inside the Aberdeen Mall Food Court to the end of February 2028, with a plan to keep the facility open for 32 hours a week instead of the current 16.

The three-year extension, which was approved by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Board, is expected to cost $652,461 to operate over three years. In a report, Moore said it will mean a 0.6 per cent (or $79,615) increase in the TNRD’s tax requisition for 2025.

“What you have in front of you is an operating budget for a three year lease, two permanent staff positions, and small operating budget,” Moore told the TNRD board during Thursday’s (Feb. 20) meeting.

Moore also told the TNRD that the Tiny Library – which was always meant to be temporary – has been very well received since it opened to much fanfare in November 2023.

ONE MAN'S OPINION

COLLINS: Shades of Jim Carrey

15m ago

Two and Out

PETERS: Keeping people cool ain't what it used to be

May 16, 2025

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The NDP does it to us again

May 15, 2025

“This is our long awaited opportunity to create opportunities for library services in the southwest until such time as a permanent solution comes forward,” Moore said. “It’s been an enormous success and probably is our highest circulation per square foot in the system but perhaps in all of British Columbia.”

According to the TNRL, a total of 18,841 people stopped by the Tiny Library between November 2023 and November 2024. The facility also circulated more than 22,500 books and materials during its first year of operations.

“This wasn’t just something that just came up overnight and the success is there,” Kamloops Councillor Mike O’Reilly said. “Thank you for your perseverance and ensuring that literacy is being able to be shared with people up in the southwest, and for not asking people to come to you, [but for taking] the library to the people.”

More details about the new hours at the Tiny Library will be released when it is confirmed. Until that happens, it will continue to be open between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.

“Residents expressed their delight at finally having a library presence in the city’s southwest,” Moore wrote in a report to the TNRD Board that referenced a recent public survey regarding the library and its impact.

“They, however, consistently commented that they wanted a full-service library including more space for activities, a larger collection, more hours of service and additional programming.”

Moore told the TNRD Board that the fate of the Tiny Library will be determined once a plan for a new, permanent library in southwest Kamloops has been developed.

“Given real estate costs, we’ve certainly done our due diligence in terms of looking at various sites and options for south Kamloops,” Moore told CFJC in January.

“We recognize that we’re unlikely to purchase a site for a South Kamloops library, so instead we’ll be pivoting and looking at other options that we hope to bring to the board before too long.”