Haliburton County Public Library

What Haliburton County Public Library does

Haliburton County Public Library is a publicly funded library system serving residents of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1965, it operates eight branch locations distributed across the county, providing free public access to physical and digital collections, community programs, and information services. The organization is governed and funded jointly by the County of Haliburton and the Province of Ontario, with no commercial revenue model and no user fees for core services.

The library's core offerings span conventional lending (books, periodicals) and an expanding digital catalogue delivered through third-party platforms — BiblioCommons for catalogue and user experience, OverDrive/Libby for e-books and audiobooks, Kanopy for streaming video, and NewsGuard for media-literacy tooling. Beyond lending, the library has diversified into non-traditional products including a Library of Things (lending of physical goods such as tools and instruments), Seed Libraries, and maker/creation programs that position the branches as community-resource hubs rather than purely transactional lending desks.

The business model is that of a government-funded public service: operating revenue is derived from municipal tax appropriations and provincial library grants, not user fees or commercial contracts. Customers are the residents of the county, and "concentration" exists not in a commercial sense but in the structural dependence on two specific government funders. The library employs between 11 and 50 staff across its branches and has been engaged in capital-renewal activity in 2024, including a new Dorset branch space and roof replacement at the Minden Hills branch, alongside a leadership transition with Andrea Brown appointed CEO in February 2024.

Name

Haliburton County Public Library

Legal name

Haliburton County Public Library

Website

https://haliburtonlibrary.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Haliburton County Public Library is a publicly funded library system serving county residents across eight Ontario branches, offering books, digital media, community programs, Library of Things, Seed Libraries, and maker spaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community library programs
• Digital lending services
• Early literacy programs
• Library of things

Headquarters

HQ city

Haliburton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Primary funding from County of Haliburton and Province of Ontario as established under the Public Libraries Act (1984). Board appointed by County of Haliburton.
2. Fee-based Services: Printing and photocopying at $0.15/page, laminating, mailing of exam materials, equipment loans (LCD projector $20, projector screen $10), and non-resident membership ($10 for 3 months).
3. Donations and Fundraising: Friends of HCPL raises tens of thousands of dollars through gala events, seasonal book sales, and Book Nook operations to support library enhancements, programs, and equipment purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Haliburton County Public Library provides free public library services across 8 branch locations in Haliburton County, Ontario, including lending of physical and digital books, audiobooks, DVDs, digital magazines, and streaming video. It operates differentiated lending programs such as Library of Things (Ontario Parks passes, radon kits, maker equipment), Seed Libraries, and author resources, alongside community programming, early literacy initiatives, public computers, printing services, and interlibrary loans. The library is publicly funded and serves all county residents at no charge with no late fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Library Membership and Card Free library card providing access to physical and digital collections, programs, and services for Haliburton County residents; non-residents can purchase 3-month memberships.
• E-Books and E-Audiobooks Lending 24/7 digital lending of e-books and audiobooks through the OverDrive/Libby platform for library members.
• Digital Magazines Online access to over 4,000 digital magazines for library members through the OverDrive platform.
• Kanopy Streaming Video Streaming video access to movies, documentaries, TV series, and educational content from The Great Courses for library members.
• Library of Things Lending program for non-book items including Ontario Parks passes, radon detectors, Nordic walking poles, maker kits, LCD projectors, and projector screens available to library members.
• Seed Libraries Free seed lending program at four HCPL branches offering open-pollinated, pesticide-free seeds for community gardening.
• Ontario Parks Day-Use Pass Lending One-week lending of Ontario Parks day-use passes to library members at any HCPL branch, valid at all Ontario provincial parks.
• Interlibrary Loans Service enabling library members to request and borrow materials from partner library systems not available at HCPL branches.
• Computers and Printing Services Public computer and WiFi access with printing ($0.15/page), photocopying, laminating (letter $1.50, legal $2.00, ledger $2.50), and exam materials mailing ($20).
• Room Rentals Rental of library meeting and program rooms for community groups, organizations, and individuals.
• Author Resources Support service for local and self-published authors providing instructions for selling books to the library and connecting with readers.
• Forest of Reading Programs Participation program in the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading including the Evergreen Award, encouraging reading engagement across Canada.
• Book Club Sets Multi-copy sets of books available for loan to community book clubs and discussion groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 50,000+ physical items and 100,000+ digital items for county residents
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library (FOHCPL)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2003Volunteer support organization that fundraises for library enhancements and programs. Formed in 2003, they have raised tens of thousands of dollars through book sales and events, funding furnishing, bookshelves, collections, tech devices, and learning kits across all branches. Operates the Book Nook at Minden Hills.
• Ontario ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial partnership to loan Ontario Parks day-use passes to patrons. Passes can be borrowed for one-week loan periods at any HCPL branch. Valid for all Ontario provincial parks.
• Haliburton in Transition (HINT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed in 2013 to establish the Seed Library program at HCPL branches.
• Harvest HaliburtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed in 2013 to establish the Seed Library program at HCPL branches.
• Canadian Parents for French OntariominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to run bilingual French Storytimes once monthly at Dysart branch.
• EarlyON Child & Family CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly childhood literacy partner that runs programs within HCPL branches and provides free book packs for distribution.
• Turtle GuardiansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Turtle Club children's program teaching about Ontario's 8 turtle species.
• AmpereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for preparing MakerPacks kits distributed to children ages 6-13.
• Haliburton Highlands Genealogy GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysical genealogy library housed at Minden branch.
• Ontario Library Association (Forest of Reading)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCPL participates in Forest of Reading programs including Evergreen Award, reaching 270,000+ Canadian participants annually.
• Haliburton County Master GardenersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting workshops on growing nightshades, food preservation, and soil science at library branches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Vancouver Public Library: Vancouver Public Library is a major Canadian public library system where incoming HCPL CEO Andrea Brown previously worked. It shares the same BiblioCommons catalogue platform and offers analogous physical/digital lending, programming, and community services at urban scale.
• Brampton Library: Brampton Library is a multi-branch Ontario public library with similar digital lending, events, and community hub mandate. Operates under the same provincial Public Libraries Act as HCPL and is a useful peer for benchmarking services per branch.
• Hamilton Public Library: Hamilton Public Library is a large Ontario public library system with comparable programming, digital lending, and Library of Things-style initiatives. It serves a larger urban-rural mix but operates under the same Public Libraries Act framework as HCPL.
• Mississauga Library System: Mississauga Library is a large Ontario public library system offering e-books, streaming, makerspaces, and community programming at a multiple-branch scale. It is comparable to HCPL on service mix but at a much larger urban size.
• Toronto Public Library: Toronto Public Library is Canada's largest public library system, operating 100+ branches across Toronto. It is a comparable Ontario public library peer with overlapping digital lending platforms (OverDrive, Kanopy) and a similar mix of physical and digital services, but at vastly larger scale.

Others

• OverDrive: OverDrive (with its Libby app) is the primary e-book and audiobook platform provider used by HCPL and most North American public libraries. It is a technology partner/enabler rather than a direct competitor, but it shapes the digital lending experience HCPL can offer.
• BiblioCommons: BiblioCommons is the technology vendor whose catalogue/discovery platform HCPL uses for searching, holds, and account management. It serves as a reference peer for understanding the shared technology stack and feature set across Canadian public libraries.

Direct peers

• Burlington Public Library: Burlington Public Library is a mid-sized Ontario public library offering similar branch-based lending, OverDrive integration, and community programming. It is a closely comparable peer given its service scope and population served.
• Kitchener Public Library: Kitchener Public Library is a mid-sized Ontario public library operating multiple branches with similar BiblioCommons + OverDrive stack, digital literacy, and community programming infrastructure. It is a close functional peer for HCPL and a useful benchmark for technology and programming choices.

Regional players

• County of Haliburton Public Library Board: This is the municipal parent governance body for HCPL, providing funding and appointing board members. Included as a structural peer given the funding relationship and overlap of leadership with HCPL operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@haliburtoncpl
• Facebookfacebook.com/FOHCPL
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsofhaliburtonctylibrary
• Xx.com/HaliburtonCPL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haliburton-county-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Haliburton County Public Library