Coquitlam Public Library

What Coquitlam Public Library does

Coquitlam Public Library is a publicly funded municipal library system operating two branches—Poirier at 575 Poirier St and City Centre at 1169 Pinetree Way—plus a mobile Library Link service that runs seven days per week. The library serves Coquitlam residents and property/business owners with free access to physical collections (books, DVDs, video games), digital lending through Libby/OverDrive, Hoopla, and Kanopy, eLearning platforms such as LinkedIn Learning and Fiero Code, lendable technology including robots, coding kits, telescopes, and GoPro cameras, and a Discovery Lab for hands-on learning. Its technology backbone is the BiblioCommons catalogue and customer account platform, which integrates with numerous third-party content providers and the InterLink consortium of Lower Mainland libraries for reciprocal borrowing.

The library is structured as a government state entity under British Columbia's Library Act, governed by a Library Board and funded primarily by municipal allocations from the City of Coquitlam with supplementary provincial funding from the Province of British Columbia. Auxiliary revenue streams include meeting room rentals at non-profit and commercial rates (e.g., City Centre Rooms 136/137 combined at $65–$110/hour), facility setup fees ($50), donations processed through CanadaHelps, bequests, and endowment contributions to a Living Legacy Fund. The library operates a fines-free model for most items (transitioning fully in 2024–2025) while retaining fees for express items, lendable laptops, interlibrary loans, and lost/damaged materials.

Customer segments span children and families, teens, adults, language learners and newcomers, Indigenous communities (notably kwikwetlem and Katzie nations), and patrons with disabilities. Distribution combines physical branches, mobile service, digital platforms, community partnerships (Tri-Cities Chamber, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, CULC), and volunteer programs including the Teen Advisory Council. The library is led by Executive Director Anthea Goffe (appointed August 2023) and operates within a 2023–2026 strategic plan.

Name

Coquitlam Public Library

Legal name

Coquitlam Public Library

Website

https://coqlibrary.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Coquitlam Public Library is a publicly funded municipal library system in British Columbia operating two branches and a mobile Library Link service, providing free physical and digital collections, eLearning resources, lendable technology, and community programs to Coquitlam residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Digital lending
• Community programs
• Reference databases
• Mobile library

Headquarters

HQ city

Coquitlam

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Municipal Funding (City of Coquitlam): Primary operating funding from the City of Coquitlam, providing collections, programs, and services to the community
2. Provincial Funding (Province of British Columbia): Additional operating support from the Province of BC
3. Facility Rental Revenue: Meeting room rentals generate revenue at both branches with non-profit and commercial rates
4. Donations and Grants: Living Legacy Fund donations, bequests, and endowment fund contributions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coquitlam Public Library is a public library system serving residents of Coquitlam, British Columbia. It lends physical and digital collections (books, audiobooks, e-books, music, and films), delivers educational and cultural programs, rents meeting rooms, operates a Discovery Lab, lends technology such as Wi-Fi hotspots and Chromebooks, and operates a mobile library service. Access is free to Coquitlam residents and the library operates fines-free.

Product overview

Coquitlam Public Library operates as a two-branch public library system (City Centre and Poirier) plus mobile Library Link service, offering physical and digital collections. The core offering includes traditional borrowing of books, DVDs, and video games alongside digital services through Libby by OverDrive, Hoopla Digital, and Kanopy for ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, streaming video and music. The library provides extensive eLearning resources including LinkedIn Learning, Fiero Code coding education, Transparent Language Online, Road to IELTS test prep, and BC government databases. Lendable Tech program offers equipment loans including telescopes, GoPro cameras, robotics kits (Sphero, Ozobot, Makey Makey), Nintendo Classic Mini, and VR goggles. Additional services include meeting room rentals, digitization stations, interlibrary loans, home delivery, and diverse programming for all ages from story times to Teen Advisory Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Library Link: Mobile library service that brings library resources to the community, expanded from two to seven days a week.

Products and services

• Physical Collection Lending
• Digital Lending
• Library Programs and Events
• Meeting Room Rentals
• Technology Lending
• Discovery Lab
• Mobile Library Service
• Reference Databases

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded mobile library from 2 to 7 days per week
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration26 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of CoquitlamcoreOthersPrimary municipal funder of library operations. The City provides ongoing funding for collections, programs, staff, and facilities. The library is located on City-owned land and operates as a municipal public service.
• Province of British ColumbiacoreOthersProvincial government funder providing operating support to public libraries in British Columbia, enabling expanded services and resources.
• BiblioCommonscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider for the library catalogue and customer account management system. Powers online searching, holds management, and customer accounts.
• InterLinkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLibrary consortium of Lower Mainland public libraries enabling reciprocal borrowing and returns at member libraries throughout the region.
• CUPE Local 561coreOthersLabor union representing library employees. Collective agreement specifies terms of employment including wages and benefits. Library gives preference to current employees when evaluating applications.
• OverDrive/LibbycoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital content platform providing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines for library patrons. Access restricted to Coquitlam residents since February 2026.
• Hoopla DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital media platform offering movies, TV shows, music, eBooks, and audiobooks. Licensed for Coquitlam residents only with a limit of 5 titles per month.
• KanopycoreTechnology or IntegrationStreaming platform for films, documentaries, video courses, and children's content. Coquitlam residents receive 30 tickets per month.
• Tri-Cities Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness organization receiving 25% discount on meeting room rentals as a chamber member benefit.
• Canadian Blood ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlood donation partnership where library staff formed a team to encourage blood donations. Library serves as community outreach venue for donation awareness.
• Truth and Reconciliation CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLibrary is working to respond to the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report with particular relevance to libraries, including culturally appropriate collections, staff training, and community programming.
• kwikwetlem (Kwikwetlem) NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe library is located on the kwikwetlem traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands. The name Coquitlam derives from the Hunquminum word kwikwetlem meaning 'Red Fish Up the River'. Library honors this territory through land acknowledgements and Indigenous-focused services.
• qicəy (Katzie) NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Coast Salish peoples who historically shared the territory on which the library sits. Included in land acknowledgements and reconciliation efforts.
• Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting urban public libraries. Coquitlam participates in CULC initiatives including One eRead Canada and has endorsed the Statement on Race and Social Equity.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Toronto Public Library: Largest public library system in Canada and a member of CULC alongside Coquitlam. Operates a much larger urban branch network but shares the same BiblioCommons platform and similar municipal-provincial funding model, serving as a relevant scaling reference.
• Edmonton Public Library: Major Canadian urban public library with comparable municipal funding model and BiblioCommons platform deployment. Member of CULC alongside Coquitlam, providing benchmark for service breadth and digital resource integration in Canadian public libraries.
• Calgary Public Library: Major Canadian municipal public library operating multi-branch service in a similar mid-to-large city context. Coquitlam participates in CULC national initiatives alongside Calgary, and shares similar digital lending (OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy) integrations.

Direct peers

• Vancouver Public Library: Largest public library system in British Columbia, serving the adjacent metro municipality. Same BiblioCommons catalogue platform, same provincial funding context, and overlapping service area via InterLink consortium. Most direct comparable for Coquitlam.
• Surrey Libraries: Public library system serving Surrey, BC — another large Metro Vancouver municipality adjacent to Coquitlam. Operates a multi-branch public library model with similar municipal-provincial funding structure and InterLink consortium participation.
• New Westminster Public Library: Public library in adjacent New Westminster, BC. Similar mid-sized Metro Vancouver municipality, InterLink member, and operates comparable two-branch public library model with municipal funding.
• Burnaby Public Library: Public library serving adjacent Burnaby in the same Metro Vancouver region. Coquitlam and Burnaby libraries share InterLink consortium membership and operate similar urban-municipal library models with comparable population service mandates.
• Port Moody Public Library: One of the three Tri-Cities libraries (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody) explicitly named in CPL's community partnership materials. Closest geographic and demographic peer, though smaller scale.

Others

• BiblioCommons: Technology vendor providing the catalogue and customer-account platform Coquitlam uses. Not a peer in the service-delivery sense, but a core infrastructure partner whose product roadmap and pricing directly affect CPL's digital service economics.
• Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC): National umbrella organization of major Canadian urban public libraries in which Coquitlam participates. Relevant as a peer-coordination and benchmarking body — CULC's One eRead Canada initiative and equity statements shape programming for member libraries.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coquitlam-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Coquitlam Public Library