Peterborough Public Library

What Peterborough Public Library does

Peterborough Public Library is a municipal public library system established by by-law #1551 on October 3, 1910, operating under Ontario's Public Libraries Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. P.44) and governed by a Board appointed by Peterborough City Council. It serves City of Peterborough residents (plus students, property owners, Indigenous people in Ontario) with free membership, while out-of-town users pay a fee; the system runs two physical branches — Main Library at 345 Aylmer St. N and MLCC Branch at 271 Lansdowne St. W (which offers extended self-serve hours) — plus four self-serve kiosks at community anchor sites (Sport & Wellness Centre, PRHC, Trent University, Peterborough Museum).

Core offerings span physical lending (books, audiobooks, DVDs, large print), digital lending via the cloudLibrary platform (eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines), a Library of Things collection (nature bags, Sphero coding robots, museum passes, environmental monitors), reading-challenge programming via Beanstack, accessibility services (DAISY, Envoy Connect, screen readers, Visiting Library Service), meeting room rentals, interlibrary loans, research and local-history collections, and over 50 recurring programs including the One Book One Ptbo community read and Summer Reading Challenge. Technology is built on a SirsiDynix integrated library system for catalogue and account management, with cloudLibrary, Beanstack, Sphero Edu/Play, Ancestry.com, and Instant Risk as third-party integrations.

The business model is a publicly funded municipal nonprofit; primary revenue comes from City of Peterborough appropriations supplemented by Friends of the Library donations and ancillary fees (room rentals, printing at $0.25 B&W / $1.00 colour per page, interlibrary loan penalties, replacement costs for Library of Things items, and paid out-of-town memberships). The library operates a fine-free lending model and segments its audience into general public, children and families, teens and tweens, people with disabilities, Indigenous communities, and community groups; 50+ Friends of the Library volunteers support operations.

Name

Peterborough Public Library

Legal name

Peterborough Public Library

Website

https://ptbolibrary.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peterborough Public Library is a municipal public library serving Peterborough, Ontario residents with free borrowing of physical and digital materials, community programs, accessibility services, and a Library of Things collection across two branches and four kiosks, funded by the city and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

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), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community programming
• Digital lending
• Library of things
• Accessibility services

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: The library operates primarily through public funding as a municipal public library service. Public funding supports the library's operations, and donations help supplement programs and services.
2. Room Rentals: Meeting room rentals to community groups, agencies, and organizations. Fees are detailed on the Room Rentals page and can be paid by credit card, cash, or cheque. Insurance is mandatory for all rentals.
3. Printing Services: Printing fees: Black and White $0.25/page, Colour $1.00/page. Scanning to USB is available at no cost. Printing is not available from wireless network.
4. Interlibrary Loan Fees: Most interlibrary loan items are free, but there is a $7 charge if items are not picked up within 7 days. Overdue fines are $1 per day. Photocopying fees apply for printing articles.
5. Out-of-Town Membership Fees: Paid membership available to persons outside the City of Peterborough upon payment of a fee, in compliance with the Public Libraries Act.
6. Friends of the Library Book Sales: Donated materials sold at book sales, with proceeds funding library programs and services. The FOL has over 50 volunteers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Peterborough Public Library provides free public library services to residents of the City of Peterborough and surrounding area, including lending of physical and digital collections (books, audiobooks, DVDs, eBooks, eAudiobooks), a Library of Things with specialty items, public computer and Wi-Fi access, accessibility accommodations, community programs and events, room rentals, interlibrary loans, and research services. The library operates through two physical branches and self-serve kiosks, with 24/7 digital collection access through the cloudLibrary platform.

Product overview

Peterborough Public Library operates as a unified public library system offering both physical and digital lending services. The core offering centers on physical collection lending (books, audiobooks, DVDs) and a digital collection via CloudLibrary for eBooks and eAudiobooks. The Library of Things collection provides specialty non-traditional items including nature bags, Sphero coding robots, and museum passes. Additional services include public computers with printing, accessibility accommodations, programs and events (including the One Book One Ptbo community read and summer reading via Beanstack), room rentals, interlibrary loans, and research services. The system maintains two physical branches connected through a SirsiDynix integrated library system for unified catalogue and account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physical Collection (Books, Audiobooks, DVDs)

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Peterborough Field NaturalistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Peterborough Field Naturalists for Library of Things nature bags including Birdwatching Bags, Explore the Forest bags, Explore Insects bags, Explore the Night bags, and Explore the Pond bags. Donations from the Hunter Family, Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, and in memory of G.A. Greentree and Terry Hunter have made these collections possible.
• The Canadian Canoe MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Canadian Canoe Museum to offer complimentary admission passes to library members. Canoe Cards provide free admission for two adults and up to four youth, borrowable from Main Library or MLCC Branch.
• Bird Friendly PeterboroughminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBird Friendly Peterborough supported the creation of Birdwatching Bags in the Library of Things collection through a generous donation by the Hunter Family in memory of Terry Hunter.
• CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with CELA providing access to their collection of materials in multiple accessible formats for library members with disabilities. Envoy Connect audiobook players are pre-loaded with titles from CELA.
• Friends of the Library (FOL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization with over 50 members that supports the library through book sales, donations sorting, and fundraising. FOL book sales proceeds fund library programs and services. They also accept donations at the Main Library.
• City of PeterboroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe library operates under the City of Peterborough as a municipal public library. The City provides public funding and the library is governed by the Peterborough Public Library Board appointed by City Council.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ottawa Public Library: Large Ontario municipal public library with bilingual services and multi-branch operations under the Public Libraries Act — a broader incumbent in the same institutional category as PPL.
• Toronto Public Library: Largest Canadian municipal public library system, operating under the same Public Libraries Act, but with a much larger branch network, budget, and digital footprint — a broad incumbent in the same Ontario public-library category.

Direct peers

• Brampton Library: Ontario municipal public library serving a single city with multiple branches, digital collections, and community programming under the same Public Libraries Act — directly comparable institutional peer.
• Kingston Frontenac Public Library: Ontario municipal public library system serving a mid-sized city and county, with branch network, community programming, and digital lending — closely matched in scale and operating model to PPL.
• Hamilton Public Library: Large Ontario municipal public library operating multiple branches with extensive digital collections, accessibility services, and community programming — directly comparable institutional peer to PPL under the same Public Libraries Act framework.
• London Public Library: Ontario municipal public library operating a multi-branch system with comparable lending, digital, accessibility, and community programming services — closely analogous operating model.
• Kitchener Public Library: Ontario municipal public library serving a single mid-sized city with multiple branches, comparable lending collections, digital platforms, and community programming — directly comparable in mandate, funding model, and service mix to Peterborough Public Library.
• Burlington Public Library: Ontario municipal public library with similar mid-sized city footprint, lending collections, digital access, and community programming — comparable in scale, mandate, and funding structure to PPL.

Others

• SirsiDynix: Provider of the integrated library system PPL uses for catalogue, circulation, and member account management — a key enabling technology vendor for the library's operations.
• cloudLibrary (Bibliotheca): Digital lending platform used by PPL to deliver eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines to members; an ecosystem partner/vendor rather than a competitor, but central to PPL's digital engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PtboLibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/ptbolibrary
• Xx.com/ptbolibrary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Peterborough Public Library