Vaughan Public Libraries recognized for outstanding leadership, creativity and innovation
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Four awards presented during a ceremonial presentation at
City Hall
Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) serves as
a gathering place for families and neighbours to spend quality time reading and
learning together. In recognition of its commitment to delivering Service
Excellence, VPL has received four prestigious awards, which were presented to
Members of Council at the Feb. 7 Committee of the Whole (1) meeting.
VPL received the Angus
Mowat Award of Excellence, a Public Library Service Award presented by the
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport recognizing its commitment to excellence
in the delivery of public library service. VPL is the recipient of the Award’s Belonging
Initiative – which recognizes commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
The second award VPL
was bestowed was the Minister’s Award for Innovation, which was presented by
the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. This award recognizes successful
new approaches that demonstrate a positive impact in a community and are of
continued value to public libraries. VPL is the recipient of the COVID-19
Research Group supporting the City’s Emergency Management Team, Mayor and
Members of Council through the pandemic and positively influencing provincial
legislation regarding the elimination of returned materials isolation periods.
VPL is also the
recipient of the James Bain Medallion, Public
Library Board Member of the Year, which was awarded by the Ontario Public
Library Association to Rose Savage, Chair of the Vaughan Public Library Board.
Finally, VPL received the
W.J. Robertson Medallion, also known as the Public Librarian of the Year, which
was awarded by the Ontario Library Boards Association to Margie Singleton, CEO
of Vaughan Public Libraries.
VPL consists of twelve library
branches that house a collection of more than 550,000 items and receive an
average of 2.5 million visitors in total each year. Among its resources are an
assortment of technology and creative equipment, digital resources and
databases and knowledgeable staff ready to assist.
To learn more about
Vaughan Public Libraries, including its programming, resources and collections,
visit vaughanpl.info.
QUOTES
“On
behalf of the City of Vaughan and Members of Council, I am pleased to
congratulate Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) on receiving four awards
recognizing outstanding leadership, creativity and innovation. VPL’s Board
Chair Rose Savage and CEO Margie Singleton have each been recognized with
awards for their role in expanding VPL’s offerings to serve our community today
and into the future. Each of these awards reflect the City’s ongoing commitment
to ensuring libraries remain a critical component of Vaughan’s city-building
efforts. VPL branches serve as gathering places for families and neighbours to
spend quality time and absorb the volumes of reading material carefully
arranged for entertainment, comfort and enrichment. They are a welcoming place
for everyone, and reflect the diverse city we are so grateful to live in.”
- Mayor Steven
Del Duca
“These awards are built upon the hard work of everyone in the
organization, and my thanks are extended to the dedicated staff who make the
remarkable commonplace. The OLA Awards highlight the best in our profession and
to win amongst an incredible field of nominees is a significant achievement. It
shows innovation at work and an ongoing desire to deliver the very best
possible experience for our customers. All of us at Vaughan Public Libraries
are looking forward to building on these successes as we grow to serve you
better."
- Margie Singleton, CEO, Vaughan Public Libraries
“It is a profound honour to receive these awards. Our entire team has
worked tirelessly over the course of the last four years to build a strong,
future-facing library system. Working with our partners in Government and local
businesses, we have grown our number of branches, while adding more services,
programs and expertise, that significantly reduce the barriers to effectively
serve our community. Throughout the mandate of our Board term, we have seen how
creative, resilient and committed our staff, board and partners can be in
bringing our vision to life. Together, we have built in Vaughan, a world-class
library system and positioned it for continued growth and strength in servicing
our community.”
- Rose Savage, Chair, Vaughan Public Library board
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FACTS
- These awards were recognized during a ceremonial presentation at the Feb. 7 Committee of the Whole (1) meeting.
- VPL has previously received the Angus Mowat Award of Excellence in 2018 for its Customer Experience Model and in 2014 for its Digital Outreach Strategy.
- In 2016, VPL won the Minister’s Award for Innovation for its Vaughan Poetry Map.
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