Penticton Public Library Information

The Penticton Public Library is a municipal library located in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, a community of 33,000 people. The city is situated in the south Okanagan Valley nestled between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. The Okanagan Valley is part of the interior plateau known as the Okanagan Highland, surrounded by the Cascade Mountains in the west and the Monashee Mountains to the east. Library Service in Penticton began on Sept. 18, 1909 when the Penticton Public Library Reading Room and Library was opened. In 1920 the Penticton Public Library Association was formed with F.L. McKeever as the first president of the board and Mrs. J. L. Gilley as the first librarian. On Oct. 1, 1946 School District 14 was formed and the library automatically became part of the Okanagan Regional Library, as prescribed by the Library Act. After a successful referendum in 1968 the Library separated from the Okanagan Regional Library on April 2, 1969. A public library association operated the Library until December 1969 when a city appointed board was established. Today's board is comprised of a councillor and eight citizens. The Penticton Public Library has had a number of homes over the years, including above Johnston's Hardware and above Street's Feed Store on Main during the 1920's. The Library was also attached to City Hall in the 1940's, and in the Oddfellow's Hall during the late 1950's. The Library, now part of the Library-Museum Complex, has been at 785 Main Street since 1965 when the Community Arts Centre was constructed. From a book stock of 500 to the present collection of 130,000, the Penticton Public Library has been serving the community since 1909.