Aylmer Library

Elgin County Council has approved in principle the relocation of the Aylmer branch of the Elgin County Library to the East Elgin Community Complex and is now engaging in a community consultation process on this potential relocation to be concluded by the end of May 2025.

The Aylmer Library is one of 10 library branches that make up the Elgin County Library system operated by Elgin County. Presently, the Aylmer Library is located in the Old Town Hall building, which is owned by the Town of Aylmer. The Elgin County Library leases the space from the Town of Aylmer for the Aylmer Library branch location. The current lease expires at the end of 2027.

Rural public libraries, like Elgin County Library, use guidelines provided by the Administers of Rural and Urban Public Libraries of Ontario (ARUPLO) to help determine space needs, service standards, and other core operating functions. These guidelines take into account the population the library branch is serving.

Aylmer Library currently serves a population of 14,951 residents in the catchment area of the Town of Aylmer plus a portion of the Township of Malahide south of College Line (2023 figures). This population served identifies the Aylmer Library branch as a ‘large tier branch’ by the ARUPLO guidelines. The guidelines suggest that a large tier branch should have a minimum space of 10,000 square feet plus one square foot per population served for an approximate total of 16,000 square feet needed for the Aylmer Library to meet the space guidelines. The current space of the Aylmer Library is 3,081 square feet, which is only 31% of that minimum. This means that the current space is considerably undersized to meet the service needs of the population it is serving.

Facility size is the only ARUPLO guideline over which the County of Elgin does not have direct control given that they are generally owned by local municipal partners. These are also the only guidelines where Elgin County Library is noticeably underperforming, particularly at Aylmer. Elgin County Library branches are performing at or above the averages for all other ARUPLO guidelines. The County of Elgin has direct oversight over all these other service considerations.

After over twenty years of protracted debate, County Council is determined to address Aylmer Library’s long-standing space needs. The status quo of 3,081 square feet should not be the option!

A Public Open House was held on Tuesday, May 6th. This Open House provided attendees with an overview of Aylmer Library statistics, current facility challenges, as well as what the library could look like moving forward. The following video was recording at the Open House.

The East Elgin Community Complex has been presented as a viable option to address the space needs of the Aylmer Library. Please give us your feedback on this option.