Our speaker on October 8, 2024 was Darren Solomon, CEO of KPL.
Darren spent the first 15 years of his career as a journalist and producer for both CBC news and CTV. He then spent 12 years at Cineplex where he built an in-house creative agency also holding several vice-presidential roles.
Just as COVID started, Darren left the private sector world to join the public sector as the CEO of the Richmond Hill Library, transforming and modernizing it into an award-winning and innovative library. It was a great opportunity to grow in a different avenue than his past pursuits. After 4 years in Richmond Hill in early 2024, he joined the Kitchener Public Library as CEO.
When he joined the KPL, he was an outsider joining a stagnant institution that was perceived as behind many of its peer organizations. One of the newly established goals of KPL is to be more engaged in the community. Darren feels that while people may perceive libraries as a monument of the past that the reach of KPL is much bigger than we think it is and has great opportunity to grow even further. The library currently has over 2.5 Million visitors per year at 5 locations and in a break from the past have eliminated late fees. The KPL is a resource that is valued by our Kitchener community and it can only get stronger.
In broadening their reach, a new library will open in spring of 2025 near the intersection of Fisher Hallman and Bleam's Road. This new facility will have a Net Zero impact on the environment.
The KPL is not the library which we remember as kids. Some of the activities that take place are; a recording studio; cooking classes; computer classes; 3Dprinting. The library can be evolved to provide anything that the community wants.
The new Strategic Plan which, once approved, will span the time to 2028 has 18 goals which will revitalize the organization. These goals will include advancing and enriching all aspects of the community including caring and inclusive factors.
Darren is not a librarian but is an energetic and catalyzing change leader with a track record of success building culture and delivering impact in the social and private sectors. We are fortunate to have him guiding the KPL to increased relevance as a resource to our community.
For further information on the KPL, refer to their website https://www.kpl.org/