Help shape the future of the Aberdeen Tiny Library in Kamloops, and be entered to win a prize!
The Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) is inviting residents throughout the Thompson-Nicola Regional District to take part in a short survey and share their thoughts about the newest and smallest library in the TNRL system.
The TNRL currently has a one-year lease agreement in place until November 2024, with an option for renewal, at the Aberdeen Tiny Library location in Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops, next to the food court.
The library — which opened in late November 2023 and had its grand opening in February 2024 — is open Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
The library is only 352 square feet in size, but packs a big punch, with a collection of best-selling books, audiobooks, video games, DVDs, devices and kits, and more.
It also features a holds locker for pick-up and returns, and a book dispenser which contains a selection of new, noteworthy, and popular titles. It’s like a vending machine for books, allowing patrons with a valid TNRL card to check out any titles that catch their eye. Both the locker and dispenser are located outside the branch, and are available to patrons at all times the mall is open.
The Aberdeen Tiny Library is the first additional library in Kamloops since 1974. The TNRL continues to seek land opportunities in southwest Kamloops for a full-service library, with the mall location acting as an initial presence in the area for residents.
A report to the TNRD board in June 2021 noted that Kamloops currently has only two libraries — downtown and in North Kamloops — along with a mobile library that serves outlying areas of the city and rural communities throughout the TNRD.
“Population growth in Kamloops is quickly outstripping the capacity of the two library buildings that currently exist,” the report stated. “Municipal expansion will continue in the city’s southwest, and the Aberdeen community or a location immediately adjacent should be procured by the TNRD to commence planning for the Kamloops library.”
The survey is open until June 30, and can be acccessed online at https://bit.ly/3xcrMCW. Residents can also complete the survey with a TNRL staff member at their local library. Survey participants will be entered into a prize draw to win a $50 Aberdeen Mall gift card.
For more information about the Aberdeen Tiny Library, visit www.tnrl.ca/locations.
