Kitchener Public Library Undergoes Structural Changes, Union Raises Concerns
Kitchener Public Library (KPL) is undergoing changes to align with a new strategic plan leading to the union representing workers at KPL to voice concerns.
Joseph Brannan, vice-president of CUPE Local 331, said the union was notified of changes in the summer that included possible layoffs, job title changes and potential cuts to programming.
In a statement, KPL said that no staff will be laid off. Two full-time and three-part time staff received notices that their jobs would be eliminated as of Jan. 5, 2026; however, all five of these individuals have already accepted new positions at the library.
“We’re changing how we work to make sure we can continue to deliver exceptional service and experiences at all library locations today and in the future as Kitchener continues to grow rapidly,” KPL said in a statement.
“New positions reflect strategic changes that will serve the community in a sustainable way and allow us to remain responsive over time,” the statement continued.
While each of the five roles that were eliminated and reassigned, Brannan claimed that individuals were forced to move to new locations and even accept roles in different departments outside of their previous scope.
“In many cases, people were not given a choice and are moving away from the library location that’s closest to their home,” Brannan said.
“That’s really devastating to people, to be taken from that local library community that they know…it really shakes up the team aspects that they have and it really shakes confidence in the ability to trust in decisions that focus on people and community,” Brannan said.
With regards to programming, Brannan said KPL has amalgamated the programming team to 16 from 36 in the previous year, also shifting their roles from purely programming to public facing at service desks as well.
“I think library staff see that there’s a strength to being in a customer facing role as well as in the programming role, because it means the program staff are more in touch with what the public is interested in and what they hear, hearing from the public by interacting with them,” Brannan said.
“The new model eliminates a lot of people from being able to develop programs…it takes specialized knowledge and life skills out of that team. Yes, it’s dedicated full time staff doing that work, but you don’t have any more.”
While the union raised concerns over cuts to programming that would impact the public, KPL said in a statement that all library services will continue without interruption.
“We are not cutting library services. Some library programs will start a couple of weeks later than normal in January to accommodate staff training and development, but most library services will continue without interruption,” KPL said in a statement.
Since the strategic plan has publicized, Brannan said KPL has responded to some of the union’s concerns, including changes to job titles.
“The library was going to eliminate the job title of librarian, and for a number of other employees, was going to remove library from the job title,” Brannan said.
“That was a step that was astounding to staff and really kind of self hurtful,” he said.
After consultation with staff, Brannan said KPL decided to forgo this change to titles.
From a strategic mindset, Brannan said that while some changes to KPL were necessary, the implementation of the changes has been the main concern.
“We completely agree that there are a lot of areas that needed focus…it’s more that the way that the changes are being done that staff have found really disrespectful and jarring,” Brannan said.
“It’s been really a huge hit to morale,” he said.
Moving forward, Brannan expressed concern but said he is hopeful the library will continue to deliver on its mandate to the public.
“All of us are still really passionate about the library, about the public and the work that we do in providing information, providing people access to library programs and books and literacy,” he said.
Clarification: Kerri Hutchinson, manager of marketing and communications at the KPL, clarified that, throughout the changes KPL followed the Collective Agreement and worked closely with the union executive. While employees typically need to re-apply for their positions in the event of a location change as outlined under the Collective Agreement, to reduce disruption for staff the KPL and CUPE Local 331 signed a one-time Letter of Understanding to forego the need of reapplication in this process.
