Our History

From Humble Beginnings

  • 1967: The Library began inside Centennial High School, managed by the Coquitlam Centennial Community group.

  • 1976: December 16th, Coquitlam City Council officially established the Coquitlam Public Library under provincial legislation.

Branch Growth

  • 1978: Two branches opened—Ridgeway and Cottonwood—to serve the expanding community.

  • 1981: A third location was launched in the Lincoln area.

  • 1989: The Ridgeway and Cottonwood branches merged to form the Poirier Branch at 575 Poirier St, across from Centennial High School.

City Centre Expansion

  • 2011–2013: Coquitlam acquired a new building across from City Centre Mall, increasing library space to about 31,000 square feet.

  • 2013: The new City Centre Branch opened, nearly tripling the library’s size and expanding services.

Mobile Outreach – Library Link

  • 2009: “Library Link,” a mobile library service, was introduced to bring books, media, and programs to neighbourhoods and community events across the city.

  • 2023: The new Link is debuted, thanks to the generosity of the City of Coquitlam.
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