Awards and Recognition
Windsor Public Library has a reputation for innovative delivery of programs and services. See why we are Canada’s most award-winning library.
| 2021 | The John Muir Branch of the Windsor Public Library received a 2021 Ontario Library Association (OLA) Library Building Award in the library architectural and design transformation category, which recognizes additions, renovations, restorations and conversions to library use across Ontario. |
| 2020 | The Windsor Public Library received a CoW Pandemic Pivot Award, which reflects the innovative and adaptive fashion in which it shifted focus to online services and programming during the Covid-19 shutdown. |
| 2020 | The John Muir Branch of the Windsor Public Library received the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation. |
| 2020 | The John Muir Branch received a 2020 Built Heritage Award from the City of Windsor recognizing excellent stewardship and heritage conservation efforts. |
| 2015 | Ontario Library Association Joyce Cunningham Award for Public Library Board of the Year. |
| 2012 | Canadian Library Association Award for Innovation Technology – Tomorrow Today. |
| 2011 | Ontario Public Library Service Award – Help for Job Hunters. |
| 2009 | CLTA / Stan Heath Achievement in Literacy Award – Adult Literacy program was recognized for excellence in literacy training by the Canadian Library Trustees Association. |
| 2006 | Canadian Library Association – Information Today Award for Innovative Technology – digital exhibit, Le Progrès. |
| 2004 | Technology Planning Award from WebJunction – recognizing creative and effective technology planning. |
| 2004 | Canadian Library Association – Information Today Award for Innovative Technology – Health GIS – Digital Alliance. |
| 2004 | Recognized by CULTURE.CA which selected Settling Canada’s South: How Windsor Was Made as their featured website for September 2004. The website was developed by the Windsor-Essex Centre of Digital Expertise |
| 2004 | Recognized as one of the pre-eminent child-focused library systems in North America. Selected as a runner-up in the 2004 School Library Journal/Gale Thompson Giant Step Award, which identified the Kaysandra and Christopher Curtis Children’s Learning Centre as being innovative and having a significant impact on children in the community. WPL was the only Canadian entry to receive recognition |
| 2003 | Ontario Public Library Service Angus Mowat Award of Excellence – Kaysandra and Christopher Paul Curtis Children’s Learning Centre, Central Library. |
| 2002 | Honourable Mention – 2002 OLITA Award for Technological Innovation together with the The University of Windsor’s Leddy Library for WIBS – the Windsor Internet Booking System. |
| 2002 | Industry Canada LibraryNet Best Practices Award in the Website Category. iCity- Historic Sites of Walkerville website (2002) |
| 2001 | RoweCom Marketing Award – Millennium Card Project |
| 2001 | Industry Canada LibraryNet Best Practices Award for Innovative use of Information and Communications Technologies to Enhance Services to the Public – Online Book Club. |
| 2000 | Minister’s Award for Innovation in the 2000 Public Library Service Awards, Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation – Electronic Books |
| 2000 | Ontario Library and Information Technology Association Award for Technological Innovation – WERLnet. |
| 2000 | Industry Canada LibraryNet Best Practices Award in the Category of Community Partnerships – WeConnect Project. |
| 2000 | Ontario Public Library Service Award for P.O.W.E.R Surfers project |
| 1999 | Technology in Government Distinction Award – WERLnet |