Our Partnerships

Red Deer College partners with other libraries and library consortia.

Our History

Red Deer College established its first Library in a few rooms at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School in 1964. A land grant and provincial funding enabled the College to begin construction of its campus on farmland in the southwest corner of the city in 1968.

Laid out in a circle and lit by a skylight in the centre, the Library was the first building to open. The book stacks, housing 8,000 volumes, and study areas were arranged around a mezzanine opening to the floor below.
 
Within a few years it was apparent that the space was inadequate. A series of grants enabled the Library to expand in 1972, creating more space for the collection and for Library users.
 
During the 1970s and 1980s, Red Deer College Library continued to grow and adapt along with the community college it served, with the implementation of new technology to increase efficiency and help students find what they needed. An automated library system, MultiLIS, was introduced in 1989.
 
The Library continued to keep pace with technological changes throughout the 1990s. The first computer lab had five computers, expanding to 32 networked stations in 1998. Further renovations were completed in the summer of 1999, including the addition of 30 more computers and the shifting of offices and materials to make more efficient use of the space available.
 
During this time, the Library also became a member of NEOS, a consortium of university and college libraries centered at the University of Alberta. This gave our students access to the holdings of over 20 libraries, and remains an important partnership for Red Deer College Library today.
 
In 2000, the Taking Charge of Tomorrow … Together campaign was launched, to raise money for a new library, along with improved facilities in other areas of the campus. The campaign was wildly successful, with donors giving over $7.2 million.

Extensive consultations were held with campus and community stakeholders prior to construction of the new library. In response to that feedback, the design of the library boasts an open, accessible concept. Staff work from windowed offices, with desks facing into the main area of the library, so their work is transparent to the community they serve. The main floor has large and small gathering spaces, encouraging collaboration and active learning. To accommodate those with various needs, there are also small group study rooms and a quiet study space.
 
The new Library Information Common is an addition covering 4,500 square feet, placed intentionally front and centre on campus, easily accessible to the public as well as learners from all College programs. Through a partnership with Hewlett-Packard Canada, the Library houses 165 state-of-the-art wired computers, as well as 20 wireless tablets.
 
The book collection has grown to over 150,000 items, including 10,000 “public library” books belonging to Parkland Regional Library, one of our partners. In addition to the items housed on campus, library users have quick and convenient access to the entire NEOS collection, which includes more than five million items.
 
The new Red Deer College Library Information Common opened for business on September 3, 2002, with a grand opening during Alberta Library Week in October, 2002. Lieutenant-Governor Lois Hole was on hand to open the facility, along with other dignitaries.
 
As the Library continues to adapt to user needs and requests, it is widely recognized as the largest classroom on campus.