Summerside Rotary Library
Hours
Monday: 12:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Room Rentals
For information on how to book and rent rooms at the Inspire Learning Centre, visit: https://inspirelearning.libcal.com/
Our Programs
Click this link to access the Summerside Rotary LIbrary's monthly programs
Our Space
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator access
- Air conditioning
- Accessible washrooms
- Gender-neutral washroom
- Changing tables
- Bike repair station
- Community rooms
- Free street parking
Annual Report
Download a copy of the PEI Public Library Service Annual Report 2023
Our History
The first library in Summerside was an independent subscription library established in 1908 due to interest and petitions from local citizens. It was a subscription library service that charged a small membership fee to members of the public to access its collection. When this library began to lapse after World War I, it was taken over by a local chapter of the I.O.D.E. (Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire). The library occupied a small room in the Town Hall and it continued to run on the subscription library model. On November 15th, 1933, the I.O.D.E officially turned over the library to the Town as part of the PEI Carnegie Demonstration Project which established free public library services in communities across the province. The project was funded from 1933-1936 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Since 1933, the library has occupied various buildings throughout Summerside. In 1995, a local non-profit group known as the Friends of the Rotary Regional Library secured the funding to move the library to the old Summerside Railway Station. The library remained in this location until 2016 when it was moved to the city’s old post office building. Spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Summerside, funding was secured to transform part of the old post office into the “Inspire Learning Centre,” which continues to be the home of the Summerside Rotary Library.