Kingston Frontenac Public Library
public library in Canada
The Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) was established in 1998 through the amalgamation of the Kingston Public Library (which began as a 19th-century Mechanics Institute) and the Frontenac County Library, creating a 17-branch system. The KFPL serves the city of Kingston and Frontenac County in Ontario, Canada. The library regularly welcomes visitors from outside of this region. The KFPL has a board made up of appointees and representatives from Kingston City Council and Frontenac County Council. The board operates using the Carver Model.
Services
Information and reference services
Community information
Internet access
Reader's advisory services
Programs for children, youth and adults
Delivery to homebound individuals
Interlibrary loan
Free downloadable audiobooks and e-books
History
It was one of a series of Mechanics' Institutes that were set up around the world after becoming popular in Britain. It housed a subscription library that allowed members who paid a fee to borrow books. The Mechanics' Institutes libraries eventually became public libraries when the establishment of free libraries occurred. The Mechanics Institute in Kingston was founded in 1834; in 1895, the Kingston Public Library was established, making it one of the first public libraries in Canada.
Branches
There are five branches within the city of Kingston and eleven branches throughout Frontenac County.
The public source identifies “Kingston Frontenac Public Library” as public library in Canada. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kingston, Frontenac and Public.
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Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6413526. Authority coordinates are 44.230, -76.485. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1998, 1834 and 1895.
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This entry incorporates text from “Kingston Frontenac Public Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.