Canada – Thomas Guignard photography

A modern, angular glass and steel building is lit from within at dusk, with large, illuminated windows and straight lines. The surrounding area includes a sidewalk, bicycles, and other buildings in the background.

Bibliothèque Gabrielle-Roy, Québec

The second incarnation of Québec's central library aims to bring renewed attention to a struggling neighbourhood.

Interior of a multi-story library with open, tiered floors. Visible are several levels with bookshelves, study areas, and seating. A glass elevator is in motion in the background.

Toronto Reference Library

At the centre of North America's busiest public library system, the Toronto Reference Library is one of the city's most prized cultural assets.

A spacious, traditional library room with high vaulted wooden ceilings, large arched windows, wooden tables and chairs, bookshelves, chandeliers, and framed portraits on the walls.

Knox College Caven Library, Toronto

A prime example of Collegiate Gothic of the early 20th century, Toronto's Knox College is a favourite of students and film directors.

Interior of a church converted to a library. A glass enclosure containing the library is at the back, only occupying part of the church, which can be seen around the library.

Bibliothèque Félicité-Angers, Neuville

This little town in Quebec found an original way to preserve rare religious artifacts while updating the little-used church that protects them.

A large historic building with arched windows and columns stands on a snowy street. Leafless trees line the sidewalk, and blue banners hang from the facade. Snow covers the ground and parts of the building.

Former Toronto Reference Library

When it opened in 1908, the Central Reference Library was among Toronto's first purpose-built library buildings.

A red sports car is parked in front of a symmetrical brick building with columns and arched architectural details on a cloudy day. The street and surrounding area are quiet.

Former Preston Carnegie Library, Cambridge ON

Now a private property, this former library is a fine example of rural Carnegie libraries of the early 20th century.

Interior of a contemporary library with curved white balconies, large windows allowing natural light, multiple floors with bookshelves, and people reading or working at tables on the lower level.

Surrey City Centre Library

The futuristic Surrey City Centre Library was designed by Bing Thom Architects and completed in 2011 as part of an ambitious plan to revitalize the area.

Exterior of a small Neoclassical library. It is a symmetrical, single-story brick building. The entrance door is framed by a pediment supported by four columns on top of a flight of stairs. The words "Public Library, erected 1906" are engraved on the pediment. A fan window above the door bears the words "Yorkville branch, 22 Yorkville Avenue". In front of the library, a modern sign reads "tpl: Toronto Public Library". There is snow on the ground and the sky is overcast.

Yorkville Library, Toronto

This elegant Carnegie building is the oldest library in Toronto.

Bibliothèque Maisonneuve, Montréal

From visions of grandeur too big for a city budget to a dying star's last breath, the surprising history of the Maisonneuve library is far from over.

Lakehead University Library

On an eclectic northern campus, this library was built for growth.

Interior of a Beaux-Arts building, a rectangular atrium surrounded by columns and a mezzanine.

Bibliothèque Centrale de Montréal

Born of decades of controversy, Montreal's first French-language public library is now home to a very unusual collection.

Interior of an English Neogothic church transformed into a library, viewed through a community room constructed in the former choir. The community room is separated from the nave by a glass partition, through which the library can be seen.

Kentville Library, Nova Scotia

Pews have given way to bookshelves in this former Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.