According to its 2019–2022 strategic plan, BPL aims to "empower the community to engage with and share stories, ideas and information.

"[4] BPL provides access to information services and library collections (including books, DVDs, newspapers, magazines and research materials) through its four branches as well as online and through community outreach.

A notable example was the British Columbia "Special Collections",[12] first established at the library's administrative/technical services site on Thunderbird Crescent in 1973 and moved to the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch in 1991.

Between 2009 and 2023, in a series of steps the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch discarded approximately half its adult non-fiction collection, and focused more on library (event) programming and community relations.

Following a 2022 fire adjacent to the ground floor Children's area, the interior of the branch was re-arranged to better reflect the library's new priorities.