Toronto Public Library

Toronto Public Library
Country	Canada
Established	1884
Location	Toronto, Ontario
Coordinates	43°40′18″N 79°23′13″W
Branches	99
Collection
Size	12 million (2000)
Access and use
Circulation	31 million (2009)
Population served	2,503,281 (2006)
Other information
Budget	C$180,581,000 (2010)
Director	Jane Pyper
Website	http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca
Phone number	(416) 393-7131

Toronto Public Library (TPL) (French: Bibliothèque publique de Toronto) is a public library system based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest public library system in Canada and in 2008, had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other public library system internationally, making it the largest neighbourhood-based library system in the world. Within North America, it also had the highest circulation and visitors when compared to other large urban systems. Established as the library of the Mechanics' Institute in 1830, the Toronto Public Library now consists of 98 branch libraries and has over 12 million items in its collection.

History

Yorkville Library, one of several Carnegie libraries in Toronto

In 1830, a library was established in the York Mechanics' Institute. In 1884, the collection became the Toronto Public Library. Between 1907 and 1916, ten libraries were built with funds from the Andrew Carnegie Trust. Several of these Carnegie libraries continue to be used by the public library; one, the original Central Reference Library, is now the Koffler Student Centre at the University of Toronto.

Prior to the Amalgamation of Toronto in 1998, each of the former municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto operated their own public libraries. They include:

• Etobicoke Public Library: in the City of Etobicoke, which established 1950 with 13 branches
• North York Public Library: in the City of North York, which established 1955 with 19 branches
• York Public Library: in the City of York, which established 1967 with 6 branches
• East York Public Library: in the Borough of East York, which established 1967 with 5 branches
• Scarborough Public Library: in the City of Scarborough, which established 1955 with 19 branches
• Metro Toronto Public Library: across Metropolitan Toronto, which established 1967 with 1 branch
• Toronto Public Library: in Old Toronto, which established 1883 with 35 branches

When the Government of Ontario amalgamated the former municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto, the individual library boards and the Toronto Reference Library merged into the Toronto Public Library. The merger caused the Toronto Public Library to become the largest library system in North America, serving a population of 2.3 million people with 98 branches at the time.

In 2004, a new library was opened in the St. James Town neighbourhood of Toronto, bringing the total number of branches to 99. A new branch is scheduled to open in Scarborough City Centre in 2014.

The Toronto Public Library is among the municipal services whose budgets may be extensively cut under a review launched by mayor Rob Ford. The Municipal Affairs branch closed in September 2011, bringing the number of branches to back to 98.

Governance

The Toronto Public Library is governed by a Board appointed by Toronto City Council. The Board is composed of eight citizen members, four Toronto City Councillors and the Mayor or his designate. The current Members of the Toronto Public Library Board have been appointed until late 2014, (or until their successors are appointed).

• Paul Ainslie (Chair)
• Mike Foderick (Vice-Chair)
• Janet Davis
• Cameron Mackay
• Ross Parry
• Ken Stewart
• Benjie Wulffhart
• Jaye Robinson
• Cesar Palacio
• Kim Korinek
• Sarah Doucette
• Stephen Dulmage
• Andrea Zammit

Services

Collections

The library's collection count is approximately 11 million items, including books, periodicals and audio-visual materials. Along with general interest fiction and nonfiction there are numerous special collections. Focused collecting efforts strive to meet multi-language and social needs. Notable special collections include The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, The Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, and The Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection.

Technology

The Toronto Public Library technology services include public access computers and free wireless internet access in all branches. The Library also provides access to its collections online, including books, music and movies, research databases, journals, magazines, online educational and literacy support resources and ongoing digitization of specialized collections. The Toronto Public Library website allows users to reserve books, DVDs and CDs and have them transferred to the user's preferred branch.

Bookmobiles

The TPL operates two Bookmobile buses, targeting communities who lack easy access to a neighbourhood branch. Currently there are 32 regular Bookmobile stops in Toronto, including one on Ward's Island.

The bookmobile concept was previously used in the library systems of the former municipalities of North York and Scarborough as well as in Toronto as far back as 1955.

Branches

Main article: List of Toronto Public Library branches

See also

• List of public libraries in Ontario
• List of Carnegie libraries in Canada

Further reading

• Myrvold, Barbara (1986). In Peter F. McNally. ed. Readings in Canadian library history. Ottawa Ontario: Canadian Library Association. pp. 65–89. ISBN 9780888021960. 
• Penman, Margaret. "; Toronto Public Library" (1983). A Century of Service :" Toronto Public Library, 1883-1983 ". Toronto: Toronto Public Library,". ISBN 0919486738. 

External links

• Toronto Public Library
• Toronto Public Library Official YouTube Channel