Toronto Public Library

Toronto Public Library
File:Toronto Public Library logo.png
43°40′18″N 79°23′13″W
Location	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Established	1884
Branches	99
Collection
Size	11 million
Access and use
Access requirements	Borrowers must live, work, go to school, or own property in the City of Toronto
Circulation	31 Million (2009)
Population served	2,503,281 (2006)
Other information
Budget	$186,000,000 CAD (2008)
Director	Jane Pyper, City Librarian
Website	http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban public library system. Every year, more than 17.5 million people visit our 99 branches and borrow more than 31 million items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library, visit our website at torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131.

History

Yorkville Library, one of several Carnegie libraries in Toronto

File:P2220029.JPG

Computers with free Internet access at the Steeles Branch

In 1830, a library was established in the Mechanics' Institute of what was then the town of York. In 1884, this collection became the Toronto Public Library.

Between 1907 and 1916, 10 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 St. George Campus of the University of Toronto.

Prior to 1998, each of the former constituent municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto operated their own peripheral public libraries:

• Etobicoke Public Library - established 1950 with 13 branches
• North York Public Library - established 1955 with 19 branches
• York Public Library - established 1967 with 6 branches
• East York Public Library - established 1967 with 5 branches
• Scarborough Public Library - established 1955 with 19 branches
• Metro Toronto Public Library established 1967 with 1 branches
• Toronto Public Library established 1883 with 35 branches

When, in 1997, the Government of Ontario amalgamated the former municipalities, the individual library boards (plus the Toronto Reference Library) merged into the Toronto Public Library. In 1998, the Toronto Public Library became the largest library system in North America serving a population of 2.3 million people with 98 branches and a collection of over 9 million items.

In 2004, a new library was opened in the St. James Town neighbourhood of Toronto, bringing the total number of branches to 99.

The Toronto Public Library is subject to the Ontario Public Libraries Act, which, among other things, ensures free access to library materials.

Toronto Public Library Board

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. Members of the Toronto Public Library Board appointed for the 2006-2010 term are:

• Mr. Matthew Church (Chair)
• Ms. Eman Ahmed
• Councillor Paul Ainslie
• Mr. Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler
• Councillor Janet Davis (Mayor's designate)
• Ms. Ann Decter
• Ms. Tina Edan
• Mr. Okeima Lawrence
• Councillor Chin Lee
• Councillor Anthony Perruzza
• Ms. Kathy Gallagher Ross
• Councillor Adam Vaughan
• Ms. Kate Wilson

Collections

The library's collection is approximately 11 million items, including books, periodicals and audio-visual materials. Along with general interest fiction and nonfiction there are numerous special collections and focused collecting efforts in areas such as multilingual materials, career and job education and local history.

Items withdrawn from the collection are typically offered for sale at individual branches or at two volunteer-run bookstores.

Notable special collections

• The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection
• The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy
• The Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books
• The Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection

Technology, Web and Interactive Services

The Toronto Public Library technology services include public access computers and free wireless internet access from 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 shipped to the user's preferred branch.

Bookmobiles

Bookmobile Two

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 cities of North York, Ontario, Scarborough, Ontario and Toronto as far back as 1955.

Branches

Name	Neighbourhood	Opened	Built	Collection size	Notes	Image
Agincourt	Agincourt	1918	1991	176,367	Originally the Agincourt Association Library for the village of Agincourt, later part of Scarborough Public Library; moved from Agincourt Mall location in 1991
Albert Campbell	Scarborough Junction	1971	1971	120,658	Named after Albert Campbell; operated as Albert Campbell District Branch prior to 1998
Albion	Smithfield	1965	1973	133,268
Alderwood	Alderwood	1958	1999	49,830
Amesbury Park	Amesbury	1967	1967	39,287
Annette Street	The Junction	1888	1909	39,083	Carnegie library
Armour Heights	Armour Heights	1982	1982	26,528
Barbara Frum	Lawrence Manor	1992	1992	138,657	Replaced Bathurst Heights Regional Library. Named after Barbara Frum
Bayview	Bayview Village	1966	2002	43,145	Inside Bayview Village Shopping Centre
Beaches	The Beaches	1914	1916	54,089	Carnegie library
Bendale	Bendale	1834	1961	38,957	Founded as the Scarboro' Subscription Library and then became the Scarborough Mechanics' Institute. In 1955 became one of the first three branches of the Scarborough Public Library
Black Creek	Downsview	1968	2002	32,052	Located in the North York Sheridan Mall
Bloor/Gladstone	Dufferin Grove	1911	1911	59,825	Reopened after renovations in 2009
Brentwood	The Kingsway	1955	1955	97,432	Etobicoke's main library from 1955 to 1966
Bridlewood	L'Amoreaux	1976	1992	59,472	At Bridlewood Mall
Brookbanks	Parkwoods	1968	1968	49,023
Burrows Hall	Malvern	1998	1998	53,137
Cedarbrae	Woburn	1966	1966	158,760	operated as Cederbrae District Branch prior to 1998
Centennial	Branson	1966	1966	36,360
Central Library	University of Toronto	1909–1977	1909		Ontario's largest Carnegie library, it served as the main branch until 1977 with the opening of the Toronto Reference Library
City Hall	Downtown	1965	1965	36,683	Inside Toronto City Hall
Cliffcrest	Cliffcrest	1972	2008	30,087
College/Shaw	Little Italy	1984	1984	37,123
Danforth/Coxwell	East Danforth	1989	1989	52,136
Davenport	Davenport	1988	1988	15,971
Dawes Road	O'Connor-Parkview	1976	1976	48,472	Replaced Woodbine Gardens branch
Deer Park	Deer Park	1905	1952	74,088
Don Mills	Don Mills	1961	1961	128,059
Downsview	Downsview	1962	1962	83,604
Downtown Branch	Downtown	1928–1965			Closed 1965 and replaced by City Hall branch
Dufferin/St. Clair	Corso Italia	1921	1921	38,883
Eatonville	Eatonville	1964	1964	73,786
Eglinton Square	Golden Mile	1955	1965	44,306	In Eglinton Square shopping mall
Elmbrook Park	Eringate	1988	1988	35,929
Evelyn Gregory	Silverthorn	1968	1968	42,632	Named in honour of York Public Library Chief Librarian Evelyn Gregory
Fairview	Don Valley Village	1972	1976	218,432	At Fairview Mall
Flemingdon Park	Flemingdon Park	1981	1981	48,177
Forest Hill	Forest Hill	1955	1962	56,398
Gerrard/Ashdale	Little India	1924	1924	52,172
Goldhawk Park	Milliken	1992	1992	58,182
Guildwood	Guildwood	1974	1974	30,034
High Park	Roncesvalles	1916	1916	55,794	Carnegie library
Highland Creek	Highland Creek	1889	1994	45,712	Founded as the Highland Creek Mechanics' Institute
Hillcrest	Hillcrest Village	1975	1975	48,104
Humber Bay	Humber Bay	1925	1951	29,517	Etobicoke Public Library headquarters 1951-1955
Humberwood	Humberwood	1996	1996	39,652
Humber Summit	Humber Summit	1974	1974	24,225
Jane/Dundas	Runnymede	1951	1975	46,429
Jane/Sheppard	Downsview	1989	2009	31,668
Jones	Leslieville	1962	1962	33,290
Kennedy/Eglinton	Ionview	1988	1988	34,331	In Liberty Square Shopping Plaza
Leaside	Leaside	1944	1950	60,607
Lillian H. Smith	Grange Park	1922	1995	122,412	Originally the Boys & Girls House. Focus on children's literature. Named after Boys & Girls House founder Lillian H. Smith
Locke	Lawrence Park	1949	1949	70,804	Named after chief librarian George Locke
Long Branch	Long Branch	1944	1954	34,305
Main Street	Upper Beaches	1903	1921	44,279
Malvern	Malvern	1982	1982	149,256
Maria A. Shchuka	Fairbank	1951	1951	106,228	Named after Maria A. Shchuka, York Head Librarian from 1979 to 1996.
Maryvale	Maryvale	1982	1982	52,793	At Parkway Mall
McGregor Park	Dorset Park	1960	2004	43,994
Mechanics' Institute	Downtown	1883–1927	1853		Served as the first home of the Toronto Public Library, and as the main branch until 1909, but was closed in 1927
Mimico Centennial	Mimico	1915	1966	48,591	Original was a Carnegie library, but was demolished in 1966
Morningside	West Hill, Toronto	1968	2006	47,530
Mount Dennis	Mount Dennis	1923	1951	46,982
Mount Pleasant	Davisville Village	1992	1992	19,654
New Toronto	New Toronto	1921	1994	40,427
North York Central Library	North York Centre	1959	1987	542,218
Northern District	North Toronto	1909	1975	177,153
Northern Elms	Rexdale	1991	2005	24,983
Oakwood Village Library	Oakwood	1997	1997	37,647
Palmerston	Seaton Village	1971	1971	39,802
Pape/Danforth	The Danforth	1929	1929	64,490
Parkdale	Parkdale, Toronto	1881	1964	74,065
Parliament	Cabbagetown	1955	1969	60,663
Perth/Dupont	West Junction Triangle	1977	1983	23,003
Pleasant View	Pleasant View	1975	1975	40,413
Port Union	Port Union	1974	1984	41,474
Queen/Saulter	Riverside	1979	1980	19,523	In the Ralph Thornton Community Centre
Rexdale	Rexdale	1959	1959	35,431
Richview	Richview	1966	1966	198,928
Riverdale	Riverdale	1888	1910	68,221	Carnegie library
Runnymede	Bloor West Village	1904	1930	73,075	Designed by John M. Lyle
S. Walter Stewart	Old East York	1950	1960	97,466	Named after S. Walter Stewart, first chair of the East York library Board
Sanderson	Alexandra Park	1968	1968	64,914	Named in honour of chief librarian Charles Sanderson
Spadina Road	The Annex	1977	1977	42,573
St. Clair/Silverthorn	The Junction	1981	1981	21,007
St. James Town	St. James Town	2004	2004	59,802
St. Lawrence	St. Lawrence	1982	1982	29,617
Steeles	Steeles	1987	1987	48,086	At Bamburgh Gardens Plaza	File:P2220029.JPG
Swansea Memorial	Swansea	1923	1959	10,049
Taylor Memorial	Birch Cliff	1962	1985	29,687	Named after Florence Nightingale Taylor, wife of John Taylor who donated his home for the original library building
Thorncliffe	Thorncliffe Park	1961	1970	41,752
Todmorden Room	Pape Village	1961	1961	8,874
Toronto Reference Library	Yorkville	1977	1977	1,653,665	The largest public reference library in Canada
Urban Affairs	Downtown Toronto	1911	1992	346,650	Located at Metro Hall
Victoria Village	Victoria Park Village	1967	1967	30,504
Weston	Weston	1858	1914	43,686	Carnegie library
Woodside Square	Agincourt	1977	1977	66,076	At Woodside Square Mall
Woodview Park	Emery	1964	1964	23,130
Wychwood	Bracondale Hill	1880	1916	51,433	Carnegie library
York Woods	Jane and Finch	1970	1970	120,199
Yorkville	Yorkville	1884	1907	62,240	Carnegie library

Chief librarians

• 1883-1908 James Bain
• 1908-1937 George Locke
• 1937-1956 Charles Sanderson

...

• 1998-2008 Josephine Bryant
• 2008–present Jane Pyper

See also

• List of public libraries in Ontario

References

• Myrvold, Barbara (1986). In Peter F. McNally (ed.). Readings in Canadian library history. Ottawa Ontario: Canadian Library Association. pp. 65–89. ISBN 9780888021960.
• Oder, Norman (2003). "Growing into a changing city". Library Journal. 128 (10): 40–42. Retrieved 2010-05-18. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
• Penman, Margaret. " (1983). A Century of Service :" Toronto Public Library, 1883-1983 ". Toronto: Toronto Public Library,". ISBN 0919486738. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Toronto Public Library
• List of Toronto Public Library Services
• Ontario Public Libraries
• 2007 Annual Report (including library use statistics)