Toronto Public Library - Never Ceases to Amaze

The Toronto Public Library is the largest neighbourhood based system in the world and in a global context, ranks first in visits per capita and second in circulation per capita.  In fact, 74 percent of Torontonians use the library at least once each year.  This has been achieved in a cost-effective manner when benchmarked against systems elsewhere.  Truly, it is one of our civic treasures.

A recent annual report can be accessed here:  2011 Report

Library management has been highly effective in adapting its services to meet changing needs:

• it has a fabulous and growing catalogue to address the needs of non-English speakers
• it has expanded the number of computers available for free public use, thus providing wider access to the Internet - this in addition to free WiFi service
• it has expanded the range of services to facilitate the settlement of new arrivals to the city and embedded itself as valued neighbourhood centres

In recent years, the TPL has increased the range of its offerings by including ebooks and a variety of on-line music services.  I especially like the arrangement whereby card holders can log in to the main site and then navigate to Naxos, a music publisher whose catalogue presents a mind-boggling variety of high quality music in many genres.  For more details on Naxos see Naxos

The site is well designed and easy to use ... and well worth visiting.  Toronto Public Library

Shortly after assuming office, Mayor Rob Ford and his brother, Doug, indicated that they would close many "liberry" branches (their pronunciation) "in a heartbeat" as part of their quest to stop the gravy train at City Hall.  This resulted in an outpouring of protest from Torontonians. As a result, no branches were closed.  However, in the last budget, cuts amounting to the loss of 137 jobs were exacted and the prospect of yet more cuts are on the horizon - this at a time when library usage is increasing.  

The Ford notion of libraries as book repositories is based on an ignorance of their true function. Here are some of the services performed by library branches:

• community centres: meeting places for a wide variety of functions and valuable for all of that since they are within easy walking distance of the neighbourhoods they serve
• study centres: quiet places where students can study and undertake research projects
• mother loads of information for local businesses and other enterprises
• repositories for archival information for local neighbourhoods
• agents for the promotion of local culture e.g. exhibitions of art, architecture etc. 

library functions

Meanwhile, the incredible saga of the Ford Brothers continues to unfold.

Has there ever been an instance where a mayor has been watched by aircraft as part of a criminal surveillance operation?  If you think that I am making this up, read this:  Ford Brothers Antics  ... and now this: Pot for Phone