Submission by Barry Short and Katherine Palmer, Toronto Public Library (TPL)

Short, Barry
Palmer, Katherine

Toronto Public Library (TPL)
Toronto Public Library (TPL)

November 2014

Ontario

English

With 98 branches located across the City of Toronto, most Toronto residents live within a two-kilometre radius of a Toronto Public Library branch; bookmobiles extend access to residents living outside of this radius. In 2014, Toronto Public Library is preparing to open two new branches: Scarborough Civic Centre, and Fort York. Library branches are integrated into the fabric of the city, embedded in neighbourhoods, and are a part of the streetscape. The market research firm, Strategic Counsel conducted a survey for TPL that asked Torontonians about their use of the library and found that 72% of Torontonians used the library in 2012 and one in six visited at least once a week. Canadian libraries report high levels of participation and use of public libraries as the recent OCLC research Statistical Insights on the Arts highlighted the fact that nearly two out of three Canadians have library cards. This submission will focus on the following issues considered to be important for Public Libraries in the 21st century: building diverse communities, fostering a culture of reading, lifelong learning and digital literacy, community development, the provision of public space, the role of the research and reference library, and the role of the Librarian.

Royal Society of Canada’s Expert Panel on The Status and Future of Canada’s Libraries and Archives