Toronto is a city of passionate readers and at Toronto Public Library, they'll find a supportive environment for reading as the foundation of learning. Branches carry diverse material for different opinions, ideas and experiences. The library proudly supports readers of all ages by also offering expertise in literacy and literary exploration, and hosting a wide range of popular reading programs that introduce and promote the joy of reading starting from the very young. The library has responded to increased demand for digital content by expanding access to new resources that offer music, movies and other language materials. The library also continues to advocate for improved access to Canadian digital content at reasonable costs.
Key Achievements:
- More new best-sellers and popular digital content is available for library users from two important publishers, Simon & Schuster and Scholastic, thanks to continued advocacy efforts by libraries across the country, led by Toronto Public Library.
- We introduced streaming and downloadable music and videos in April from Hoopla Digital. The service quickly became popular with customers.
- The Library was the recipient of the Minister's Award for Innovation for the Let's Get Ready for Reading Guide. The award recognizes new approaches to service that demonstrate positive impacts and are of continued value to the community.
- The IBBY Collection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities launched at North York Central Library. The collection features more than 3,000 multilingual books in a variety of accessible formats, including sign language, Braille, Blissymbolics, Picture Communication Symbols, tactile and textile. The collection is of value to not only children and their caregivers, but provides research opportunities in the development and evolution of this specialized field and offers inspiring examples of book design and construction, ideas for booklists, and more.
- The library invited children and their families to engage with stories in a new exciting way by hosting StoryMobs, where great children's books meet flash mobs across the country through the use of costumes, props, music and reading out loud.
- The themes explored during the 2014 Keep Toronto Reading celebrations were hope in adversity, human resilience and artistic expression in times of conflict - all inspired by our community read The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. The city-wide celebration included programming, discussion panels, film screenings and culminated in 22 days of cello performances, in unexpected places across the city.
- Our internationally-acclaimed roster of high profile guests at our Bram and Bluma Appel Salon included literary giants Louise Penny, Anne Marie Macdonald, Terry Fallis and many, many more.