Toronto Public Library provides broadly accessible opportunities for learning beyond formal education, throughout all stages and phases of a person's life, in all subjects from business and technology, to history, science, literacy and art. User-education classes continue to be very popular and we have expanded access to technology training through partnerships, addressing the needs learners including children in the middle years, older adults, job seekers and students. Digital literacy skills are in high demand and the library has implemented both online and in-person learning tools for self-directed learning and skills development. We offer easy access to the world's knowledge through our collections in spaces across the city.
Key Achievements
In 2015, we:
- Showcased a variety of thought-provoking exhibits, giving visitors a glimpse into the array of fascinating materials in our special collections - Freedom City: Uncovering Toronto's Black History, Exposed: Highlights from the Toronto Star Photograph Archive, Toronto's Sporting Past, John J. Audubon's Birds of America and Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons
- Started weekly After-School Clubs for Children ages 9-12 at many branches. After-school youth hubs also opened in Cedarbrae and York Woods branches.
- Launched a new successful program series “Law at the Library”, helping Torontonians address common legal problems and navigate the complex waters of Canada's legal system.
- Welcomed our first Aboriginal writer in residence, featuring author Cherie Dimaline, who met with aspiring writers to review manuscripts and lead a series of panel discussions and workshops on the importance of Indigenous storytelling.
- Offered the popular Hub Talks speaker series at our Digital Innovation Hubs, featuring topics such as wearables, 3D printing and virtual reality.
- Introduced Lynda.com, the popular online learning platform. Customers can now view over 3,500 video tutorial courses led by experts and learn at their own pace.