Annual Report 2020

2020 was a unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly impacted library services. TPL was able to successfully and safely deliver in-branch and online services, navigating through the various stages of disruption caused by the pandemic while shifting operations, redeploying staff, developing new digital offerings, reinstating and modifying services while delivering an excellent and safe customer experience.

TPL pivoted its services and helped Torontonians and staff build success, resilience and well-being, in the context of the pandemic. This included introducing Digital Access Cards, increasing access to online resources and content, using our spaces as food bank distribution centres, creating online programming and virtual learning and distributing internet connectivity kits.

2020 was also the first year of our new multi-year strategic plan. We heard that our city and its residents need better access to inclusive, welcoming spaces, improved digital literacy, support for workforce development, platforms for civic discussion and engagement, and consistently excellent customer experiences. In response, we have developed five strategic priorities and three supporting enablers that will shape and guide our work over the next five years.

Significant trends in 2020 included:

• Electronic circulation increased 30.5% to a total of 10,540,429. For the fifth year in a row, TPL was the biggest lender of OverDrive items worldwide, with 8,724,023 loans.
• Physical circulation decreased 53.7% due to COVID-19 restrictions that severely limited browsing and collection access. Demand remained relatively strong, however, with 4,234,546 holds placed on physical items.
• Overall visits decreased 67.8% due to restrictions on capacity and in-person services.
• 963 new online programs were offered with 72,872 attendees.

More information: COVID-19 Impact Report – 2020 Year In Review (PDF)

Key 2020 Achievements

As described in the 2020-2024 strategic plan, we have outlined new strategic priorities where we will focus and invest over the next five years. There are five priorities: public space, digital inclusion and literacy, workforce development, a democratic society and public service excellence.

2020 was an unprecedented year for everybody as the COVID-19 pandemic took over. It was a transformational time for TPL, and the way we delivered services, as a result.

Below are some key achievements from 2020:

Opening Up Our Public Space

• Partnered with the North York Harvest Food Bank, Daily Bread Food Bank, and Second Harvest to set up 12 pop-up food banks between March and September. Approximately,14,700 hampers were distributed, serving over 42,300 people in need. Our Ellesmere distribution hub was also used for food sorting and distribution. The Daily Bread shared this wonderful video of our spaces in action.
• Redesigned the Youth Hub service to provide a safe space during the pandemic and launched 10 new Youth Hubs. Youth Hubs are a welcoming place for teens after school and in the summer, where helpful staff are always available.
• Offered over 900 programs for children and adults through TPL's new Live & Online programs service, which were enjoyed by approximately 70,000 people. Significant efforts were taken by TPL staff to plan, develop and implement online programming in a short period of time. Programs were far ranging from adult literacy to children's story times to digital literacy to workforce and life skills to civic engagement.
• Provided over 4,000 new books for children and teens in food hampers, free of charge, as part of TPL's support for Toronto's food banks.
• Launched the Complimentary PRESTO card Initiative as part of the pop-up food banks in September 2020, which expanded to select branches in October 2020. Over 9,800 PRESTO cards were distributed in total.
• Loaned 10 Ultimaker 2 + 3D printers to a team at Toronto General Hospital to support their efforts to produce personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Made over 10,000 wellness calls to senior library customers aged 70+ and Home Library Service customers.

Broadening Toronto's digital access and inclusion

• Provided vital connectivity to some of Toronto's most vulnerable residents.
  • Delivered the Internet Connectivity Kit program in partnership with Renewed Computer Technology and support from the City of Toronto and the Toronto Public Library Foundation. TPL distributed kits which included a laptop, Wi-Fi hotspot, and four months of unlimited data.
  • Worked with the City and community partners to assist in the distribution of 1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots.
  • Ran a weeklong pilot project, WI-FI on Wheels, in August 2020. The pilot provided free outdoor internet access at Masseygrove and Edgeley park in northwest Toronto. This City initiative brought internet access to parks in areas of Etobicoke where there are few public Wi-Fi options. It also raised awareness of the digital divide and related issues heightened by the pandemic.
• Assisted with virtual viewings of the 2020 High Park cherry blossom bloom. TPL's bookmobile, Big Blue, along with Rogers provided the internet connectivity for the City of Toronto's 24-hour BloomCam.
• Developed a Seniors Tech Help service to provide free digital literacy help to seniors via telephone to support them in the use of technology and accessing online resources from home during the pandemic.
• Offered a wide selection of remote digital literacy programs throughout the pandemic. Over 400 innovation, technology and computer programs were offered, making up nearly half (47%) of TPL's online programs. The programs were popular and were attended by over 15,000 people.
• Ensured Torontonians had access to TPL's digital resources during COVID-19-related branch closures with the introduction of the Instant Digital Card and later the Digital Access Card. New e-users for OverDrive, Kanopy, Hoopla, and RBDigital increased by 28%.

Building Pathways for Workforce Development

• Launched the Career Coaches in Residence program with the help of the RBC Foundation and the TPL Foundation, offering career and job search help for younger adults with consultations, workshops and seminars.
• Developed a Youth Digital Internship program for eight public libraries across Canada, alongside partner Computers for Success. Funded by the Government of Canada, the positions provided opportunities for youth from under-represented groups to enhance digital skills and employability by developing the expertise and competencies necessary to actively participate in the digital economy. TPL offered eight internships: six to provide the new Seniors Tech Help service, and two to offer services and programs in TPL Digital Innovation Hubs.
• Ran the Google IT Support Professional Certificate (GISC) program for the second time in March and quickly transitioned online to continue the course during the pandemic. Despite these challenges, over three-quarters of the class graduated. Program funded by a generous donation from Google, with support from the TPL Foundation.
• Hosted over 270 learners through TPL's Let's Learn Tech IT professional training program. The in-person courses were disrupted partway by the pandemic, but learners successfully adapted to remote learning.

Providing the Vital Ingredients for a Democratic Society

• Hosted engaging, relevant programming that is reflective of our culture with live and pre-recorded events that the public accessed for free across the country. Customers were extremely pleased with our quick shift to our online platforms.
• Completed the Civic Life Program pilot in collaboration with MASS LBP, a public sector facilitation company. These programs helped support Torontonians in understanding, acting on and connecting with the world beyond their private lives. Our aim was to help library users better understand and get more engaged in important local issues. Topics explored included women's rights, gun violence and precarious housing. Downloadable packages of readings, videos and podcasts helped further explore the issues.
• Launched One Page: Canada's Virtual Literary Series in October 2020 in partnership with Canada's largest literary festivals. The goal of One Page was to strengthen and support the literary and arts scenes across the country while offering Canadians access to some of the best local, national and international literary content available.
• Continued TPL's 'On Civil Society' series with events on various social issues including income inequality (French economist Thomas Piketty) and the science of the pandemic (Sonia Shah, David Waltner-Toews, Dr Jennifer Kwan). Other events addressed keeping hope in governments and fellow citizens amidst hardship, and offered insight into realities of climate change through technology. These and similar Civil Society events attracted more than 2,500 attendees.
• Celebrated Black History Month in February and continued to honour Black heritage and voices all year round with a variety of programs, events and reading lists.
• Coordinated the delivery of 700 children's and teen books to family shelters and to sites where asylum seekers were staying temporarily in Toronto.

Investing in staff and an innovative service culture

• Pivoted TPL services in response to the pandemic, adapting to new ways of serving Torontonians based on their needs while maintaining health and safety as the paramount priority. This included introducing Digital Access Cards, increasing access to online resources and content, using our spaces as food bank distribution centres, creating online programming and virtual learning and distributing internet connectivity kits.
• Held all-staff virtual town halls to address staff questions and concerns, and allow senior leadership to share information about the reopening of branches and the reinstatement of services.
• Fostered a more diverse and inclusive workplace with staff taking on-demand classes about racial discrimination, bias, and building allyship.
• Launched TPL's new learning management system (learn:tpl), offering staff a more personalized experience, expansive online training options, on-demand training modules, and improved searching capabilities. From July-December 2020, 2,041 staff completed one or more learning objects, with total completions averaging 3,810 per month over the same period.
• Redesigned the tpl.ca homepage in May 2020 to make it easier for customers to find the information they need about our services and to discover what the library had to offer digitally during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Improved our capacity and work culture to provide welcoming, personalized, consistent, innovative service for Torontonians. This includes building on our new brand and customer experience strategy, our focus being to provide consistently great services when, where and how customers want them. Our digital strategy will provide our staff and customers with the right combination of technologies and support to meet their evolving needs.
• Continued focus on evaluation and reporting, to ensure that we make decisions based on evidence, deliver on the outcomes that we're working towards, and continue to be transparent and accountable to Torontonians. This includes our balance scoreboard and reporting on our road map and plan.

More information:

• 2020 Public Service Statistics, Trends & Comparisons (PDF)
• 2020 Finance Reports