Annual Report 2021
Staff at S. Walter Stewart Branch
TPL started to see growth and recovery in many areas in 2021, despite the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. We continued to build on experience from the first year of the pandemic, refining initiatives, focusing on the reopening efforts, rolling out new digital services, and supporting the health and safety of staff.
In the first half of the year, branches were closed for 19 weeks, as mandated by the Province, so TPL’s virtual and remote services were key for serving our customers and communities. TPL expanded online resources, online programming and virtual learning; and launched remote Book a Librarian service, with a focus on digital literacy for seniors.
Digital borrowing continued to grow, while customers’ access to physical materials was available at most branches through curbside pick-up of hold items, and grab & go bags. When our branches reopened later in the year, many digital access cardholders converted to full service library cards. And while online programs were helpful for access and engagement, demand for in-person programming grew as customers preferred to attend for social interaction and connectivity.
Significant trends include:
- Electronic circulation increased 5.4%, surpassing 11 million checkouts. For the sixth year in a row, TPL was the biggest lender of OverDrive items worldwide, with 9,821,165 loans, a 12.6% jump from the previous year. 19. 2021
- Physical circulation increased 25.4%, despite branch closures that severely limited browsing and collection access, in the first half of the year.
- Demand remained strong, with holds placed on physical items increasing 26.3%. Overall visits decreased 27.5%, due to restrictions on in-branch access, capacity limits and in-person services.
- Searches of licensed databases increased 22.4%.
- 2,390 online programs offered with 113,869 attendees.
- Virtual visits increased 4.2%, reporting the highest use ever, as more content and self-service features were available, including Digital Access Card self-registration, and the addition of new databases, including Business Source Complete, and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
For more details on service trends and impacts: COVID-19 Impact Report – 2021 Year in Review (PDF)
Key 2021 Achievements
Below is a summary of key activities in support of the priorities outlined in our strategic plan.
Opening Up Our Public Space
Grab & go at College/Shaw Branch.
2021 highlights include:
- Offered grab & go bags at most library branches. These pre-selected bags curated by staff, organized by genre, age range or topics, proved incredibly popular. Close to 500,000 items were checked out and over 80,000 kits were circulated. Customers praised Grab & Go for reinjecting exploration and chance discovery into their library experience, largely missing during the pandemic.
- Celebrated 50 years of the Merril collection, this one of the world's top research collections of its kind. Celebrations included a virtual exhibit, a reading list, a staff interview and more!
- Partnered with Ontario Health to host five vaccination clinics at Parkdale, Maria A. Shchuka and Goldhawk Park branches. In total, 1,123 individuals were vaccinated as a result of targeted outreach. This initiative was supported by 46 TPL staff volunteers who helped run and set up the clinics.
- Introduced new activity bags with fun ways to spend time together and promote school readiness skills, and to help support kids and families starting kindergarten. These Kindergarten Let’s Go! Activity Bags were available at open branches to children aged 3-5 from August 23 - September
- Dufferin/St. Clair (January 27) and Main Street (December 15) branches celebrated 100 years of service. Ten TPL branches now boast this centenary milestone.
Broadening Toronto's digital access and inclusion
Nerissa Craig, Senior Library Assistant, offering Seniors Tech Help
2021 highlights include:
- Conducted over 1,400 Seniors Tech Help sessions over the phone, teaching seniors how to use technology to access materials or critical services, as well as remain connected with friends and family.
- Offered Wi-Fi service at all branches throughout the branch closures in 2021, with an average of 3,638 daily sessions for the year. When we re-opened, average daily Wi-Fi sessions increased 55% in Q2-Q4 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
- Introduced Coding for Kids programs as part of TPL’s Virtual After School Clubs for children ages six to 12. Each week participants explored coding concepts using block style coding and resources from Code.org.
- Launched a new online resource for educators, parents and caregivers to support students from kindergarten to grade 12 with quick access to library digital resources such as booklists, homework help, programs, live online tutoring, virtual exhibits and YouTube videos. The information on the page was developed to support teachers deliver their curriculum, and to help parents with homework support and remote learning.
- Created a new list of 132 books in OverDrive for the Adult Literacy Collection webpage, designed to help adults who are working on their reading, writing and math skills and include fiction and non-fiction material.
Building Pathways for Workforce Development
Our Career Coaches in Residence, L to R: Cindy Fruitman, Jennifer Gaudette, Ken Lee and Tharsheka Natkunam
2021 highlights include:
- Wrapped up the Career Coaches in Residence (CCIR) program pilot two-term program, providing over 460 remote one-on-one appointments to younger adults, supporting them with career and job search advice. With the help of four dedicated career coaches, participants were able to seek guidance on career direction, find insights on effective job hunting strategies, receive support for challenging career situations and more. Coaches were also able to connect with more than 750 participants through various online programs, including a workshop on writing meaningful cover letters, various industry and recruiter panels and an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit. This program was made possible through the generous support of the RBC Foundation and the Friends of TPL, South Chapter.
- Introduced First Artrepreneur In Residence (ArtIR) program series, featuring Paola Gomez, co-founder and director of Muse Arts and the creator, director and producer of the HAPPENING Multicultural Festival.
- Supported young Black adults in gaining IT industry skills with The Digital Canopy Wi-Fi program. The 12-week IT training program includes soft skills training from the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals, IT training using the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum supported by TPL staff; and a short introductory course taught by a George Brown College professor. The Digital Canopy Wi-Fi program was offered in partnership with Cisco Canada, George Brown College, the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals and the City of Toronto.
- Expanded on the Let’s Learn Tech Learning Circles program to include the IT Essentials course on Cisco’s Networking Academy platform, which aligns with the industry-recognized CompTIA A+ certification. Technology training programs are expensive and inaccessible to low-income residents. With Bank of America’s support, TPL provided this training program free to 15 Torontonians (ages 16 to 64) facing barriers to workforce training and development opportunities.
Providing the Vital Ingredients for a Democratic Society
2021 highlights include:
- Eliminated children’s overdue fines, removing a significant barrier to library access. Late fines have a disproportionate impact on racialized and low-income communities in Toronto. With this announcement, TPL joined hundreds of library systems across North America in the growing movement of eliminating overdue fines.
- Distributed more than 3,300 TPL Care Kits and socks to vulnerable persons at 11 branches across the city, thanks to community partner donations. The kits provided a crucial resource to people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable residents facing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Supported civic engagement as part of the Canadian Vote Coalition, a coalition of national, regional and local community organizations and leaders committed to non-partisan voter engagement. The library collaborated with the Democratic Engagement Exchange to design a Voting FAQ and Resource Sheet for library use. This document proved to be a reliable source of information that assisted library staff in answering commonly asked questions from the public and promoting informed voting.
- Recognized by the Government of Canada for our speaker series "Aging Your Way: Building an Age Inclusive Canada, Together," in a report to the United Nations as an example of 'a promising practice from civil society' . The series was created in partnership with CanAge, a national seniors advocacy organization, to educate and empower older adults on a range of critical issues including ageism, adult vaccination and media literacy. In 2021,10 programs reached 879 live attendees.
- Continued outreach based on the Seniors’ Wellness program that was launched in 2020 to connect with isolated customers during the pandemic. Staff offered information to seniors from the City of Toronto and Toronto Public Health about how to make a vaccination booking, clinic locations and hours, transportations services, etc. A total of 14,648 vaccination calls were made between April and June, in addition to the 13,253 wellness check-in calls.
Investing in staff and an innovative service culture
Welcome to your library email launch template
- Launched a Welcome to Your Library email for new members who opt in for email notifications. This personalized email greeting from TPL highlights online account features, branch information, online services and more. The Welcome to Your Library Email is one piece of TPL’s larger email communications strategy which, through a number of different initiatives, will help deliver exceptional customer experiences that are convenient, seamless, personalized and timely.
- Continued to invest and support our workforce, placing increased focus on building connections with the staff through regular town halls, providing remote work and training opportunities and by enforcing strict health and safety protocols.
- Improved virtual learning for staff and offered more on-demand training content. Staff accessed thousands of courses. Of note, 1,788 staff completed the Cybersecurity Awareness Training curriculum empowering them to adopt better digital practices. Over 300 staff completed the Online Programming Training Curriculum on Learn:TPL to help support the delivery of online programs. Other popular courses included accessing e-resources on mobile devices and developing healthy habits for emotional well-being.
- Hosted eight youth, ages 15-30, for a 15-week internship funded by the Government of Canada through Computers for Success Canada (CFSC-OPEC) and the Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) Interns program. Six Library Assistant interns provided Seniors Tech Help and two Digital Design Technician (DDT) interns supported the Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs). The interns participated in over 45 hours of professional development and a mentorship program supported by staff from the Service Development and Innovation division.
- Offered mandatory Positive Spaces training for all staff beginning with senior management. Delivered by The 519 and TPL Pride Alliance, the Positive Spaces training empowered staff with information and tools to provide excellent, respectful, and welcoming customer service to the 2SLGBTQ+ community.