For the past year or so, I have been on a delightfully nerdy quest to visit all 99 public libraries in Toronto. As of yesterday, I’ve visited 41 of them. Woo hoo!
Here’s some notes on what I remember about the libraries. I won’t be at all offended if you skim!
Agincourt — branch library, massive ESL and second language collection, super busy
Brookbanks — a quiet branch near a karate school in North York
Maryvale — inside a 1980’s mall, also in North York
Highland Creek — big windows and lots of natural light, east Scarborough
Port Union — library which is the furthest east in TPL jurisdiction
Morningside — a long, low one room library, very new, awesome window seats
Cedarbrae — near Markham and Lawrence, a huge branch library with two floors, Scarborough historical collection, massive ESL selection, also where I volunteered as a conversation circle leader for awhile and took students to get new library cards when teaching LINC in the area
Guildwood — a small, cozy branch in a strip mall, found a book on Canadian history
Cliffcrest — also a one-room branch in a southeast Scarborough strip mall
Bendale — this library sits by itself on a little grassy rise, appears as if on stilts (which I liked), arrived just a few minutes before closing
McGregor Park — a newish library, very spacious, Lawrence and Birchmount
Victoria Village — a neighbourhood branch, very busy, seemed to be at centre of lots of community activity
Kennedy and Eglinton — another crowded but cozy branch, seems constantly in use, situated between a bar that was shut down and a pharmacy
Eglinton Square — a one-room library in the mall just off the food court, lots of broad tables with folks reading the newspaper
Albert Cambell — a time capsule of 1970’s architecture and interior design, two levels, with quiet rooms for study, near Saint Clair and Birchmount
Dawes Road — situated in residential area, found a good grammar book there, one big square room with lots of shelves, near Saint Clair and Victoria Park
Taylor Memorial — near the lake, features a fireplace with armchairs, very peaceful
Main Street — a compact, attractive building, full of patrons reading and browsing
Beaches — gorgeous library with window seats and views of Kew Gardens, two levels, very uplifting space
Danforth/Coxwell — a narrow building with two levels, this was one of the first libraries I visited as a newcomer when I went to a conversation circle
Gerrard/Ashdale — this branch is on a lively street full of shops selling South Asian clothing, curry, and roasted corn, has two levels, top floor with beautiful wooden beams and a fireplace
Jones — very small, surrounded by a homey neighbourhood with large trees and houses with porches, lots of patrons there on a Saturday, appealing wooden floors
Pape/Danforth — handsome, historic building, two long narrow floors, extremely busy
Riverdale — arrived there by Broadview streetcar, nice brick building in circular shape, crowded with readers, next to Don Valley jail building
And that’s all I’ve visited east of the Don Valley Parkway. Stay riveted or at least mildly awake for a review of libraries west of the DVP.