To enter New Toronto Library, I passed under a silver scaffold in the shape of a steeple. Then I emerged into one long lovely hall which looked like the nave of a modest cathedral (albeit a cathedral with giant orange slices arching overhead). Potted palms standing tall in so much open space created a very upbeat and oxygen-rich atmosphere. Built in 1994, New Toronto summoned a host of adjectives from this admiring patron: hopeful, clean, modern, cheery, open, orange, green, brown, and cream.
The library wasn’t nearly as busy as Malvern, the branch that most resembled it in style. A display of banned books celebrated freedom of speech with titles like Huckleberry Finn, Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Color Purple. I studied a colorful exhibit of bookmarks designed by kids, some with inspiring quotations such as “Books Open Your Heart” and “Make Peace with Books.” Side wings lined the open central hall, and I enjoyed dipping in and out of them like a bespectacled hummingbird, selecting an art book here, a DVD about Venice there, and admiring the ESL, reference, and Polish collections. I could have happily spent more time in this uplifting library, but Long Branch and Alderwood branches awaited.
Tags: new_toronto