Located next to The Flower Emporium at Parkway Mall, Maryvale Library shares a lot in common with its mall-library cousin, Eglinton Square. Both branches opened in the 80′s (1987 and 1983 respectively), occupy one room, and don’t put on any airs. Marvyale even has the same wooden letters spelling “CHILDREN’S” on the wall as Eglinton Square does, although the Cat in the Hat inhabits the letter “C” instead of a monkey. I like how the Cat’s jaunty bow-tie and mischievous expression encourage playfulness.
On a high shelf near the irreverent Cat stood a fold-out series of Peter Sis illustrations of Sleep Safe Little Whale by Miriam Schlein. A wide variety of sleeping animals appeared in the paper panorama, but I found the panda bear mother and her cub in a hollow tree especially endearing.
Another nearby shelf provided a platform for a white mama rabbit with a baby stitched to her arms. The older rabbit wore a pink ruffled apron trimmed with a floral pattern, and the inside of her ears were lined with same floral cloth. I think the pair were about to attend a party, for they both had festive bows sewn on their foreheads at the point where bunny ears started to sprout.
Throughout the library, a certain randomness to the decorations prevailed. Wooden birds on stands faced Lord of the Rings posters on the other side of the room. I saw a Renoir print, some aging travel posters, and an odd paper-craft item (a square within a square with a dangling tail) over the check-out desk. Clutching the registration sign overhead was a superhero toy with a cape.
Despite my lukewarm response to Maryvale’s decor, I don’t mean imply that the value of a library lies in its appearance. After all, Maryvale branch is a friendly, well-stocked facility that offers materials in Chinese, Greek, French, Arabic, Tagalog, Tamil, and Hindi. It just seems unfair to me that some branches look smarter than others. For example, why does Beaches Library have a a timbered ceiling and a window seat overlooking Kew Gardens while Bridlewood Library has a rocket made of construction paper?
I realize it’s not as simple as “wealthy neighbourhood equals elegant library.” Some of the most lovely branches — Riverdale, Kennedy/Eglinton, McGregor Park, Malvern, Woodside Square — are in relatively deprived areas. My wish for wall-flower libraries like Maryvale is for them to be models of beauty in a wasteland of urban malls.
(Note: Bridlewood’s paper rocket is no more! See this post for Bridlewood’s newer look. Moreover, the Mama Rabbit is no longer at Maryvale, and there aren’t any objects dangling from signs above the check-out desk. Maybe they were mussing the hairstyles of staff and patrons alike?)