A couple of Saturdays ago, Stewart and I raced to catch the ten o’clock Ward’s Island ferry. After we’d safely launched ourselves on the boat, I caught my breath and noticed a singular vehicle occupying the exact centre of the ferry. It was one of the TPL Bookmobiles! I liked how its presence was whimsical yet purposeful, with books destined for a beach excursion while providing library services to the resident islanders.

photo by Stewart Russell

After the strollers, bicycles with shopping wagons, and camera-laden day-trippers streamed off the ferry, the Bookmobile exited last. Then it trundled along Cibola Avenue, stopping in a grassy patch just north of Algonquin Bridge (the wooden footbridge that arches over a narrow stretch of harbour and is off-limits to rented bicycle surreys).

photo by Stewart Russell

With twenty minutes until opening time, I settled down in a heap with my notebook on a nearby sidewalk that led to the boardwalk. It was a gorgeous autumn morning and I enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my hair.

photo by Stewart Russell

At 10:30 on the dot, two people climbed aboard the Bookmobile, and by 10:35 approximately eight people were inside. A variety of bicycles were leaning against the front and side of the bus. Other bikes were strewn this way and that on the grass. How liberating to hop on your bike and fetch some books without having to worry about traffic, subway steps, or bike locks!

photo by Stewart Russell

When I stepped up into the mobile library around 11:00, I noticed how different it seemed in daylight. Compared to my previous evening’s visit at Queen’s Quay, the Ward’s Island stop seemed more leisurely and relaxed. The radio was playing this time, and the view from the back window was leafy and harbour-scenic. (Perhaps it’s not fair to compare them because it’s hard for the Omni TV parking lot at twilight to compete with a restful island site next to a harbour).

The Bookmobile wasn’t overly crowded, which made for a congenial social environment. For example, there wasn’t the intense competitive huddle next to the DVD shelves that I observed at Queen’s Quay. However, like their urban cousins across the water, the Ward’s Island patrons appeared to look forward to these bookmobile visits because they provided a reliable opportunity to catch up with fellow book-loving friends.

Even though the driver-librarian had to process the materials by hand due to a computer problem, patrons waited patiently in line with their armfuls of books. Meanwhile, a mom was asking her two young children for feedback on the week’s selection of picture books. She would read a line or two, show some illustrations, and see if the kids showed interest in the book. When she’d gathered her literacy supplies, she showed off some of the titles to a friend, who exclaimed, “Look at the eyes on that lemur!”

Eventually, I made my way to the front of the bus to check out a book on Vermeer. When I commented that the driver’s job seemed fun, he said, “The people are nice, and it’s never a dull moment!” It certainly looked as if Ward’s Island residents of all ages were really happy to see him drive up and spend a few hours dispensing a wealth of information, entertainment, and good cheer.

photo by Stewart Russell

For the second time in as many days, I descended the Bookmobile steps and emerged into the outside air. I found Stewart, who had been taking pictures of the exterior of the bus, and he suggested lunch at the Rectory Café. I didn’t require much persuasion, and after a meal of lamb burger (Stewart) and salmon and bagel (me), we went for refreshing walk along the boardwalk. It was the perfect activity to cap a wonderful outing. What a joy to visit Ward’s Island in the company of Stewart and the Toronto Public Library!

Fighting Blue Demons of Disconnection (2010)

I made this piece for the Octopus Project’s May Exhibit at the Distillery District. The challenge was to use the shades of only one colour.

Purple Triangle Web (2010)

Here’s how this wrapped collage looks on the outside.

Partially unwrapped.

Fully unwrapped.

Collage Centerfold!

Close-up!

Recently I went on a Friday-night mission to visit the Bookmobile stop at Queen’s Quay and Bathurst. I took the streetcar from Union Station and met Ab Velasco, the Communications Officer at the Toronto Public Library, in the parking lot of the OMNI Television building. The Bookmobile was late that evening, all its library materials held hostage to rush-hour traffic. I asked Ab if he thought bookmobiles should be classed as emergency vehicles, and he suggested they should at least have a dedicated lane. He excused himself for a moment to apologize on behalf of the library to a small group of expectant patrons.

Fortunately, the anticipated vehicle soon came into view. I wanted to cheer! After negotiating the parking barrier, the bus positioned itself in the southeast corner of the lot. Then there was a suspenseful pause while we waited for the door to open. It was like witnessing a friendly spaceship landing!

A collective sigh was released as the last obstacle to the books was removed, spilling a rectangle of light onto the darkening parking lot. About a dozen people had gathered by then, mostly older ladies and a mother with three kids. They eagerly clambered up the steps and formed huddles by the shelves of children’s materials, the DVD shelves, and Adult Fiction area. I was impressed by the quantity and variety of items available in such a compact space, including large print books, romance and graphic novels, plus magazines in Chinese, Tamil, Spanish, and Russian.

Taking a moment to fully appreciate the Romance section, I sat down in the back of the bus on a low red-carpeted bench. My two favourite titles were Along Came a Husband and Lock, Stock, and Secret Baby. I have to say that Sex and the Single Earl had a certain something, too.

The more time I spent inside this marvel of library outreach, the more I realized how much community building it creates. My impression was that the Bookmobile’s Friday visit was a social highlight. No wonder the patrons were antsy when the vehicle was ten minutes late!

Everyone seemed to know one another. As the bus gently swayed from side to side in response to the constant shifting of weight on the ladder, patrons greeted each other by name and got updated on family news. When an elderly lady climbed up with her cane, another woman inside entreated her to be careful not to lean backwards. Not far from her, a child was exclaiming, “They have fairy books!”

The driver seemed to be enjoying his job. He was handing out large pieces of stiff paper which folded up to create a model of the Bookmobile. When one kid said he didn’t want one, the driver said (in a kind tone), “Are you too cool for it?”

The captain of this library ship wasn’t too cool to be a librarian; he wore the two hats with ease. When I went to check out a DVD, My Brilliant Career, I tried to pay him the 30 cent fine I owed. He said that they don’t take money on the Bookmobiles. (It would take a pretty low order of thief to rob a library bus, but I could see how the presence of a cash box could make the driver vulnerable).

I asked the driver what kind of capacity the Bookmobile could handle and he estimated about twenty people. He added that the adults tended to “self-regulate”, adjusting their comings and goings to the crowd-level. As for the kids, nothing could stop them from getting at the books!

Realizing I was taking up valuable space, I didn’t spend as much time at the Queen’s Quay stop as I normally would at a non-nomadic library. However, I descended the steps into the parking lot with a strong sense that I’d just experienced something truly special. This lovely library on wheels was tangible evidence of TPL’s commitment to reaching all Torontonians. This is a city where books come to the people if the people cannot easily come to the books.

It is cheering to know that the Bookmobile faithfully continues its rounds, creating joy and fellowship wherever it parks. Bookmobile 1 (the one I visited) and Bookmobile 2 make stops at 34 locations across Toronto, serving more than 32,000 people in 2009 alone. In that year, visitors checked out 165,707 items (statistics provided by Ab Velasco). According to the leaflet I picked up, these mobile branches have “computer access to the Library’s online catalogue” and are wheelchair accessible.

The range of the Bookmobile stops stretches from North Kipling to Morningside Heights and from Mabelle (southcentral Etobicoke), Ward’s Island, and Kingston Road. It’s enough to inspire a re-write of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land“:

This bus is your bus.

This bus is my bus.

From Caledon Village to Toronto Islands.

From the Sheppard Plaza to Scarborough Village.

This bus was made for you and me.

As the bus was stopping right there at Martinway,

I saw above me 5 Needle Firway.

I saw below me the Martha Eaton Way.

This bus was made for you and me.

It stops at Braeburn.

It stops at Nymark.

It stops at Wycliffe.

It stops at Mabelle.

And every Friday, it stops at Queen’s Quay.

This bus was made for you and me.

As I was walking, I saw Glamorgan.

And there was Wynford Heights and Bayview/Cummer.

I saw below me Kingston Road and Galloway.

This bus was made for you and me.

Calling at Saint Andrews.

The stop at Lawrence Heights.

Calling at Cedarbrae.

Stopping at Chetta Place.

And every Thursday, it’s North Kipling.

This bus was made for you and me.

Scarborough Town Centre.

Willowridge and Brahms.

Morningside Heights as well as Centenary.

And every Thursday, it’s Oakridge C.C.

This bus was made for you and me.

Serving Concourse Plaza.

Helping Yonge Village.

It sure likes Swansea and Bathurst Manor Plazas.

Finally, there’s Firgrove and Driftwood C.C.

This bus was made for you and me.

On Friday evening, I got to visit the Bookmobile at Queen’s Quay and Bathurst. The following morning I went to the Ward’s Island stop. Photos and fuller details to follow!

For Bookmobile fans, Joe Clark has an interesting post dated April 24, 2009. I don’t agree with many of the views expressed on Clark’s blog, but his writing about the Bookmobile really captures its marvelous design and function.

This shadow box is the result of a collaboration between my husband Stewart and I. The box itself was the former home of Korean biscuits. Stewart took the picture of Hester the deer last Christmas when we were visiting a conservation area in Springfield, Missouri.

Forest Wolves, 2010

The Princess and the Sedimentary Layers, 2010

Lightning Frame, 2009

My first trip to Dawes Road branch had taken place several years ago, so I’d forgotten the striking contrast between the bunker-like exterior and the warm and friendly interior. To be fair, the doleful concrete balcony above the entrance belongs to the upstairs apartment units of 414 Dawes Road instead of the library.

At any rate, it was easy to overcome a slightly dismal first impression once I set foot in the lobby. I noticed an occupied community room down a short corridor to the right and a large noticeboard devoted to immigrant services. Some of the programs included English Conversation Circles and more formal English classes.

Dawes Road reminded me a lot of Thorncliffe Library. Both are small neighbourhood branches that serve a large immigrant population, many of whom live in tower blocks like Cedarview Apartments and Crescent Town (a truly enormous collection of high-rise apartment buildings not far from Dawes Road branch). To meet the needs of a diverse local population, materials are available in Bengali, Chinese, Tamil, Urdu, French, and Hindi. For example, here is a jolly Bengali/English book about Floppy’s friends.

This very manageable library institution was composed of one big square room, although the Children’s section had the means to be separated off by a curtain if required. It looked as though the beige material could double as makeshift theatre curtain with the top of a bookshelf called into service as a stage.

I liked the non-fussy atmosphere of this corner of the building, including the simple stain-glass window decorations made from black Bristol board and waxed paper. My favourite images were the butterflies and the rocket, although I wondered why the teddy bear was floating untethered in space. Adding Halloween flavour was a purple polymer bat on a chain.

Given the calendar’s recent turn to October, the Halloween theme continued, creating a freaky check out desk and eerie information area. Normally sober signs were thick with faux spider webs and festooned with pumpkin-headed scarecrows, bats, monsters, and spiders.

I was especially tickled by the idea of a haunted returns desk that featured a caution pumpkin beside the book slot. If only the staff could rig up an audio device that emitted a ghastly moan every time an item was dropped in the box! Even better, a reproachful voice could wail, “Your books are overdueooooooo.”

Before I took my leave, I checked out a book on Greek and Latin roots. The fact that the librarian processed my book with a scary spider scanner added something to my check-out experience! I walked back to the car with my spider-scanned book, stopping a moment to admire Dawes Road Gospel Church across the street.

Riverdale Library received a successful makeover in time for its 100th Birthday Party yesterday. The interior’s natural beauty was enhanced by two gorgeous bouquets that greeted the crowds who streamed into the transformed branch. I joined a large audience gathered around a portable podium and listened to a few speeches. Regular library-users were weaving through stationary clumps of listeners, dodging photographers in their struggle to reach the shelves and the newly relocated check-out desk. The old desk had been moved to the opposite wall and slightly north, creating more room for a larger computer lab and reading lounge.

The Childen’s Section had also undergone quite a few changes since my last visit in June. The entrance was much more colourful thanks to a new sign supported by two columns constructed from enormous building blocks. A new set of red tables displayed the evidence of active library use, and shiny purple shelves provided incentive to investigate the materials they contained.

Following up on my previous account of Paddington Bear’s condition, I can happily report that he has been released from his taped-up high chair. Yesterday he was reclining in luxurious freedom on top of a purple shelf. He also appeared to have been freshly laundered. On the shelf to the bear’s left was a lion who looked equally comfortable. He was well-positioned to see the readers on the windowseat as well as the street scene beyond.

The tree that had once sat gathering dust in the program room with a “Do Not Move” sign on it (which I had mistakenly thought said, “Do Not Remove”) was prominently displayed near the windowseat in the Children’s Room. With newly sprouted green leaves, it looked refreshed. And from what I understand, the leafy prop is going to play an essential role in a fundraising campaign for Riverdale branch in the near future. I glanced into the room where the tree used to be, but I didn’t enter. A young man was about to put on the Dewey mascot costume, so I thought it best not to disturb him.

With impeccable timing, I returned to the main part of the library in time for refreshments in the community room. As I waited in line, everybody started singing, “Happy Birthday, Dear Riverdale” to the library. Once I reached the buffet table, I was overwhelmed by the sheer good-natured mayhem of the crowd. Folks were sitting, standing, pushing forward, retreating, and searching for missing implements to their meal. I handed a fork to a man who’d missed his chance to grab one and marvelled at the pig’s head resting inside a platter with chunks of pork. A patron standing across from me commented: “That’s a vegetarian’s nightmare!”

Veering around groups of eaters who stood placidly impeding the progress of the hungry and thirsty, I reached the drinks table. City Librarian, Jane Pyper was standing there beside the jugs of ice water, helping out like a kindly hostess. I complimented her on the renovation, and she said how pleased she was with it, too. She mentioned how the building was more open to the street now. Ms. Pyper wished me luck as I set off to photograph the cakes.

After I took a few more photographs, I left Riverdale’s celebration with high spirits and a full stomach. It made me smile to see patrons leaning on CD carrels and bookshelves with plates of noodles, pork, and cake. Without a doubt, centennial festivity prevailed among the stacks!