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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Cliffcrest Library (1972): From Drab to Fab!

2007
2015

The first time I visited Cliffcrest Library was back in 2007. When I showed up at Cliffcrest Plaza for a second visit in 2010, I was surprised to see that this storefront branch had scooted over from 2977 Kingston Road to 3017 Kingston Road.

When I saw Cliffcrest’s 2010 incarnation, I regretted having missed the opening celebration in April 2008. Nevertheless, it was worth the wait to witness the transformation of a formerly drab library into a fabulous one!

Sharing my enthusiasm for the renovation, the branch head mentioned that the dramatic improvements had drawn a lot more youth to the facility. Sure enough, the L-shaped banquette in the northeast corner was fully occupied by web-browsing teens in the 3017 Kingston Road location.

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2015  

In addition to youth patrons on the bench seating, Cliffcrest was populated by Seniors reading newspapers and using the computers in addition to families searching for books and DVD’s. For background music, one child kept crowing “cockle-doodle-doo!” followed by monster growls.

Unfazed by the growls, I enjoyed the cheerful greens and blues as well as the sunniness that filled this one-room branch. With only a parking lot to gaze upon, it was helpful to have decor that symbolized the natural beauties (including a real lakeside cliff!) not far away.

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The library was so home-like and comfortable that it was tempting to lounge there for a long time. In fact, I ended up losing a long-term sitting competition with another patron on the banquette pictured above.

It all started with my silent wish to take a picture of the banquette’s entire length. Not intuiting this wish, my bench rival camped out on its east side from 11:30 to 1:00, at which time I had to leave for work. It didn’t feel right to ask her to move, and I was both impressed and exasperated by her sitting power.

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Around the corner from the contested banquette was an eclectic collection of stuffed animals. A frog and a puma were having some boundary issues, but the rest of the creatures were sharing the space peacefully. A shark and a bear were getting along just fine, as were a parrot and a three-headed dragon.

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2015
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Most of Cliffcrest’s open-facing shelving (earning it the title of TPL‘s first “browsing branch”) didn’t contain multilingual material, but its children’s section had a small French collection. I borrowed the book seen below because I liked the exuberant cover art and the opportunity to practice reading in French.

Finally, a few steps away from the children’s section was the program room. It contained funky tiling, a Historical Highlights display, and some nature photography by Ann Brokelman.

Upon arrival at the library few hours earlier, I had expected to find the same tired 1970’s strip-mall facility that I’d seen in 2007. The plaza remains dreary, but it now flaunts a colourful jewel: a rejuvenated Cliffcrest Library!

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