I first wrote about Brookbanks Library in 2007, but it was only one line about this “quiet branch near a karate school in North York.” Two years later, I called in for the second time so I could describe the branch more fully. And then I visited for the third and fourth times in 2012 and 2015 to take some photographs.
Unobtrusively tucked behind a shopping plaza, Brookbanks Library contained an auditorium on the lower level, a main level, and a raised platform near the back of the main level that occupied about a quarter of the interior space. Connecting the main floor with the upper platform was a short flight of steps and a ramp in the shape of a backwards letter “L”.
Just to the right of the entrance on the east side of the library, materials in Farsi, French, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, and Romanian caught my eye. In response to a shift in local demographics, a couple of notices advised that the Russian collection had been moved to Fairview Library, as had the Tamil collection (which could also be accessed at Maryvale branch).
As I rounded the northeast corner of the main floor, I came upon agreeable window seats along the north wall. They were plush, gently purple, and low to the ground. On my 2012 visit, I noticed that the purple covering had morphed into dark grey with a pattern of abstract loonies and toonies.
A matching window bench, though upholstered in green in 2012 and aqua in 2015, was in the teen section on the raised upper level. Young patrons who were reading in a sprawl on the floor and lounging in their socks on green cushions gave the library a homey atmosphere. I liked how nobody was shooing them in the direction of more conventional surfaces like tables and chairs.
After relating to the furnishings on the upper level, I took the ramp back down to the main floor, which gave me the opportunity to check out an elaborate mural by G. Eversole (1997) that stretched across a third of the north wall and most of the west wall. The centrepiece of the work was a large tree trunk from which grew copious foliage spreading in two directions.
The more I looked into the leaves, the more entities I discovered: a green monster claw grabbing a purple book, the yellow hat of Curious George’s guardian, mangoes, a sign that warned of napping Grues, a second descending monster with pink toe-talons, and a Famous Tails collection that included thin tails, fat tails, and striped tails in assorted colours.
The last set of window seats of the day were flush against the south wall in the children’s section. A huge white bear, taller than many of the aspiring readers in his jurisdiction, hosted a number of other stuffed animals on his person. Three bunnies — Bugs Bunny, a generic rabbit in calico, and one in a camouflage jumpsuit — rested on the bear’s lap while a turtle and small bear occupied his right leg. A large Curious George doll sat to the big bear’s left and rested a friendly monkey paw on his shoulder. A copy of Knut the Baby Polar Bear was propped on the bench just below George’s paw.
Between 2009 and 2012, something chaotic happened to the stuffed animal collective. In 2009, the group was composed and dignified, but the disorderly scene in the following photo suggests a surprising behavioural change.
Did these animals attend a wild rumpus the previous night? Even the sweet small duck looked as if it was having a rough morning-after experience.
Taking a final glance at Brookbanks Library, I noticed a fuzzy piranha in green and blue near my left foot. Although its many teeth were made of felt and my shoes were close-toed, I decided it was time to catch an express bus on York Mills Road without delay.
Thank you, Brookbanks Library, for your gorgeous trees, colourful mural, and plentiful window-seats!