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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Somewhat Overlooked Guildwood (1974)

Guildwood Library bides in a strip mall, inhabiting a storefront that faces the main strip. Establishments across from the library include Sunny’s Bar and Restaurant and a dry cleaning facility that recycles metal hangers.

While homey, Guildwood is not noted for style, flair, or a dynamic colour scheme. However, during my second visit I noticed furniture improvements, especially the armchairs beside the storefront windows. I liked how the sunlight filtered through their wicker backs.

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I also admired the homemade Christmas ornaments that I saw in 2011. Children had decorated paper cutouts of hot chocolate mugs, toques, snowflakes, skates, and snowmen, which were then strung from the ceiling in the Children’s Area.

Although the heap of fabric gift bags arranged on a shelf with an orangutan was festive, the only detail that puzzled me was the Santa figure’s remarkable lack of jolliness. Despite the regulation suit, he seemed far too young and stern to play the part of old Saint Nick.

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With an undeniably grouchy expression, he looked more like a 19th century Prussian soldier than the embodiment of Yuletide cheer. I also found the hands encased in pantyhose off-putting.

Dwelling no further on Santa’s shortcomings, let me return to the many positive aspects of Guildwood branch. Testifying to its status as an essential neighbourhood resource, the library was fully occupied during my two visits, and the service users were from a mix of generations and backgrounds.

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In addition to its success at attracting patrons, Guildwood features two notable romance titles: Warm and Willing and Criminally Handsome. While it may be a stretch to describe Guildwood as handsome, it is certainly a welcome source of community warmth in an otherwise bland strip mall.

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Neoclassical Library Adventure at Queen and Saulter (1980)

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On my first sojourn to Queen and Saulter Library, I walked right past it after I disembarked from the streetcar on Queen East. Doubling back, I looked up at a massive Neoclassical building in light brown, marvelling at its bulk and scale. Standing on the sidewalk in an overt display of gawk, I read an inscription about the history of 765 Queen Street East.

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Designed by E. J. Lennox, the building was completed in 1913. Huge stone columns testified to its seriousness of purpose, which befitted an edifice that served as Postal Station G from 1913 to 1975. In 1980, Queen and Saulter Library became the new occupant of this substantial and venerable structure.

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Heavy wooden doors that opened to reveal a second entrance confirmed the impression of gravity, as did the marble floor and check-out counter. However, the high windows brought dramatic life to the interior, offsetting the more subdued colours of the exterior and entryway.

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To further soften the formality, pots of plants populated the broad windowsills, a glass case displayed cat figurines, and a belled toy dragon inhabited a ledge.

Small tapestries illustrating nursery rhymes and fairy tales warmed the south wall of the library, including one in which a wolf lurked in a fabric valley, his eyes focused on the top of a hill where a little pig was holding his ground in an arc of cloth.

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On more recent visits to the library, I noticed that the tapestries had been taken down. Nevertheless, the welcoming character of Queen and Saulter remained as striking as ever, making me thankful that this old building still stands tall and serves the community as it has for over a century.

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Exhibit Information for Catherine’s TPL Pilgrimage

Catherine’s Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage:

Photos of 100 Branches

July-August  2015

at North York Central Library, Toronto

Second Floor, West Side of Atrium

North York Central Library

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Bendale Library’s Staircase
City Hall Hen and Carpet
City Hall Hen and Carpet

Artist Statement:

I began visiting and blogging about each branch in the TPL network in 2007 and taught myself digital photography along the journey. The 100 photos in this exhibit celebrate the beauty, diversity, and spirit of community service that I discovered on a pilgrimage through an extraordinary library system. (If you’d like to hear more about the origins of the project, please check out this short radio interview with CBC’s Matt Galloway).

Taylor Memorial's Stained Glass Window
Taylor Memorial’s Stained Glass Window
Flowers Behind the Bookcase at Perth/Dupont
Flowers Behind the Bookcase at Perth/Dupont

Artist Biography:

Since 2007, I have been developing a diverse portfolio of collage, mixed-media, encaustic, textile, and photographic work. In 2011, I exhibited “Maps of Loss: Rivers, Ruins, and Grief” at Richview Library, which was followed by “Mosaic Dream Waves” at Runnymede branch in 2013. Last August, the Tate Gallery in London, England selected my collage “Jenny’s Purple Tuftscape” to be part of a Collage and Texture digital display.

Sparkly Wall Panel at Kennedy/Eglinton
Sparkly Wall Panel at Kennedy/Eglinton

I love teaching collage workshops at libraries, studios, and at Centennial College. I have also enjoyed enriching my art practice through weekend and evening classes at OCAD (encaustic) and the Toronto School of Art (drawing and collage).

Photographer's Shadow at Don Mills
Photographer’s Shadow at Don Mills

Your attendance at this exhibit would be cause for dancing delight!

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Centennial Library (1966): A Jewel Among the Pylons

2012

Tall pylons and chimney stacks near Bathurst and Finch provided the backdrop to Centennial Library, which stood in front of the Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Centre, a recreational facility.

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Beside the library’s entrance was a leggy sculpture by Ron Baird that I studied before entering a large square room with a central dividing wall that partly bisected the room.

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Windows comprised the majority of the library’s south-facing wall, and plenty of reading chairs invited patrons to take advantage of this open and well-illuminated space.

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On the first Saturday that I visited Centennial, every possible reading perch was occupied by patrons concentrating on their thoughts, goals, and lessons.

Books in French, Hebrew, Russian, Korean, Tagalog, and English offered opportunities for mental enrichment and self-improvement. And for those in search of lighter reading, the Romance section had Desert Ice Daddy and The Cowboy Wants a Baby.

The Children’s Area was on the west side of the central dividing wall and boasted a colourful spring scene made from paper. A long tree branch stretched across part of the west wall and presented its cherry blossoms to the viewer. A paper plate drenched in yellow served as the sun, and the cherry branch arched over a large mushroom that in turn sheltered a yellow bird under its eave.

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I enjoyed Centennial’s unpretentious cheeriness, and it struck me as a down-to-earth branch that provides helpful services to patrons who live in the surrounding high rise apartments. For example, on my second visit, I noticed more than a dozen clients had lined up before opening time on a Saturday to take advantage of free MAP passes. By ten past nine, the passes for Ontario Science Centre and Royal Ontario Museum had been snatched up.

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Even though I didn’t try for museum pass on that visit, I was grateful for the books and CD’s that Centennial Library lent me. Tucking the materials in a bag, I returned to the parking lot in the shadow of a mystically-looming Hydro pylon. And that was the end of my 73rd library visit!

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Spadina Library (1977) Inspires

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When I called on Spadina Library in 2011 with my camera, it was fortunate that the branch was uncrowded, for I was able to gaze at dream catchers, artwork, and the extensive Native Peoples Collection without annoying patrons who might have needed to navigate around me.

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As a viewer taking her time to look around carefully, I appreciated the diversity of the First Nations, Inuit and nature-themed objects that rested on shelves and hung suspended in the air.

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For example, two hand puppets with fur-lined parkas stood a shelf away from a miniature canoe woven from plant fibres. A flamingo marionette hung next to a striking assortment of dream catchers that kept aerial company with a flying wooden duck.

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Closer to the ground, librarians had created a path to the Children’s Collection by laying down animal tracks on circles of blue, green, and yellow paper. The book-loving animals that had imprinted their paws and hooves on the carpet included bears, raccoons, and deer.

Animal themes also animated the collection of Eleanor Kanasawe’s artwork on the walls. Placed overhead at well-spaced intervals were striking portraits of owls, spirit fish, turtles, baby robins, a bear reaching for a bee hive, a frog catching flies, a red-winged blackbird, a squirrel, a cricket, a raccoon, and a porcupine. I loved the way each piece embodied stand-alone integrity while simultaneously remaining part of an integrated whole.

Artwork by Eleanor Kanasawe
Artwork by Eleanor Kanasawe

Moving down the walls from art to books, the Native People’s Collection included novels and non-fiction material about culture, art, religion, history, and languages (plus DVD’s and videos on these subjects). The reference shelves displayed dictionaries in Cree, Micmac, Mohawk, Anishinaabe, Métis Cree, and Chippewa.

Although Spadina Library’s multilingual collection was small, it did contain language kits for most of the languages listed above, as well as Tlingit, Cherokee, Persian, French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, and Hungarian. Crouching on the floor to study the kits, the plastic boxes seemed hopeful, holding the promise of travel and communicative adventure.

Inspired by the possibilities of new words and new perspectives, I closed my notebook and made tracks to Spadina subway station.

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Quiet Happiness at Annette Street Library (1909)

2012

On a spring day in 2009, I went in search of my 74th Toronto Public Library.  After taking the subway to Keele station, I walked north along Keele Street until I discovered Annette Street. Then I turned left and quickly spotted the solid classical form of Annette Street Library, which opened more than a century ago.

Situated beside a Masonic Temple and across from a church, Annette Street branch shared Edwardian sensibility with Yorkville Library. The year of Annette Street Library’s construction, 1908, was etched in stone above a grand entrance flanked by ramps. Two solid Corinthian columns framed the door, adding drama to the act of ascending the stone steps into the building. As I approached the entrance, I slowed my gait to match the dignity of the temple-like edifice.

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Initially descending into the basement level, I came upon an office devoted to the West Junction Historical Society and its archives. The office was closed, but I was able to peer into a darkened room that was waiting for the next day’s scholars to arrive. This lower level also contained two community rooms concealed behind massive wooden doors with wide frames.

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Retracing my steps to the lobby, I climbed a short curving staircase to the main level, enjoying the heightened suspense afforded by a slight delay in accessing the library proper.

At the top of the steps, the check-out desk appeared directly in front of me. Pausing to get my visual bearings, I looked up and was captivated by the high ceilings with cornices decorated with carved ferns. I also loved the luxurious mouldings and hanging lamps with glass globes.

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An Edison Home Phonograph rested in the gap between the wall behind the checkout area and shelves of children’s books behind it. Moving closer to study the historical object, I wondered how such a thin tube could support the giant unfurled cornucopia of a speaker.

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To the left of the checkout station (and behind it) was the Children’s wing. Filled with a wide variety of books, DVD’s, French materials, and music, this section of the library was all about informative fun. For example, next to a collection of CD-Roms (including one on dinosaurs) sat a stuffed purple Barney.

On a narrow ledge far above Barney’s head, two train sets faced off in opposing directions. The trains were a fitting tribute to Annette Street’s location in West Toronto Junction, which was an important stop for the Canadian Pacific Railway. For more Canadian content, I also enjoyed reading a poster in the non-fiction section that described trees found in Ontario’s Forest Regions: White Birch, Trembling Aspen, Sugar Maple, Sassafras, Tulip Tree, and Eastern White Pine.

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Before I explored the remainder of the building, I paused at a table to get a better sense of the atmosphere. It was fairly quiet on the Wednesday afternoon of my 2009 visit. Most of the windows were open on that glorious May day, making Annette Street Library the perfect oasis to celebrate the end of a long winter.

Eggshell-white walls complemented the pearly natural light which filled the interior, and all was calm, clean, open, and airy. The only element the scene lacked was a gentlewoman playing the pianoforte in an Empire gown while her listeners reclined in states of polite repose.

Imaginary pianofortes notwithstanding, the library also focused on practical matters. When I got up to investigate the west wing, I noticed a special display of books for job-seekers. (Margaret Penman’s A Century of Service: Toronto Public Library 1883-1983 noted that the Toronto libraries performed a similar function in the 1930’s, providing a haven for the unemployed and books on topics such as crafts, welding, sales and agriculture (p. 43)). In an equally helpful manner, Annette Street offered a solid English as a Second Language section and a large collection of French books.

The west wing also housed a Local History section, which contained titles such as Mayors of Toronto and Not a One Horse Town. Supporting the historical theme, portraits of the first five mayors of West Toronto Junction (in office from 1889 to 1898) presided high on a wall near the check-out desk, a quintet of purposeful-looking gentlemen in sober attire. And a nearby plaque commemorated the fact that Annette Street branch (formerly Western Branch) was built with funding from Andrew Carnegie and the Public Library Board of the City of West Toronto.

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Of Annette Street Library’s many charms, one last feature was a pleasing study area that dipped about two feet below the main floor. I found this carpeted depression to be a great spot to take in a view of Annette Street. Although chairs were available, one relaxed patron was sitting on the floor beside the window studying the newspaper. I felt content to linger for several minutes while a quiet happiness filled the sunny room.

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Window-box Bliss at Sanderson Library (1968)

2012

I first visited Sanderson Library seven years ago after spending a few hours at Urban Affairs (the hapless branch that closed in 2011). I then walked from Sanderson to College/Shaw, bringing the day’s total library visits to three. In 2012 and 2015, I returned to take pictures of Sanderson.

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Nestled in a busy community centre complex with a pool, outreach facilities, immigrant services, and a greenhouse, this branch felt much more alive than Urban Affairs. At Sanderson, a jug of water in the lobby, the sound of a fussy baby crying, and the presence of a puppet theatre all contributed to a tableau of warm community engagement.

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2012

As I wandered through the adult section — extensive with split-level floor, stairs, and a ramp — I admired the large Vietnamese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish collections. Canadian Literature had an impressive showing, as did the ESL and Literacy section.

My favourite Sandersonian feature was its provision of eight window-box seats upholstered with grey carpet. The one I chose to inhabit had a view of the community garden; from my window I saw tall weeds, a greenhouse decorated with children’s drawings, and white butterflies. The seat captured a glorious patch of sunlight, and I luxuriated there in my stockinged feet for over twenty minutes. Easily made happy, reading in window seats is one of my top ten blissful activities.

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The scene outside Sanderson Library near the corner of Dundas West and Bathurst was less blissful, however. Two tired unhoused men were sleeping away the steamy afternoon under a tree in the courtyard beside a wide expanse of library windows. Just over their heads was a sign yelling READ in big red letters. Separating the two sleepers was an abstract concrete shape, part bench, part sculpture. And on the sidewalk nearby were some murals of mythical creatures painted by an artist called Victor.

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In city with many creative strengths as well as challenges, I’m grateful for libraries like Sanderson that provide a place for all Torontonians to dream in the sun with a book for a spell.

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Return of the Library Pilgrim: Mount Pleasant Library (1992)

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Eight years ago, I paid my first visit to Mount Pleasant branch, a cozy venue tucked between a row of shops on the street that shares its name.

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Very tall shelves — both free-standing and attached to the walls — claim the majority of the space. A wide aisle in the main room allows patrons to settle on mottled blue-and-purple chairs to read the latest magazines and newspapers.

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The most unique feature of the Mount Pleasant branch is a wedge-shaped window seat in the Children’s Section that provides a carpeted perch for readers to observe the sidewalk scene.

On my first trip, a very large stuffed bear had established himself in the secure corner where the southeast wall met the window. When I stopped in to take some pictures in 2015 for an upcoming exhibit, an elephant had usurped the bear.

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In 2016, a collective painting animated the nook’s walls with an endearing collection of images. I especially liked the Arctic hare, the butterfly, and some abstract clouds.

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After admiring the artwork, I left the snug storefront library in a state of quiet contentment. And just a few blocks north, a French bakery awaited!

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Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

College/Shaw Library (1984) Among the Roses of Little Italy

2012

Seven summers ago, I enjoyed a self-conducted walking tour of Urban Affairs, Sanderson, and College/Shaw libraries. In 2012 (and later in 2015), I returned to Biblioteca College/Shaw to take some pictures.

The walls of this small branch made an impression on me because they were the colour of key lime pie muted by Cool Whip. I also liked the way the green carpet combined white and green in a vine-leaf pattern. A potted tree accentuated the nature theme, and an aquarium, old sofa, and wicker chairs added to the cozy feel of the place. (Tree, aquarium, and wicker furniture were absent in 2012).

As I took in the entire room, it was inspiring to see how busy it was on a weekday afternoon. Every table had readers bent over their work, and each computer hosted an absorbed user in front of its screen.

Next, I wandered over to the Chinese and Portuguese collections, both residing in a contemplative corner near a circular window overlooking Shaw Street.

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In the southwest corner was the Children’s Section, which included a low window bench with a red leather cover. The window above the seat was plastered with a paper-plate craft display.

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On the 2012 visit, fanciful stickers had replaced the paper plates. The dragon sticker was especially interesting. Why was the dragon licking a bicycle hitching post?

Oblivious to the hungry dragon, two calm teddy bears surveyed the active reading scene from the top of a nearby shelf. They added an additional domestic dimension to a home-like branch that celebrates children’s art.

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On my third visit in 2015, I was struck by the functional beauty of the returns chute, appreciating its role as a transitional conduit between inside and outside, borrowed and returned, potentially over-due and safe from censure.

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After auditioning various library books for the role of Traveler on a Homecoming Journey, I rested at the long computer table by the windows facing College Street. With the word “Revival” in front of my eyes, I felt fortunate indeed to abide among the trees, roses, and bicycles of Little Italy at College/Shaw Library.

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Remaining Toronto Public Library Branches to Photograph!

My library blog project started in 2007, and over the past seven years it has taught me many new skills. One of the most important ones has been digital photography. When I look at some of my earliest posts, their lack of pictures or not-so-great pictures show me how far I have come.

To fully do justice to all 99 libraries, I would like to photograph three branches that have been undergoing renovations (Mount Dennis, Bridlewood, and the Toronto Reference Library) and twenty-two others that need better pictures. These branches include Rexdale, Woodview Park, Victoria Village, Oakwood Village, Swansea Memorial, Humberwood, Black Creek, Weston, Bloor/Gladstone, Northern Elms, Amesbury Park, Gerrard/Ashdale, Albion, Humber Summit, Davenport, Jane/Dundas, Perth/Dupont, Brentwood, Thorncliffe, Locke, Pape/Danforth, and Albert Campbell. Finally, I need to visit the newest TPL branch, Fort York Library.

It will be satisfying to wrap up this project despite how much I will miss it!

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Guest Post on the TPL Website!

Recently, I was asked to contribute a guest post on the topic of delivering excellent library service. The post can be found here on the TPL website devoted to their Strategic Plan.

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches TPL Talks and Programs

Live From My Blog Talk at Taylor Memorial Library

I’ve reached the point in my library blog talk where I have invited the audience to create a post with me. A few minutes ago, there was mention of refreshments, so I’m also thinking about the possibility of tea and Dad’s oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. My audience is eligible for these refreshments because they love libraries and came out to hear the talk.

Here are some of their impressions and memories of the Toronto Public Library:

“I’ve been coming here with my young children for thirteen years. We love sitting by the fireplace and reading, especially in the winter. It’s very cozy. My daughter is sitting out there by the fireplace right now.” (Dawn)

“I’ve been coming since the original structure was still in use. I remember the Taylor House. On the far side, there was a round conservatory. That’s where they had the mystery books and the stained glass window at the top of the stairs. When the new building was built, they installed the original stained glass window. This branch is a memorial branch and will revert back to the Taylor family if the library doesn’t have enough funds to sustain it.”  (Heather)

“If it wasn’t for my great-grandfather, I’d never be a librarian. He lived across the street from Locke Library. He never had a chance to get an education, so the library was very important to him. When I was nine, he said to me, “You like books. You should be a librarian.” (Andrew, Librarian-at-Large)

“My grandson Cy and I visited 90 TPL libraries so far. His favourite is S. Walter Stewart. I like it because there are 10 A. Y. Jackson oil paintings there. I like libraries for different reasons. I love the panels at Dufferin/St. Clair that they uncovered. I’m also fond of Beaches. I worked there for 19 years. One of the squares on the community quilt there is mine.” (Darlene)

“It was my first job and my only job.” (Despina)

“The garden (at Taylor Memorial) was a joint effort between Maureen and me (Sally). We met at the afternoon book club. She designed the garden. The library bought some shrubs, but most of the plants were donated. It’s nice because we have a patio. Lots of people sit out on the patio with their laptops and books, enjoying the fresh air. We have tea and books there in the summer. Sometimes the authors join us as well.” (Sally)

“The Thursday evening book club is one of the longest running book clubs in Toronto. It’s been running since 1991. This club has read approximately 200 books. Heather was one of the original members.” (Heather and Despina)

It has been a true pleasure to gather these stories from my attentive and knowledgeable audience. I asked if I should add “good-looking” to the description, and Sally said, “Why not? This isn’t television!”

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches TPL Talks and Programs

Library Blog Talk This Thursday at Taylor Memorial Library!

I’m tickled pink to be part of this April’s Keep Toronto Reading Festival. My contribution to the literary celebration will be an illustrated talk about the very blog you are reading now, Breakfast in Scarborough.

The presentation will describe my pilgrimage to all 98 Toronto Public Library branches and what I saw and experienced along the way. I’ll provide some background information about the origins of the blog, present selected pictures, and then create an interactive post with the audience on the spot.

My hope for this talk is that it will encourage TPL library patrons to venture beyond their home branches and discover the beautiful diversity that the entire system has to offer.

On a more personal level, I also aspire to be an example of what can happen when you ignore the inner critic who says things like, “Get a life, nerd! Nobody will read this obscure blog!” If I had listened to that voice, I would never have had the pleasure of proving it wrong.

Breakfast in Scarborough has now enjoyed over 17,000 views, and I have been interviewed by The Toronto Star and appeared on Matt Galloway’s CBC Metro Morning radio program. Hooray for nerdy projects! May they prosper all over the land!

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches TPL Talks and Programs

Frescoes, Carpets, and Languid Ladies Found at Book Ends South!

Yesterday I found these three treasures at Book Ends South, the second-hand bookstore at the Toronto Reference Library. The volunteers who took my seven dollars teased me about having expensive taste because two of the books I chose were three dollars instead of one!

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

One-of-a-Kind Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy at Lillian H. Smith Library

The Merril Collection sprang to life in 1970 when Judith Merril, a writer and activist, donated all of her science fiction books and magazines to the Toronto Public Library. Formerly called the Spaced Out Library (1970-1991), the Merril Collection now holds more than 73,000 items and “is the foremost North American public assemblage of Speculative, SF and Fantasy Fiction” (Sol Rising, January 2011, p. 16).

Judith Merril (1923-1997)

After I climbed the stairs to the third floor of Lillian H. Smith Library to visit the Merril Collection, I admired the way the shape of the room hugged the curve of the library’s central atrium.

A few minutes later, I was warmly greeted by Lorna Toolis, Head of the Collection. I’m very grateful to Ms. Toolis, who took me under her knowledgeable wing as she walked me through row upon row of reference stacks that are home to an astonishing diversity of materials.

To accommodate such a robust archive, the library installed compact shelves which can be manually moved closer together so that aisles between rows of shelving disappear at will. At one point during my visit, another librarian called out a warning that she was about to turn one of the silver wheels to move a shelving unit. (Providentially, no Collection Heads or library bloggers were squashed in this potential Temple of Biblio-Doom).

Standing clear of the moving shelves, Lorna revealed the open secrets of an amazing collection. Her enthusiasm was contagious as she explained that she’d loved science fiction ever since grade 3, when she discovered a stack of books in her grandmother’s attic. A personal collector of science fiction since age fourteen, Lorna’s justifiable pride in the Merril’s scholarly legacy was tangible.

I felt privileged to tour this special place. Along the way, I saw critical works on Batman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, graphic novels, fanzines, anthologies, comic collections, rare magazines, games, artwork in map drawers, and material about UFO’s. There was even a shelf devoted to alien linguistics, a phrase I’d never heard before.

Little Nemo in Slumberland by Windsor McCay

One aspect of what made visiting the Merril stacks so special was the presence of so many fragile materials that might have disintegrated long ago if it weren’t for the constant temperature of 21 degrees and protective book covers that have prolonged their shelf-life. Lorna explained that most early science fiction books and magazines were printed on cheap paper and designed to be enjoyed and discarded.

Part of the ephemeral world of popular culture in the first half of the 20th century, science fiction publishing wasn’t about leather-bound volumes, gilt pages, and other establishment frills. It didn’t put on literary airs or flounce about the canon with its semi-colons in the air. Instead, science fiction offered sensational art (in both senses of sensational) on the covers and wild times with robots, stolen bodies, flying saucers with eyeballs on the chassis, and an early feminist heroine, the Golden Amazon.

The Central Intelligence by John Russell Fearn (starring the Golden Amazon character) in The Star Complete Novel for Saturday, August 22, 1953

With so much difficult-to-find material, this unique collection is a magnet for international scholars as well as more local researchers, including writers like Margaret Atwood, professors, artists, illustrators, and students from high school or colleges such as OCAD. Lorna told me that there are patrons who come in to the facility just to read a rare copy of a book that would otherwise fall apart if it were in general circulation.

Near the end of the stacks tour, Lorna led me to a cart loaded with treasures protected by white book folders that fastened with circles of velcro. She carefully unwrapped more than a dozen of them and then ferried these selected materials to the public reading area so I could take photographs of them.

I was interested in everything Lorna showed me, but the artwork on the magazines made the biggest impression, especially this rare Amazing Stories edition (Volume 1, #1, April 1926).

The covers of these editions of The Shadow also blew me away. When Lorna asked me which ones I wanted to photograph, I felt compelled to reply, “All of them!”

As I was introduced to titles like Flying Saucer Rock and Roll and Dictatorship of the Dove, I gained a new appreciation for the unbridled creativity displayed by the genres of the Merril Collection.

In addition, I loved how the Merril’s 19th century material enriched my understanding of literary history. For example, May Agnes Fleming’s The Baronet’s Bride “is retained as an example of early gothic melodrama, without fantasy elements, to assist researchers in the development of gothic fiction. . . . It was serialized in Saturday Night, beginning on 3 October 1868 and ran for thirteen weeks before being published in book form as The Baronet’s Bride or A Woman’s Vengeance” (e-mail from Lorna Toolis, 11/17/11).

Vampire researchers also have plenty of material in the Merril Collection to animate them, including the first serialized vampire story in North America (1875) and a first edition of Dracula (1897) in its plasma-curdling yellow cover.

Moving on to 20th century materials, I was charmed by this Armed Services edition copy of H. P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror, specially designed to fit in a soldier’s knapsack and provide mental escape from the real-life horrors unfolding around him.

Finally, bringing images of horror, speculation, and fantasy to our doors in the 21st century, reading materials such as Sci Fi and Realms of Fantasy (among many others) are available in the reading area.

Near the end of my tour, I signed the most imaginative guest book I’ve ever seen, which was hand-crafted by Toronto artist Robert Wu and donated by The Friends of the Merril Collection.

For me, Wu’s art represents the lunar mystery of imagination, something which the Merril Collection celebrates and preserves. Previously, I had not been partial to most science fiction, speculation and fantasy, but this persuasive collection changed my mind!

Categories
General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

The Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books: Scholarly Treasure on Lillian H. Smith’s Fourth Floor

In 1949, an enthusiastic British librarian named Edgar Osborne gave the Toronto Public Library 2,000 British children’s books from his personal collection. Sixty-two years later, The Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books has grown from 2,000 items to over 80,000! Two additional collections, Lillian H. Smith and Canadiana, have augmented Osborne’s initial gift, adding extraordinary depth and breadth to the entire holding.

Inspired by a 1934 visit to the Boys and Girls House, Osborne and his wife Mabel were “deeply impressed by the work and reputation of Lillian H. Smith,” the Children’s Librarian responsible for “the first library exclusively devoted to children in the British Empire” (A Century of Service: Toronto Public Library 1883-1983, pages 59 and 30).

Edgar Osborne (1890-1978)

Nowadays, The Osborne Collection is used and appreciated by writers, illustrators, book historians, social historians, archivists, bloggers, teachers, librarians, graduate students, secondary school students, and younger children. In addition, tourists from as far away as Scotland and Japan have visited the Collection.

J. K. Rowling’s flowing scrawl appears in the archive’s visitor book above a lively sketch of a tall witch hat. The signature of the Empress Michiko is also in the book: three elegant characters written vertically in the exact centre of the page. However, you do not have to be the creator of Harry Potter’s empire or an actual empress to enjoy the Osborne Collection. “Mr. Osborne could have easily given his collection to a university, but he chose to make it accessible the public,” said Dr. Leslie McGrath, who serves as the Head of the Osborne Collection.

Dr. McGrath asked me what I’d like to see when I visited the fourth floor last Friday afternoon, joining the ranks of thousands of ordinary Torontonians who have benefited from Osborne’s generosity and foresight. Responding to interest in volumes I’d loved as a child, Leslie unfurled two golden velvet cloths and set the table with original editions of Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden among others.

Providing a unique material link to the past, the Osborne Collection made it possible for me to hold the same volume of Anne of Green Gables that unknown readers had held in their hands four generations ago.

It was thrilling to see these volumes surface from previous centuries and rest on a table in the Collection’s research room, and the treasures in Leslie’s cart kept pouring out. They included original letters from L.M. Montgomery to Anne’s fans, a 600-year-old volume of Aesop’s fables (its animal-skin pages still crackling), a tiny Bible and Koran, a woodcut for creating book illustrations, a Mesopotamian cuneiform clay tablet, and 18th and early 19th Century hornbooks. The latter consisted of framed squares of text “laminated” with a slice of sheep’s horn, and they served as hand-held tools for learning the alphabet, phonics, and important prayers. One of the hornbooks in the Osborne Collection had a small cross in the upper left-hand corner, a reminder to cross one’s self before the act of reading (like saying grace before a meal or proclaiming Bismallah — in the name of God).

The Pop-Up Secret Garden

Paper Doll of Colin

Leslie also showed me an 1840 board game called Paths of Life. Created by one J. H. Cotterell, the edifying game takes players on a Pilgrim’s Progress-like journey through life’s moral ups and downs. The illustrated map of the Path shows that it’s a steep fall from Manly Hill to Contrition Vale (but not as challenging as scaling Mount Recovery from the Bottomless Pit).

Depending on which number a player receives after twirling a dreidel-like game piece, he or she can visit Careless County (of Trouble District) or rest beside a Cheering Spring in Discreet County. For me, the Sites of Unrighteousness were the most entertaining: Cursing Corner, Revel Gully, Shame Pitch, Horror Bog, Indulgent Slope, Don’t Care Gap, Remorse Hedge, and No Friend Shed.

Enchanted by the literary riches that Leslie carted to the study area, I was also delighted by the exhibit “Peter Pan, Pirates, Mermaids and Fairies” in the reception room. Filling the many display cases were penny dreadfuls, Victorian and Edwardian book covers, pop-up books, antique trading cards, and gorgeous illustrations from olden and modern times. There was even a knitted mermaid and a ship in a bottle!

To ensure that this priceless archive has enough funding to continue inspiring scholars of the future, The Friends of the Osborne and Lillian H. Smith Collections raises money by selling items such as these cards that depict An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland and Edwardian bookshelves.

In an increasingly digital world in which text is consumed from screens, it imperative to nourish the vision of two extraordinary twentieth-century librarians: Lillian H. Smith and Edgar Osborne. We can do this by joining the Friends of the Osborne and Lillian H. Smith Collections or just dropping by the fourth floor for a visit!

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General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Soul of a City Under Threat

Yesterday I signed an on-line protest against a municipal proposal that might close some library branches and introduce elements of privatization. I am passionately opposed to these cost-cutting measures, for they would impoverish our city’s ability to uplift and educate all Torontonians regardless of age, language, or income. Our ninety-nine branches are a richly diverse expression of a city’s soul, providing a nexus of human connection in an increasingly fragmented and disconnected world.

City Hall Library’s Children’s Nook

A newcomer to Canada since 2002, I have spent the last four years blogging about all 99 branches in the Toronto Public Library system. As a seasoned library pilgrim, the notion of a Toronto Private Library makes me shudder because privatization would desecrate the democratic ideals upon which the free library was established in 1883: “the free public library’s purpose was to help in the cause of education among all classes of the population” (Margaret Penman’s A Century of Service: Toronto Public Library 1883-1983, page 6).

Stairs to Upper Level, Agincourt Library

I do not want 128 years of progressive history to be demolished on a political whim. After all, libraries do not ride gravy trains. They do not travel to swanky conferences in Hawaii or linger over lunches at the top of the CN Tower. And the tabloids seldom show pictures of library branches embroiled in sex scandals.

On the contrary, libraries are where patrons study for the TOEFL test, join a knitting circle, daydream from a window seat, create a crazy quilt, fill a shopping bag full of picture books for their children, and relax with a newspaper in their first language.

Historic Main Street Library’s Attic

Barbara Frum Library

Crazy Quilt at Jones Library

If we commercialize one of the last truly public institutions in the city, where will we turn for community solace? We cannot afford to lose ground, for we have already lost so much to a culture of greed and intrusive advertising. Libraries are too special, too important to betray their founding principles without a fight. It is time to speak out against proposals that strike at the heart of our city’s soul. Sign the petition, call the mayor, and help us protect our libraries.

Port Union Library

April Quan’s Woolen Castle at Deer Park LibraryMural at Morningside Library

Categories
General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Back to Blogging!

I’m looking forward to a return to blogging now that the holiday rush is over! I’m planning to visit Port Union and Guildwood branches soon. And Bridlewood’s new location should be available for visiting in a few weeks. Yay!

Categories
General Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

Poignant Story Behind Main Street’s Sesquicentennial Quilt

Here’s a true story that gave me goosebumps. It features a community-made quilt in a library, a random question, family bereavement, and serendipity.

About six weeks ago, I visited Main Street Library and was entranced by a large quilted tapestry hanging on the east wall of the attic. Created in 1984 to celebrate 150 years since the founding of Toronto, the Sesquicentennial Quilt warmed the space with its well-crafted charm. At the bottom of the piece, I noticed the name Hilary Rowland written in thread. I assumed that she had designed the art project, which featured 35 individual blocks in rows of five.

Curiosity about the quilt led to a Google search for Hilary Rowland. No on-line information was forthcoming, so I called Main Street branch to see if the staff had any recollection of her. The person who answered the call couldn’t help me, but she promised to leave a message for Susan Truong, the branch head.

Later that day, Ms. Truong called me at home with the news that none of her colleagues could remember anything about Ms. Rowland. After all, it had been twenty-six years since the quilt was completed.

A few more weeks passed, and then I received another communication from Ms. Truong. Her e-mail stated that she had received a call from Hilary Rowland’s daughter, Susan Plummer, entirely by coincidence. Susan had called Main Street branch to see if the librarians were interested in Sesquicentennial Quilt postcards and posters that she had unearthed while sorting through her late mother’s effects. When Ms. Truong mentioned my query about the quilt’s creator, Susan was touched that someone had shown interest in her mother’s work. She gave the branch head her phone number and said she would be glad to talk to me about the quilt.

When I spoke to Ms. Plummer a few days later, she confided that she had only recently been able to face opening the box containing the Sesquicentennial Quilt’s promotional materials (or any other boxes). Tragically, Susan lost her mother in May and her father in July of this year.

Sharing personal stories with stranger at a time of grief takes courage and emotional generosity. When the memories came tumbling out, it felt like being present with Susan as she opened the box.

Back in 1984, Hilary Rowland was the coordinator for the Beaches Sesquicentennial Committee for Ward 9. As part of her duties, she recruited approximately 90 volunteers to sew a commemorative tapestry that depicted Beaches images. Each panel was a visual answer to the question, “What do you think of when you think of The Beaches?”

Hilary selected 25 different background fabrics for the quilt, but she left each block’s artistic interpretation up to the person working on it. Hilary must have been a persuasive woman because she managed to convince Beaches residents with variable sewing skills to contribute to the project. Abilities ranged from complete non-sewers to fancy quilters who could pull off reverse appliqués (as seen on the Fire Station #17 block below).

Susan’s mom even got her whole family to join in the quilt’s co-creation. Her husband made the train station panel, and the green diamond represented his perspective as a child looking through the fence at the station. (He had grown up in the Beaches, and so had his future wife, minus the first six years of her life spent in England).

One of Susan’s sisters sewed the lifeguard panel, and the other one made a cloth rendition of Main Street Library.

Susan herself, who was 19 at the time, created the seagull square. Her grandparents were responsible for the Woodbine Racetrack block. And Hilary did the Fox Theatre segment in addition to the design and coordination work for the entire project.

Once all 35 blocks were finished, Susan’s mom experimented with different arrangements before deciding on the final composition. Like a collage artist, she spread all the squares on the floor and studied the colours and themes. She ended up choosing a navy blue border to pull the entire piece together.

Then the quilt was put on a frame in the living room of a woman named Carol Wilkie. The rest of the work was completed by hand on the frame. Carol would leave her door unlocked, and volunteers arrived in shifts. “They’d come in, have tea and cookies, and quilt for an hour,” recalled Susan. (I love the concept of “Come on in and quilt!”).

Susan’s pride in her mother, who had “taken a quilting class and got excited,” was apparent in her voice. She also fondly remembered the community spirit that animated the Sesquicentennial project. Out of the 90 volunteers, she personally knew the ones who had worked on 20 of the 35 blocks.

I’m grateful to Susan Plummer for narrating the origin story of a one-of-a-kind quilt that both enriches Main Street Library and serves as a priceless legacy to Hilary Rowland’s memory, her family, and the Beaches community.

On a personal note, connecting with Torontonians like Susan Plummer and April Quan (the creator of the Deer Park Woolen Castle) has been an unexpected benefit of writing a library blog. If I hadn’t blogged about the Woolen Castle or Main Street’s Sesquicentennial Quilt, I would never have learned that April fashioned the castle from a secondhand wool coat or that Susan discovered historical treasure in a box that was painful to open.

Categories
Toronto Public Library Pilgrimage of 100 Branches

A Day Out with the Toronto Public Library: Ward’s Island Bookmobile Stop

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 essential library services to the resident islanders.

photo by Stewart Russell, 2010

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, 2010

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, 2010

At 10:30 on the dot, two patrons climbed aboard the Bookmobile, and by 10:35 approximately eight people were inside, their bicycles leaning against the front and side of the bus. Other bikes were strewn at random on the grass, prompting me to ponder how liberating it must be to hop on a bike and fetch your books without having to worry about traffic, subway steps, or bike locks!

Photo by Stewart Russell, 2010

When I stepped up into the mobile library around 11:00, I noticed how different the vehicle 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 from the dashboard, and the view from the back window was leafy and harbour-scenic. (Perhaps it’s not fair to compare the two bookmobile sites because it’s hard for a crepuscular parking lot to compete with a restful island site).

The Bookmobile wasn’t overly crowded, which made for a congenial environment. For example, there wasn’t the 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 relish bookmobile visits because they provide 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 up all the books that had passed the interest test, 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!” Indeed, Ward’s Island residents of all ages seemed happy to see him drive up and spend a few hours dispensing a wealth of printed information, entertainment, and good cheer.

Photo by Stewart Russell, 2010

For the second time in as many days, I descended the Bookmobile steps and emerged into the outside air. I located Stewart, who had been taking pictures of the exterior of the bus, and he suggested lunch at the Rectory Café. Very little persuasion was required, 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!