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August 14, 2006
Toronto Public Library and Me
01:09 PM
I have really neglected this blog for the past week— so hopefully, you guys didn’t miss my long-winded entries about nothing.
I’m currently on lunch here in the North York Central Library and I am here to announce that, because of my previous and partly inaccurate entry regarding the need for better regional planning, I am a happy owner of a Toronto Public Library card.
It’s so exciting that I have 99 branches of books in the palm of my hand! Say goodbye to Chapters!
Did you know that according to Wikipedia, the Toronto Public Library and the second busiest, by number of visits, in the world? We only trail after the Hong Kong Public Library. Whether or not this is because of the sheer size of the library system, it’s quite exciting to actually know that Torontonians are reading and using the most out of out our public resources.
If you’ve ever stepped into a public library in the GTA recently, you will find that there is really something for everyone— not just a place for little toddlers to scream and attempt to read storybooks. There are your usual books you find at Chapters, there are multilingual books for newcomers, there are video resources for the non-avid readers, there are references books for the academically minded, there are archives for the inner historian. All in all, I really commend library systems, such as Toronto, who have to strike a balance between the increasingly disperse range of interests of citizens. I’m always curious as to how money is allocated to specific groups, like Chinese books, for example? It seems to be that it could be quite a controversial task.
Anyways, because I love the TPL so much, I thought I might make a contribution by donating some of my old books that are accumulating dust. I asked the library attendant about this, and unfortunately, they do not accept old used books— they only take new titles. She wasn’t able to provide me an explanation. Too bad— I’m sure there might be a logical explanation though— your comments are encouraged about that matter.
That’s it for now. For your curiousity, I borrowed a fiction title called Londonstani by Gautam Malkani.
Toronto Public Library -[tpl.toronto.on.ca]
Toronto Public Library - [wikipedia.org]
Filed under Toronto Life, published In Toronto
3 Comments
August 14, 2006 05:55 PM
I later asked another attendant-- after not fully believing the first-- and received a different response.
TPL does take book donations, provided that they are in good condition and that the title is a "good fit" for teh branch. Otherwise, the books are put for sale, and the proceeds are used for the purchase of books for the library.
August 18, 2006 09:58 PM
Oh I heart the TPL. My office is right across from the Lillian H. Smith branch which has lots of Chinese books (so close to Chinatown so makes sense) and children's books.
The only minor problem is that if something is really popular, you have to wait a really long time on the waiting list to borrow it.
The reference library at Yonge/Bloor is super! I could wander around there for ages... Hmm, does that make me a huge nerd? :S
p.s. they are pretty strict about only serving the toronto population. my driver's license has my mississauga address, so i had to bring stuff to prove that i also live in toronto. otherwise membership is around $100/year.
August 19, 2006 08:38 PM
Matt,
Having worked at the London Public Library I can assure you that most library systems welcome donations; however, there needs to be a limit as people are more than happy to come waltzing in with three boxes dug unceremoniously out of their basements the afternoon before moving day. Thus, most libraries receive volumes and volumes of books that are either outdated, highly inappropriate, or just plain useless. (I once came across a donation that was a children's book still referring to "Negroes running happily along the bank to meet the ship." GOOD GOD NO.)
On the other hand, I'm glad that you are enthusiastic about going to the library when school is not in session. Gosh. If I could drag myself to the library when exams aren't on I congratulate myself and... leave to go and take a coffee break. *sigh*.
- RK.