Below is my report for the April 2025 Toronto Public Library (TPL) Board meeting. This report covers items that are not part of the Board agenda package.
Spaces
Agincourt branch takes part in City’s Love Local Campaign
The City of Toronto is taking action to support and protect local businesses and manufacturers while helping to strengthen Canada’s economic resilience through its Love Local campaign. This citywide call to action encourages Torontonians to support locally owned businesses.
Toronto Public Library is proud to participate in this exciting initiative by featuring temporary Love Local LED signs adjacent to selected library branches. These eye-catching light installations aim to inspire Torontonians to shop local and support their communities. So far, a Love Local sign has been installed outside of Agincourt branch. Library customers and community members have already begun snapping photos at the Agincourt sign and sharing them with friends and family on social media.
TPL branches featured in new civic architecture book
Andrew Frontini of Perkins and Will Architects has a recently published book, Episodes in Public Architecture, which features 11 projects, two of which are TPL branches: Albion and Dawes Road. The book explores various elements of the design process, industry trends and the importance of civic architecture to community and cultural expression in the public realm. Albion and Dawes Road branches are used as shining examples of great public architecture.
Collections
Special Collections inform current moment, drawing one million views
In the past month, we’ve continued to surface items preserved in our Special Collections that speak to the current trade crisis. These rarities offer unique historical context and engagement opportunities.
On social media, we showcased a Toronto petition against US annexation in 1849, a blog post of maple leaf artifacts for the 60th anniversary of the Canadian flag and a “Shop Canadian” bag from a provincial campaign from the 1960s. Plus, we launched a photoshop challenge for Torontonians to remix our Canadian wartime posters to speak to the “buy Canadian” movement.
This content alone generated over one million views, engaging both library users and non-users alike. This Canadian history is resonating, with overwhelmingly positive customer comments such as: “our public libraries are such a wonderful gift” and “Toronto Public Libraries continue to be the best.”
Wish you Were Here! TD Gallery Exhibition at TRL
Postcards are not just popular among collectors; we suspect you might just have one or two on your fridge at home! Our staff took a look through our more than 26,500 postcards in TPL Special Collections and pulled out some favourites. The collection focuses mainly on Toronto,, but also includes cards from across Canada, and some are made of unusual materials.
CTV News visited the exhibition and interviewed Alicia Cherayil, Curator, Special Collections. The CTV news clip ‘A new exhibition at the Toronto Reference Library is skipping the books’ was broadcast a few times on TV March 3 and March 4.
The exhibition runs February 15 to May 25. There are free guided tours for the public every Tuesday at 3:00pm and no registration is required.
Staff expertise
TPL staff kick off the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan
From February to March, TPL hosted a series of staff launch events at branch locations across the city and virtually to introduce our new 2025-2029 Strategic Plan to staff. This plan, shaped by extensive research and consultations with both staff and the public over the past year, marks an exciting new chapter for TPL. The launch events provided a chance to celebrate the successes of our 2020-2024 Strategic Plan and to focus on how we’ll work together to bring the new Plan to life.
More than 360 staff members attended the events, taking part in interactive activities and meaningful conversations with their colleagues. These events sparked excitement about the new Plan and helped set the stage for the work ahead.
This launch is just the beginning. Throughout the year, staff will have more opportunities to get involved, as we work together to shape TPL’s future. A public rollout of the new Strategic Plan will begin in May.
Programs
Mayor highlights TPL’s Newcomer Entrepreneurship Initiative
Toronto Public Library’s Newcomer Entrepreneurship Initiative took center stage at Albert Campbell during a special media event with Mayor Olivia Chow. The Mayor’s sit-down with program participants was both inspirational and moving, as participants shared firsthand how TPL’s entrepreneur and small business programming has shaped their journeys after arriving in Canada. One standout moment came when Kartik, a program participant, was invited by the mayor to speak during the presser and directly expressed the library program’s impact on his entrepreneurial journey in Canada.
With over 250 attendees in 2025 so far and 50+ programs scheduled across the city throughout the beginning of the year, this initiative has started to provide critical support for newcomer entrepreneurs. It reinforces the vital role libraries play in fostering newcomer and entrepreneurial success.
The Newcomer Entrepreneurship Initiative is generously supported by:
Lead donor: Scotiabank and supporting donors, Google and Holdbest Foundation.
Timothy Snyder discusses freedom
On Friday, April 4, TPL hosted a sold-out event featuring historian, professor and author Timothy Snyder in conversation with CBC Ideas journalist Nahlah Ayed at the Toronto Reference Library's Appel Salon. The event drew more than 500 attendees in the Salon, with additional viewers watching the live stream downstairs. This event was part of TPL’s On Civil Society series.
The discussion centred on re-conceptualizing freedom—moving beyond simply defining it as the absence of negative constraints to understanding it as encompassing positive elements that enhance our lives. Snyder explored how true freedom includes not just what we're free from, but also what we're free to do and become.
March Break programs for children
Last month, Children Services staff across the system designed and offered special workshops and events for children to keep them engaged, entertained and connected over March Break (March 10-16).
During the week, families and children had an opportunity to participate in a variety of free, in-person programs and activities offered every day, across all TPL branches. This included presenter-led magic and puppet shows, staff-led coding and creative art workshops, in person and virtual French-language programs, and more!
In addition, TPL offered an on-demand program featuring the musical stylings of Wilderness Betty, that could be viewed by children on tpl.ca/kids throughout the week. Children also had a chance to explore new online activities, such as solving digital puzzles of 2025 Design a Bookmark Contest winning designs and word scrambles of book titles. TPL Kids received 14,248 visits throughout the week, providing a portal to interactive, always available content, including jokes, riddles, polls and trivia. Kids and families could also discover other featured on-demand resources, from Dial-a-Story to streaming movies and TV shows from our electronic collections.
March Break programs at TPL bring communities together, encourage continued learning and literacy skills development amongst children, and engage families in various library services, supporting the development of lifelong library users.
Author Ian Williams kicks off new Innovation Council Book Club
On March 31, award-winning author Ian Williams spoke at the launch of the Library’s new Innovation Council Book Club at Toronto Reference Library. In a wide-ranging conversation with TPL Innovation Council member Zahra Ebrahim, Williams explored the impacts of technology on the way we talk – and listen – to each other. Their conversation was followed by thoughtful, heartfelt small group discussions of Williams’ book, What I Mean to Say: Remaking Conversation in Our Time, facilitated by library staff and Innovation Council members.
Ebrahim will continue to lead the Innovation Council Book Club in discussing works about the intersections of technology and social connection. The next meeting will take place online on July 22.
Black Mental Health Week panel discussion
On March 6, 2025, Toronto Public Library along with the City of Toronto's Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit (CABR) and TAIBU Community Health Centre hosted a panel discussion at North York Central Library, Joy, Healing and Resistance for the Next Decade. Attendees learned about Black Mental Health & the Contemporary Legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Panelists Dr. Akwatu Khenti, Mia Benight, and Dr. Camisha Sibblis emphasized the importance of Black Joy, music and storytelling as part of resistance to trauma and pain. The event was moderated by David Lewis-Peart and the night ended on a perfect note with a spoken word presentation by Youth Poet Laureate Shahaddah Jack. Black Mental Health Week in March is an opportunity to bring awareness to the effects of anti-Black racism on the mental health and wellbeing of Black communities and individuals. The Library also collaborated with CABR to produce a reading list to support those in discovery and healing.
Urban forest programs and local tree tours with NatureTO
In 2024, TPL partnered with City of Toronto's Environment, Climate & Forestry team to offer NatureTO Urban Forest presentations and local Trees Around the Branch tours as part of TPL's Our Fragile Planet program series. The presentation was offered 19 times with 36 tours offered throughout the city. Over 917 Torontonians got to learn about the trees in their neighbourhood and their overall importance to our city's health. We thank the City of Toronto for visiting 30 library branches last year and look forward to hosting more NatureTO programs this year as part of our environmental efforts and World Environment Day on June 5 as Toronto will be the North American host city.
The Salon spring season off to a successful start
The spring season of TPL's Salon Series is off to a wonderful start with sold-out events at our Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at Toronto Reference Library and the Concourse Event Space at North York Central Library. The Salon Series presents Canadian and international authors, artists and thinkers for an exciting range of literary and cultural events.
During March, cookbook author and TikTok sensation Coinneach MacLeod (aka the Hebridean Baker) shared an evening of storytelling and lively conversation, while cultural critic and bestselling author Scaachi Koul talked about her poignant and bitterly funny new memoir in essays, "Sucker Punch." Kelsey McKinney, author and host of the massively popular Normal Gossip podcast, joined us for a delightful exploration of our obsession with gossip, and Samantha Harvey discussed her 2024 Booker Prize-winning novel, "Orbital," an eloquent meditation on space and life on our planet.
Customers can explore upcoming events and reserve free tickets on Eventbrite. In-person Salon Series recordings are available on-demand our YouTube channel.
Specialized Services
Library Settlement Partnerships celebrates renewed funding
I am pleased to share that Library Settlement Partnerships (LSP) has received renewed funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to continue support and coordination of LSP at 15 branches. The new Grant Agreement is in place from April 2025 to March 2028.
This successful application by TPL and local settlement agencies will result in LSP service at two new branches: Dawes Road (following branch reconstruction) and Victoria Village.
LSP celebrated its 17th anniversary last year and has been helping newcomers with their settlement needs in collaboration with local settlement agencies since 2007. LSP served over 31,000 newcomers in 2024.
Other TPL Initiatives
Biblio Bash raises over $1 million for TPL
The Toronto Public Library Foundation made history, raising $1,070,100 in support of TPL. Co-presented by Fitzrovia and CIBC, Biblio Bash hosted 425 guests and 37 of Canada’s notable authors for a sold-out black tie gala. Together, library lovers, business leaders, philanthropists and city builders raised funds for programs and partnerships that support teen social health and mental wellness. Each dinner table welcomed a notable guest author, including John Irving, Emma Knight, Karl Subban, Zalika Reid-Benta, Carley Fortune, David A. Robertson, Scaachi Koul, and Ian Williams.
The evening’s host, Elamin Abdelmahmoud, spoke about the significance of libraries in the lives of young people and their importance to community building. City Librarian Vickery Bowles took a bow for her decades of service and underscored the invaluable contribution of the TPL Foundation in supporting critical library programs. Visit Bibliobash.ca for more information and to view photos from the event.