Below is the City Librarian’s report for the February 2026 Toronto Public Library (TPL) Board meeting. This report covers items that are not part of the Board agenda package.
Staff expertise
AI Upskilling Wins Minister’s Award for Innovation
On January 29, TPL was honoured to receive the Ontario Minister’s Award for Innovation for our AI Upskilling Initiative, presented by Hon. Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, at the Public Library Awards Gala, held at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference.
The award recognizes successful new approaches that demonstrate a positive impact in a community and are of continued value to public libraries.
Launched in 2025, the AI Upskilling Initiative provides free access to AI tools, training and programming to help community members develop essential skills and promote the safe, informed use of AI technologies.
In 2025, TPL’s AI Upskilling programs were well attended and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, reaching over 1,000 participants through learning circles, over 400 participants through the Innovator in Residence program, nearly 300 participants at the Digital Expo: Bridging the AI Divide, and over 700 participants at the inaugural AI Summit on the future of the economy. More than 400 scholarships were distributed to equity-deserving and Indigenous community members to complete the Google AI Essentials certificate course.
The city-wide initiative runs until December 2026. TPL’s AI Upskilling Initiative is made possible support from Google.org.
2025 City Librarian’s Innovation Challenge
This year’s Innovation Challenge invited proposals supporting the 2025–2029 Strategic Plan’s learning and growth priority. Ten staff teams submitted thoughtful, creative ideas, all carefully reviewed by the Staff Innovation Working Group. The selected proposal—Digital Literacy for Kids by Greg Astill, Daniel Colangelo and Angela Moebs, with mentor Leah Fiore—will explore best practices in children’s instructional design and pilot a program to help school-aged children build essential software skills. The project supports children and caregivers while advancing digital equity for Torontonians.
TPL Staff Raise Over $95,000 for the United Way
TPL’s 2025 staff United Way campaign was a tremendous success, with employees across the system raising more than $95,000 through personal donations and a wide range of fundraising initiatives - from bake sales and silent auctions to taking on the CN Tower Climb. The funds raised will support vital community needs, including housing and homelessness, mental health and food insecurity.
Celebrating Children’s Services Staff
Last December, the Children’s Services Department hosted a celebratory end-of-year event at Toronto Reference Library to acknowledge the incredible contributions of Children’s Services staff across the system, who lend support to TPL’s Children’s Services Committee and numerous working groups.
The afternoon created opportunities for over 40 staff to meet and connect with one another in celebration of their ongoing work to enable essential services and programs for children and families, including programs like After School Clubs, Leading to Reading, Play and Learn STEM workshops, Ready for Reading, School Outreach, and Summer Wonder, as well as core services like Dial-a-Story and Children’s Spaces.
A Cross-Canada Collections Conference
In January, TPL hosted over 80 staff from public libraries across Canada for a day-long meetup focused on collection development. The workshop gave TPL staff the opportunity to share best practices and learn how other libraries handle various challenges related to their collections, including budgets, electronic resources, intellectual freedom and the impact of branch renovations.
The meetup was also a way for staff to stay on top of industry trends and make sure that TPL is delivering relevant collections that meet the needs of Torontonians. Finally, it provided the chance to build a network of collections staff that spans the country, further strengthening the sector’s ability to respond to future changes in collections.
TPL takes centre stage at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference
The annual Ontario Library Association Super Conference took place January 28–30, where almost 400 TPL staff took part in inspiring sessions aligned with this year’s theme, “We Persist.”
TPL’s leadership was visible throughout the program, with staff delivering a dozen high‑impact panels and workshops on topics such as the Ontario Public Library Association’s Psychological Health Survey and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council’s Social Impact Study. In addition to the Minister’s Award for Innovation mentioned above, former City Librarian Vickery Bowles won the Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship.
City Librarian Moe Hosseini-Ara joined other library CEOs for a candid discussion on the sector's most pressing opportunities and challenges, sharing common experiences while exploring what's changing and the future of public library service. The conference closed with City Librarian Moe Hosseini-Ara interviewing Amanda Jones - teacher/librarian and author of "That Librarian" - whose exceptional courage in defending intellectual freedom left a deep impression on those in attendance.
Programs
Library Brings Learning and Warmth to Winter Bash
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, the Ethennonnhawahstihnen’ branch participated in Councillor Shelley Carroll’s Winter Bash by offering a range of family-friendly programs that drew over 100 attendees. During the event, library staff delivered programs, including hands-on craft activities and interactive robotics demonstrations, giving children and families opportunities to learn, create and explore technology. The Bookmobile was stationed outside, where Bookmobile staff distributed promotional library materials, hosted a storytime session and provided a warm, welcoming space for residents to take a break after spending time on the skating rink. Together, the programs and Bookmobile helped make Winter Bash a more engaging and inclusive community event, highlighting the library’s role in supporting learning, creativity and connection during the winter season.
Technology
Advancing Digital Access: New Website and the Toronto Public Library App
On January 19, TPL launched its reimagined website, followed shortly by the release of the new Toronto Public Library mobile app. Together, these platforms advance key strategic priorities by improving access to services, streamlining account management and supporting mobile use. The refreshed website retains core functionality while introducing new tools to help customers manage accounts, explore collections, track program registrations and access support resources. The new app—one of the most requested features by customers and staff—extends these capabilities on mobile devices and includes app-only features such as managing multiple accounts, accessing a digital library card for self-checkout and scanning book ISBNs to check availability at TPL. Customer communications were delivered through the homepage, email and social media, with ongoing feedback informing continuous improvement.
Innovator in Residence Programs Explore Artificial Intelligence and Digital Creativity
From October 1 to December 15, 2025, TPL hosted digital artist Karen Vanderborght as an Innovator in Residence at North York Central Library, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital creativity. Karen delivered 35 free programs including the ethics, history and future of generative creativity, as well as hands-on workshops, one-on-one consultations and a staff training session. More than 400 customers participated in programs or consultations, and shared positive feedback.
This residency is part of TPL’s AI Upskilling Initiative, made possible with support from Google.org. This Spring, Fairview branch will host the next Innovator in Residence, on the topic of AI and music production. Details will be announced in early March.
Collections
Heated Rivalry: Turning a cultural moment into access
A timely promotional push around Heated Rivalry, part of the Game Changers series, demonstrated how the library can successfully tap into a broader cultural conversation to raise awareness and drive use of its collections. By meeting audiences where they already are—online and highly engaged—staff highlighted the library’s relevance in real time and reinforced the ease of accessing popular titles.
The response was immediate and measurable. In the five days following the announcement, audiobook checkouts across the series rose by nearly 70 per cent. Social media content generated close to 80,000 views, with nearly half coming from non-followers, indicating strong reach beyond TPL’s existing audience. Engagement was also high, with thousands of likes and more than 1,400 shares, signalling strong public interest and peer-to-peer amplification.
This momentum extended beyond TPL channels. Coverage by major local and national media outlets further expanded awareness, positioning the library as an active participant in current conversations while showcasing the availability of TPL’s collections.
Overall, the success of the Heated Rivalry promotion illustrates how coordinated, agile promotion can translate awareness into action—connecting new and existing audiences to library materials when the moment of interest is highest.
Specialized services
TPL at Holland Bloorview Information Fair
On January 24, Toronto Public Library staff were thrilled to return for another year of Holland Bloorview’s Recreation, Respite, and Life Skills Fair for children, youth and young adults. This annual event brings together over 50 community organizations that support young people with disabilities and their families. Despite the bitter cold outside, inside the event was buzzing! Families shared how important the public library is in their daily lives. Staff had many insightful conversations about disability, inclusion and accessibility at the library, sharing information about reading formats like audio comics, assistive technologies in branches, inclusive spaces like TPL’s Sensory Room and new initiatives like Sensory Kits in After School Clubs. By far, the most popular refrain staff heard was, “Wow, I didn’t know the library did that!”