Expansion of library hours is great policy

Facilities are a free source of entertainment or a place for users of all ages to unwind

Unless you’re in a rush to read Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” (there are currently 1,914 holds on the book), the Toronto Public Library has something for everyone.

During a time of severe sticker shock, it is a sticker free sanctuary: a free source of entertainment, a free place to unwind, a free place to job hunt online, and if you don’t mind letting your kid wreak havoc in the DVD section, a free source of child care. (It’s even free when you break the rules; the library permanently removed late fees last year).

My local branch in Southwest Scarborough was and remains a Godsend. When my now two-year-old daughter was born at the height of the pandemic, I thought my fate was sealed: that for the next five years I’d be reading the same 20 picture books I owned on repeat — eight of them didactic board books about social justice gifted to us by well meaning friends (a note to heterosexuals buying gifts for queer couples expecting a baby: the gays — and their offspring — enjoy “Goodnight Moon” just like you do).

But then I had an epiphany that changed my life forever: I remembered that the public library existed and within its realm the ability to put practically any book I could ever want to read on hold for pickup at my local branch.

As such, our house is now home to a never-ending rotation of dozens of library picture books on all manner of subjects from thunderstorms to matzoh-eatingmice. And the library itself is a second home to my daughter when it’s raining or when we have an hour to kill before dinnertime. Aside from garbage collection, and transit, the public library is the city service my family relies on most in our daily lives.

All of which is to say, I’m thrilled that at least two of the mayoral candidates in Toronto’s June byelection have announced plans to increase services at city libraries.

If he wins, Toronto mayoral candidate Josh Matlow has promised to “increase access to the Toronto Public Library and its vital services by opening all 100 branches on Sundays.

The same goes for candidate Mitzie Hunter, who has vouched to extend library service on Sundays and enhance library programs for youth.

Currently, only some libraries operate on Sundays for a handful of hours in the afternoon. This is a travesty. As anyone who has visited a Toronto library can tell you, it isn’t just a place to sign out books. It’s an internet café for seniors, a story circle for toddlers, a study space for teens, an English language school for newcomers, and a venue for community programming all wrapped into one. According to the library itself, in 2021, nearly 1.2 million people were registered cardholders, and 10 million holds were placed at all 100 branches and on the website.

Data collected prior to last year’s municipal election revealed that cost of living and inflation was a top-of-mind issue for Toronto voters.

Even with those hyped up strong mayor powers, Toronto’s new mayor will not be able to lower the price of lettuce or single-handedly solve the housing crisis. But he or she should be able to improve the services we rely on almost everyday. Surely increased funding to a free service would be a huge benefit to Torontonians — those with kids in particular — struggling financially right now. Amid endless talks about the root causes of crime, surely increased funding to an already wellestablished community safety net would be a wise move.

My hope is that every mayoral candidate makes a pledge to increase library funding and access (at the very least they should donate a couple copies of Prince Harry’s “Spare” to their local branch).

My fear, however, is that in their quest to pursue shiny new things (a new science centre at Ontario Place for example) candidates will fail to improve on the vital services we already have.

As anyone who has visited a Toronto library can tell you, it isn’t just a place to sign out books. It’s an internet café for seniors, a story circle for toddlers, a study space for teens, an English language school for newcomers, and a venue for community programming all wrapped into one