We welcome your stories!

Many of you have taken the time to share with us your own stories of how Toronto's Library has benefitted your life or how important supporting the Library is to you.

We will be sharing and featuring your own stories on a regular basis.

Why I Love and Support My Library

This past spring, we invited our supporters to share why they loved and supported their Library.   We were regaled with stories of how much our supporters valued Toronto's Library.  The winning submission was prized with a signed (and donated) copy of Dr. Vincent Lam's latest novel,  The Headmaster's Wager. Here's what the winning entrant, Christine Giraldi had to share:

I love the library!  Every time I get an email notification that a hold is waiting for pickup, I get a thrill throughout my body. By means of the library I have evolved into an entirely new creature. A magnificent expression of the Universe. The books have exposed me to new concepts of thinking and being. I have been transported to different regions of the planet through documentaries, foreign films and books. I am so lucky to live in a city with a library within walking distance from any residence that is available to all, regardless of status, income, religion and race. I can search items online and have them delivered to my home branch - how cool is that?! I have gained an education worthy of a PhD through the resources of the library. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Toronto's Library is

Leading up to the eighth annual Book Lover’s Ball, held on February 7th, 2013 at the Fairmont Royal York, we asked library lovers, like you, to share stories about why Toronto Public Library is awesome.
The stories came flying in, and we loved hearing from you! We received 131 enthusiastic entries revealing how Torontonians felt about Toronto’s Library.

For four weeks leading up to the ball, we selected weekly winners (an impossible task because there were so many incredible stories to choose from), who received signed copies of Neil Pasricha’s The Book of Awesome. Neil Pasricha was our final judge, selecting our grand prize winner. Check out some of the winning entries below:
 

Grand Prize Winner: Steven Solarz

Steven Solarz was selected by Neil Pasricha as the winner of our “awesome” contest. He won two tickets to the Book Lover’s Ball and one-night accommodation at the Fairmont Royal York.

“My very first wallet held one card, my library card. And while I missed an 'e' in my name as I signed it with crayon, I was able to claim the library as mine. From Clifford to the Hardy Boys, from fashion to the history of JFK, I had access to stories on paper that came alive as I read them. My library fostered my creativity, my understanding of community, and my passion for learning. My Toronto Public Library grew up with me. My life is a story waiting to happen and so too is my Toronto Public Library.”

 

 

 Weekly Winners:

Lily Rhodes:
Once upon a time there was a little girl whose parents were WWII refugees fleeing war-torn Europe and found themselves in Canada's largest city, Toronto. Like many refugees they had little money, but knew that Education was the route to a better life in Canada...and to learn English the only free way was to read. So, each Saturday they took her to the Toronto library, where the world of information and entertainment awaited them; there they learned to read and then speak English and there they met and made many friends with other new Canadians who likewise understood the value of reading. The library was their entry into their new home and country and to a life of opportunity as it freely opened its resources to all the people. The Toronto Public library is AWESOME because it is a haven which has touched Torontonians is this, but one of a myriad of ways. Thank you the people of Toronto for supporting your library; I am that little girl.

Allegra Young:
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) has been AWESOME since I graced the doors of the Locke Library in 1990. Bookmark contests? Awesome. Summer Reading Challenges? Awesome. Author readings and children's activities? AWESOME! Saturday mornings were luxuriously spent running my finger along the spines of books as I imagined my next great adventure. Paging through dog-eared copies of favourite books, curious who else has shared the lives of the heroes and heroines I considered my friends. As an adult, I know my respect for authors, love of reading and understanding of the importance of literacy all started with the TPL.

Matthew Cuthbert:
I grew up by the Shaw/Davenport branch; long before the hip young parents and coffee shops embraced the northbound wastes of Dupont and above. Amongst old factories and empty spaces, I would wander through the alleyways to find a tiny little library that would feel like a respite from train tracks and growing pains. Awesome in how still I found myself, sheltered in quiet and page upon page. I learned more about myself in a summer week spent buried in print than a decade of watching my concept of home and community splinter and grow.

Mireille Messier:
It's a hot day in Toronto (which happens often) and money is tighter than the bark on a tree (which, unfortunately, also happens often). The kids are uttering their usual lethargic summer mantra: "We're bored." It's the perfect day for a trip to our neighbourhood library! Off we go for a refreshing dip into the pool of worlds that books have to offer. We split up, each of us finding a spot to explore on our own - graphic novels, French poetry, puppies. Time flies and our book bag soon fill with treasures that will keep us dreaming for the weeks. AWESOME!
 

Share your own story

If you have a special story to share with us or our website visitors about your experience with the Toronto Public Library , please send to us at:

 

Toronto Public Library Foundation
789 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4W 2G8

Phone: 416-393-7123
Fax: 416-397-5999
Email:
foundation@torontopubliclibrary.ca

Your Library. Vital to You. Vital to Support

Whether introducing books and the joy of reading to children, providing Adult Literacy programs, or inspiring youth to become engaged in its programs, Toronto’s Library opens doors to the knowledge and opportunities that can positively change lives forever.

Here are a few stories from Torontonians whose lives have been enriched by the collections, programs and services at Toronto’s Library. Their stories are featured in the Foundation’s city-wide promotional campaign this fall.


Give today so that we can help Toronto’s Library write even more success stories.

©2008 Toronto Public Library Foundation Charitable Number: 886554476RR0001
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