Partnerships support youth

Toronto Public Library News & Views October 2009 pg 3

Library/City partnership highlights literary TO Environmentalist Flannery makes Public Library one of two Canadian stops on North American tour Weather Makers author one of many leading writers, thinkers and newsmakers to visit library as part of the Appel Salon’s stellar fall line-up

As she left the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon on Tuesday evening, Rosemary Graydon said, “What a terrific program. In fact, all of the programs this fall look wonderful — I can’t believe we get to see all of these people for free!” Greg Layton concurred. “That’s a great room,” he said, “and a great resource for the library.” Rosemary and Greg were two of nearly 400 people who had come to the Toronto Reference Library’s new Appel Salon to see Australian scientist and environmentalist Tim Flannery interviewed onstage by CBC Radio’s The new Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library was the scene of the Toronto . Flannery and Tremonti Book Awards gala on October 16, when Toronto Mayor David Miller (right) congratulated author spoke for nearly an hour about Flannery’s new Austin Clarke on winning this year’s award. book on global warming, Now or Never: Why We Need to Act Now to Achieve a Sustainable Once again this fall, Toronto Public Wilkins (In The Land of Long Fingernails). Future. Library and City of Toronto teamed up “The livability of a city is enhanced by A lively Q&A followed, and people to support literary culture in the city by the vibrancy of its cultural life,” says City commented afterwards that the discussion helping Torontonians “get a new read on Librarian Jane Pyper. “Cultural activities — which was one of only two Canadian Toronto” through the celebration of the like the Toronto Book Awards help the stops on Flannery’s North American tour — annual Toronto Book Awards. people of the city define themselves.” was “enlightening”, “a wake up call” and “a On October 16, Mayor David Miller This year marks the 35th anniversary glimmer of hope.” announced the winner of the 2009 Toronto of the Toronto Book Awards, which also The interview with Flannery was part Book Award, Austin Clarke for More, at coincides with the City’s 175th anniversary of a full slate of onstage discussions taking the brand new Bram and Bluma Appel celebration. Established by Toronto place throughout the fall. In September, Salon at the Toronto Reference Library. City Council in 1974, the Toronto Book author Douglas Coupland kicked off the Helping with the ceremonies were host Awards honour authors of books of Appel Salon’s inaugural season as he sat Matt Galloway of CBC’s , literary or artistic merit that are evocative down with Globe and Mail columnist Ian and City Librarian Jane Pyper. Also in of Toronto. The annual awards offer Brown to discuss his body of work, from his attendance were the other short-listed $15,000 in prize money, with each finalist groundbreaking Generation X to his latest authors — Anthony De Sa (Barnacle Love), receiving $1,000 and the winning author Generation A. As part of the six-part series, Maggie Helwig (Girls Fall Down), Mark receiving the remaining prize money. The Writer’s Room with Ian Brown, Ian also Osbaldeston (Unbuilt Toronto) and Charles see tim flannery on PAGE 2…

TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY Museums come to the library Tim Flannery ...continued from page 1 Sun Life Financial MAP program expands to bring Saturday family fun to library branches around the city

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL Museum of Canada, one learning to paint like the Group of seven Toronto museums of Seven with the Art Gallery of participating in MAP Family Toronto, to discovering medieval Saturdays. Thanks to an armour and weapons with Casa mapM USEUM + A RTS PASS increased contribution by Loma’s armour expert, these program sponsor, Sun Life programs bring creative cultural On a Saturday afternoon Financial, and the contributions and educational experiences to in early October at S. Walter of MAP venue partners, the our customers, right in their own Stewart branch, two little girls library is now able to not only neighbourhoods. It’s great.” stand by the stage in the activity offer passes to Toronto families Environmentalist Tim Flannery. room, spinning a loose clump of to visit Toronto’s top museums sheep’s wool into yarn. At a table and cultural venues for free, interviewed renowned military nearby, three siblings lean over but this fall the library is also historian Antony Beevor, and will a square of brightly coloured bringing the museums to them! be in conversation with Margaret cloth appliquéd with images of “Our MAP program has been Atwood and others this spring. birds and flowers. “What do you so popular with our customers, Earlier in October, the library think?” asks Susan Fohr. “What so we wanted to find a way to partnered with the Toronto Star is this one made of?” She passes provide even greater access to to hold a forum on the city. around samples of lace, cotton, the cultural experiences that our Called “What Kind of Toronto?”, burlap, and other textiles. The MAP partners offer everyday it featured a blue ribbon panel, kids run the cloth between their in their venues,” explains moderated by Toronto Star fingers, concentrating. Linda Hazzan, Toronto Public columnist Royson James, which Fohr is the Learning Services Library’s Director of Marketing looked at the city we want to Coordinator at the Textile and Communications. “From fashion in the years to come. In November, there will be high profile discussions in the Appel Torontonians show off their moves at the library’s all-night Salon nearly every week: Toronto Star music critic John Terauds all ages dance party during Nuit Blanche will interview soprano Measha Brueggergosman; Toronto Star During this year’s Scotiabank national affairs columnist James Nuit Blanche, dance fever enveloped Travers will interview retired the Toronto Reference Library. More Chief of the Defence Staff Rick than 6,600 people from all walks of life Hillier; and Globe and Mail came out to try out dance moves after editor-in-chief John Stackhouse seeing them demonstrated by experts will interview economist from Toronto’s best dance studios. Jeff Rubin. The ‘Dance Dance Evolution!’ all- “In promoting the Appel Salon, night all-ages dance party kicked off we’ve been asking Torontonians at 7 p.m. on October 3 with the twist, to ‘join the conversation’, and and moved its way through other they have been!” says Manager dance styles, including disco, hip hop, of Program Development Tina Bollywood, capoeira, country and Srebotnjak. “We’re very happy western, salsa, and concluding with that this great new space at the the serene fox trot at 6 a.m. inspired way.” heart of the city is bringing “The library was very excited to take part in Instructors from Arthur Murray Toronto, people together to explore the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche again this year,” says Axe Capoeira Toronto, International School literature, the culture and the City Librarian Jane Pyper. “It’s the one night of Dance, Mandy’s Dance and Vybe Dance issues of the day — from their during the entire year when a library stays Company led crowd-pleasing lessons — perspectives as Torontonians and open all night and hundreds of thousands of while breakdancers outside on Yonge Street as global citizens.” Torontonians join together to celebrate the joy entertained the crowd with sick moves and and magic of the arts in a truly unique and lessons.

2 Toronto Public Library Shelf Life • October 2009 torontopubliclibrary.ca Foundation’s fall campaign kicks off

The Foundation’s Fall fundraising campaign in support We encourage Torontonians to demonstrate your support of the Toronto Public Library has officially launched. The by taking advantage of the convenient ways to make a gift goal: to reconfirm the continued and vital role the library has by telephone, mail, online or in person. played in our lives this past year — with particular focus on For more information on the Foundation or on this year’s the true stories of the many Torontonians whose lives have campaign, or to share your own feedback and stories, please benefited from Toronto’s library. contact the Foundation office at 416-393-7123, or via our Visit your local branch to see posters depicting these true website, tplfoundation.ca. stories and look out for our public service announcements running on Citytv, Omni, YouTube, and on our website, tplfoundation.ca.

Your library. Vital to you. Vital to support. Donate to Toronto Public Library Foundation today. tplfoundation.ca

Partnerships with Toronto schools help the library support youth Library supports educational achievement through two Toronto school board programs

celebrate,” says library youth participating in Newcomer advocate Ken Setterington. “This Orientation Week this year,” program is a great way for the according to library planning and library to meet its strategic goal development manager Elizabeth of collaborating with other city Glass. “We want newcomer teens agencies to support the young to see the library as a welcoming, people of Toronto.” safe place where they can get The TIPPS program has the help they need to succeed in recently been nominated for the school. We also want to acquaint Ministry of Culture’s Service them with the diverse array of Innovation Awards. resources we provide to help them Another program for youth, and their families thrive in their this one for newcomer high new home.” school students, called Newcomer The program is a partnership Orientation Week (NOW), also between schools, Settlement involves fruitful partnership with Workers in Schools, Toronto Toronto schools. Public Library, and peer leaders Funded by Citizenship and who are former newcomers A pair of partnerships between suspended students into library Immigration Canada, NOW aims trained to work with more recent the library and Toronto schools branches to meet with teachers to orient recently arrived high newcomers. The program saw 29 is supporting some of the city’s and social workers to receive one- school students to school and schools visiting 20 branches and most vulnerable youth in their to-one instruction until they are community resources, including more than 1,000 participants in educational achievement, and transitioned back into regular the library. Over a four day 2009, with nearly 400 library cards helping provide a foundation for classes. More than 340 TIPSS period in the week before the issued to newcomer students. their continuing success. students made more than 1,400 beginning of the school year, “It’s an important program,” The Transitional Intervention visits to library branches around newcomer students are given says Ronald Rojas, a CultureLink Program for Suspended Students the city during the 2008/2009 a broad range of information settlement worker. “It gives (TIPSS) is a unique partnership school year. that prepares them for an easier these new kids a chance to make between Toronto Public Library “The success rate is over 90 transition into school and the friends, learn about their new and Toronto Catholic District percent re-integration, so both community. school, and feel more at home in School Board that brings institutions have reason to “We had 21 branches their new city.”

Answerline: 416-393-7131 October 2009 • Shelf Life Toronto Public Library 3 Board Highlights October 2009 Library Events – November 2009

Capital budget approvals THE eh LIST The Appel Salon The Board approved a revised 2010 at the Toronto Reference Weston Branch Ongoing author series Library – 2019 capital submission to reflect showcasing Canada’s best November 21, 789 Yonge Street 2-3 p.m. recently approved infrastructure writers across the city. (one block north of Bloor funding for the Toronto Reference November Authors Street) Museum of Inuit Art Library and an adjustment to the Denise Chong, Egg on Mao; torontopubliclibrary.ca/ Bloor/Gladstone Branch appelsalon City debt target for the York Woods A.F. Moritz, The Sentinel; Terry Black Creek Pioneer Arts Hub project. The Board also O’Reilly and Mike Tennant, The Age of Persuasion; Peter MUSEUM & ARTS PASS Village approved reductions to the second Mansbridge, One on One; FAMILY SATURDAYS Brookbanks Branch five years of the 2010-2019 capital Rex Murphy, Canada and November 28 The library brings the Other Matters of Opinion; 2-3 p.m. budget request in order to meet City museums to you! On Jane Urquhart, Lucy Maud targets. Saturdays in November, Montgomery; Anne Giardini, library branches around INTERNATIONAL YEAR Advice for Italian Boys; Kim the city host family events OF ASTRONOMY AT THE Accessibility for Ontarians with Echlin, The Disappeared; Lily featuring activities and Disabilities Act (AODA) Poritz Miller, In a Pale Blue LIBRARY exhibits from Toronto’s Light; Neil Bissoondath, The Library staff gave a report and museums. Soul of All Great Designs; Galileo’s Legacy presentation on the AODA, (Adult) providing an overview of the Catherine Gildiner, After the Casa Loma Falls. Thursday, November 5 Albert Campbell Branch standards, requirements and 7-8 p.m. Details: impacts of the Act as they relate Colborne Lodge Museum Morningside Branch torontopubliclibrary.ca/ehlist to the library. The Accessibility Runnymede Branch Amazing Astronomy for Ontarians with Disabilities Act the bram & Bluma Appel (AODA) became law in 2005, with Sanderson Branch for Kids Salon at the toronto (Ages 6-12) the standards now coming into reference library November 7 effect. Its purpose is to develop, 2-3 p.m. Saturday, November 21 Measha Brueggergosman 2-3 p.m. implement and enforce standards Sanderson Branch for accessibility in relation to goods, Toronto’s “glam-diva soprano” Bata Shoe Museum talks about opera, cabaret and Barbara Frum Branch services, facilities, accommodation, life after open heart surgery employment, buildings and with Star music critic John Gardiner Museum transportation, and to achieve an Terauds. Parkdale Branch accessible province by 2025. Five Monday, November 9 November 14, 11 a.m.-12 noon accessibility standards have been 7 p.m. developed to date in the following Rick Hillier Colborne Lodge Museum areas: customer service, information The retired Chief of the Branch and communications, built Defense Staff talks about the Textile Museum of Canada environment, employment and changing roles of the Canadian Mount Dennis Branch transportation. With the exception military with Star news November 14 of the transportation standard, columnist James Travers. 2-3 p.m. all will have a direct impact on Thursday, November 19 the library, including a potentially 7 p.m. significant financial impact. The The Bram & Bluma Appel SUN LIFE FINANCIAL library’s commitment to accessible buildings, services and collections at the Toronto Reference Library mapM USEUM + A RTS PASS is well established and we will work with the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario and the City of Toronto to make the library fully accessible according to the new standards.

Shelf Life is published 10 times a year by the The Toronto Public Library Board meets monthly Toronto Public Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler Okeima Lawrence e 9

er 8 at 6 p.m., September through June at Toronto Library Board Councillor Janet Davis Councillor Chin Lee

m Toronto Public Library Board, 789 Yonge Street,

u Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 2G8. Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto. Matthew Church, Chair Ann Decter Councillor Anthony Perruzza mb ol u Marketing & Communications Office: 416-393-7117. Meetings are open to the public. Board Contact: Eman Ahmed, Vice-Chair Tina Edan Councillor Adam Vaughan V n Next Board Meeting: Nancy Marshall 416-393-7215. Councillor Paul Ainslie Kathy Gallagher Ross Kate Wilson November 16, 2009. Website: torontopubliclibrary.ca