Aurora Public Library (Ontario)

Aurora Public Library
Interior of the Aurora Public Library
Map
43°59′49″N 79°28′00″W / 43.99694°N 79.46667°W / 43.99694; -79.46667
Location15145 Yonge Street
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
L4G 1M1
Established1855
Collection
SizeOver 150,000
Access and use
Circulation550,000
Population servedLocal population of Aurora, Ontario
Other information
DirectorBruce Gorman
Websiteaurorapl.ca

The Aurora Public Library is located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. The library has a collection of more than 150,000 items and has over 31,000 registered users.

Timeline of history

  • 1820s: A free library was organized by local Quakers.[1]: 122 
  • 1855: Aurora Association for the Diffusion of Helpful Knowledge formed, later called the Aurora Mechanics Institute and Library Association. The association provided weekly lectures and concerts rather than lending books.
  • 1863: The library had a collection of 500 books and was open for two hours each Friday.
  • 1868: The association built The Mechanics Hallis built at the southeast corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets. It was used for lectures and concerts but also as a library reading room.
  • 1895: A Public Library Association was formed with a Board of Management appointed by the Town Council.
  • 1920: The library assets were absorbed into a Municipal Public Library under the Free Public Libraries Act and the library moved to the Town Hall on the northeast corner of Yonge and Mosley Streets.
  • 1926: A children's section was added to the library, but children were only allowed on Saturday afternoons.
  • 1945: The library moved to Health Hall, now called Victoria Hall, on the southwest corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets.
  • 1963: The library moved to a new dedicated building of 4,500 square feet (420 m2) at 56 Victoria Street as part of Aurora's centennial.
  • 1967: The collection size was 14,900 and there were 5,236 members.
  • 1979 A 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) extension was finished, designed to serve a population of 20,000.
  • 2001 The library moved to its current location, a 44,375-square-foot (4,122.6 m2) facility on the northeast corner of Yonge and Church Streets.

In 2018, work began on a renovation project to create a multi-purpose room and a creative studio, to update the children's area, to improve lighting, and to create a new seating and new living room-style area.[2]

On 11 April 2020, the library laid off 28 of its 33 employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bloomfield, Elizabeth P.; Bloomfield, Gerald T. (1983). Urban growth and local services: The development of Ontario municipalities to 1981. Department of Geography, University of Guelph. ISBN 0-88955-020-4.
  2. ^ Latchford, Teresa (2 October 2018). "Aurora Public Library undergoing $2.2M reno to become 'community living room'". Aurora Banner. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ^ Queen, Lisa (10 April 2020). "'I feel terrible': Aurora Public Library blames coronavirus for layoffs". Aurora Banner. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
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