Parkdale library offers more than books

Parkdale library offers more than books. Brothers Nathan and Nicolas Fan listen to a story read by staff at Parkdale Library in March of this year followed by singing and dancing with other children and parents of the local community. File photo/GREG VACCHER

An elderly Polish man reads a paper in his native language while a Tibetan man in a monk's robe works on a computer. A group of giggling girls wearing hijabs spill over a magazine while a man with a thick Jamaican accent asks one of the librarians a question.

Located on Queen Street West in the heart of Parkdale, this library is seen by many as a community hub.

Beyond books, it offers games, story times and monthly movie nights. The library also houses the Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection, Newcomer Information Services, The Parkdale Community Information Centre (PCIC) and Parkdale-High Park city councillor Gord Perks's community office.

Established in 1881, this library is one of the oldest in Toronto's system. In 2010 it had a circulation of more than 360,000 and is seen as a well used resource in the west end community.

But in light of talk at the municipal level about cuts to libraries, some people with a history and affection for this branch say they believe Parkdale stands as an example of all the good a library can do in a community.

"It is more than a place with shelves and books and computers," said Rita Cox, who worked at the Parkdale Library for 24 years before retiring. "It is a place of community. People relate to their local library."

KPMG's budget considerations for the Toronto Public Library included sharing administrative services with the city; consolidating Toronto Archives with TPL; closing some branches; reducing or eliminating some educational and outreach programs; and reducing the hours and days of operation at some branches.

Upon hearing about possible cuts Cox said she was devastated. The library, she said, is a crucial part of any neighbourhood and that is especially true in Parkdale.

"I know the value of libraries in my life, the life of my family and in the lives of the thousands and thousands of children and adults that I have worked with through the years."

Cox has seen people come in as children and now years later bringing their own children to the library.

"Because they got the library habit," Cox, now living in Swansea, said. "And the library became a place of joy for them, a place where they were introduced to literature and of fun and the joys of reading."

Apart from reading, the Parkdale Library is a place for people to come to access all manner of information.

"It serves so many purposes that you could not even imagine," Cox said. "Children and people who could not speak English learned English by coming to the library. People who could not read and write came to the library to participate in literacy programs."

In a community flush with new immigrants, Cox said this library served, and still serves today, as a receiving area for new Canadians.

"Before they could be patrons of our reading materials or literature and so on they had to settle their lives," Cox said. "They had to have somewhere to live, they had to find daycare, they had to have transportation and they had to find jobs."

To that end Cox started PCIC, a not-for-profit organization which helps people access community and government resources and services, enabling them to live more independently, and encouraging them to participate more fully in community life.

"I have seen at every age group, from pre-schoolers to the elderly, there is something for every body and every aspect of our lives," Cox said. "I call my library the People Place."

Kalsang Dolma currently works at PCIC. She said that between all of the services offered at the library by PCIC and the library settlement program, a new immigrant can pretty well access all of the information they may need.

"People can get settlement services and find out about language programs," she said. "Immigrants need to fill out a lot of forms and we have all the forms."

She said there is almost always a line up at PCIC of people looking to access client services. She herself came to the library when she emigrated from India.

Parkdale-High Park MP Peggy Nash explained she also sees the Parkdale Branch, and libraries around Toronto, as a community hub and something that needs to be protected.

"The library system is part of the glue that holds this city together," Nash said. "It is an anchor in the Parkdale community, so we have to resist the notion that it is not a good use of our tax dollars."

Nash said she believes the services provided by the library are essential and hopes people who aren't familiar with it will take the time to see all that it has to offer.

"It is an event location, it is a place where people can come to meet and find out about tenant issues or immigration issues," Nash said. "We have had citizenship programs ... It's a place where people can take their kids and hear stories and become part of the community."