Media Advisory - What's happening to Toronto's Public Library System?

TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - The first-ever City Hall Forum on the Future of Toronto's Public Library will be held in the Council Chamber on Sunday, November 24.

A panel of public service experts will lead a discussion with the audience about reinvesting in the Toronto Public Library after 20 years of budget cuts that have left one of the world's great library systems struggling to serve a growing population that is using the library more than ever.

Children are welcome at the Forum, which will premiere a specially-commissioned animated short film on the Toronto Public Library, narrated by Scotiabank Giller Award Winner Dr. Vincent Lam. The film was done by James Braithwaite and Josh Raskin, Emmy and YouTube/Guggenhein Award winners and 2008 Academy Award nominated Canadian artists for their animated short film on John Lennon, I Met the Walrus.

Other short films will feature well-known Toronto authors talking about the importance of the public library, including Margaret Atwood, Linwood Barclay, Judy Fong Bates and Robert Rotenberg.

The Forum will also feature book giveaways and the "Instant Librarian" photo booth that was a big hit at September's Word on the Street book fair.

Date:	Sunday, November 24, 2013
Time:	2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Venue:	City Hall Council Chamber
Address:	100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Speakers:	Maureen O'Reilly, President of the Toronto Public Library Workers' Union, Alejandra Bravo, CITYNews Contributing political analyst, Trish Hennessy, Ontario Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

SOURCE: Toronto Public Library Workers Union

Maureen O'Reilly, 647-206-7457