Media Advisory: Mayor Tory to celebrate six more library branches now open on Sundays as part of the City's Poverty Reduction Strategy

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2016 /CNW/ - Mayor John Tory will be on-hand at Toronto Public Library's Centennial branch on Sunday to celebrate an important step in improving access to library services. As part of the City's Poverty Reduction Strategy, six more branches will now be open on Sundays from September to June: Bridlewood, Centennial, Fort York, Mount Dennis, Runnymede and Scarborough Civic Centre. Sunday, September 11 will mark the first Sunday that these branches are open, bringing the total number of branches that are open on Sundays to 33.

Where:	Centennial branch
	578 Finch Avenue West
	Closest major intersection: Bathurst Street and Finch Ave. West.
	Located across from Branson Hospital.
When:	Sunday, September 11 at 2:00PM
Who:	Mayor John Tory
	Councillor James Pasternak
	Moe Hosseini-Ara, Director, Branch Operations & Customer Experience,
	Toronto Public Library

"We are choosing to invest in people by bringing library access into neighbourhoods which need it most. By expanding library hours, families with children have a place to visit and learn on the weekends, students who attend school year round will have a place to study and do research, and entrepreneurs and small business owners will have a work space," said Mayor John Tory. "This program, along with several other measures in the Poverty Reduction Strategy from the 2016 budget, will make a difference in people's lives, provide hope and opportunity, and make our city a fairer more inclusive place to live."

Earlier this year, year-round Sunday service began at eight branches: Albion, Cedarbrae, Lillian H. Smith, Malvern, North York Central Library, Northern District, Richview and the Toronto Reference Library. These are the first Toronto Public Library branches to open on Sundays year-round. 

Expanding Sunday service supports the objectives of the City's Poverty Reduction Strategy by giving people access to safe space, technology and information. Year round Sunday service responds to the needs of children and families who remain in Toronto during the summer, the increasing number of students who attend school year round, and the needs of entrepreneurs and small business owners for mobile work space accessible during non-traditional hours.

"We're so pleased that more branches are now open on Sundays in response to customer demand and the Toronto Public Library Board's vision for more open hours. The new Sunday hours we introduced earlier this year are tremendously popular," said Moe Hosseini-Ara, Director, Branch Operations & Customer Experience at Toronto Public Library. "People always tell us they want to visit the library on Sundays, a day when many of us may have a little more down time. Whether people wish to enjoy our spaces to do some work, catch up on reading or take advantage of free wifi or public computers, we look forward to welcoming them."

"Having the Centennial branch open on Sundays allows students, seniors and families the expanded opportunity to take out and return books; to study and read and to enjoy library programs," said Councillor James Pasternak of Ward 10-York Centre. "Toronto is a stronger and more vibrant city because of our extensive library system that provides great opportunities for social advancement, educational attainment and enjoyment through reading.  This is a great addition to existing library services."

The Poverty Reduction Strategy is known as TO Prosperity. Through this 20-year plan, Toronto is addressing issues, creating solutions and driving systemic change in an effort to create a city where everyone has access to good jobs, adequate income, stable housing, affordable transportation, nutritious food and supportive services. Visit http://www.toronto.ca/toprosperity to see how the City is working toward that vision.

Toronto Public Library

Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban public library system. Last year, we had 18 million visits to our branches and 31 million virtual visits. Torontonians borrowed 32 million items in branches and online. To learn more, visit tpl.ca, call Answerline at 416-393-7131 or follow us on Twitter @torontolibrary.

City of Toronto

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms. 

SOURCE Toronto Public Library

Media Contacts: Ana-Maria Critchley, Toronto Public Library, [email protected], 416-985-1225; Keerthana Kamalavasan, Senior Advisor, Communications, Office of the Mayor of Toronto, 647-460-7507