Scarborough Civic Centre Gets a Library
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Scarborough Civic Centre Gets a Library

After years of planning, the Toronto Public Library's 100th branch opens on May 20.

By • Photos by Jamie Bradburn

Many things strike you at once when you approach the new Scarborough Civic Centre library branch: the angles and curves designed to complement those on the surrounding 1970s civic buildings, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama; the extensive use of Quebec spruce for the beams; the scent of freshly baked cookies drifting in from the Mondelez factory to the northwest.

The finishing touches are still being applied as the Toronto Public Library’s 100th branch prepares for its public opening Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. The building continues a tradition of library service in Scarborough stretching back to the dawn of the 19th century, when pioneers David and Mary Thomson loaned fellow settlers volumes from their private library.

While Moriyama and local officials envisioned a library branch as part of the Scarborough Civic Centre from the site’s construction during the 1970s, no funding was provided. A master plan developed by pre-amalgamation Scarborough in the early 1990s included a new central library, but it wasn’t until 2009 that city councillors approved the current site at 156 Borough Drive. At the time, library planning guidelines indicated that all residents should be within 1.6 kilometres of a library branch, but the closest to the civic centre, Bendale, was nearly 4 kilometres away. Public consultations were held throughout the first half of 2010, and construction began in April 2013.

As designed by LGA Architectural Partners, the branch is filled with natural light. Sightlines allow users to see both across the library and outside to the park across the road. A series of roof planes create a series of swooping layers supporting a green roof. Future exterior landscaping will include a reading garden under a grove of trees to the east and an open civic space to the west.

The TPL’s third Digital Innovation Hub is housed at the library, offering access to programs and 3D printing equipment similar to the labs offered at Fort York branch and the Toronto Reference Library. Future expansion of the digital technology program includes hubs at Agincourt and Fairview branches, as well the development of pop-up hubs elsewhere in the system.

For children, the KidsStop Early Literacy Centre offers a series of interactive activities housed within three towers decorated with pennies and local dried herbs.

Anne Bailey, the director of branch libraries for the TPL, feels that having 100 branches in the system is a wonderful achievement. “It speaks to Toronto as a city of neighbourhoods,” she notes, “and it speaks to Toronto as a city of readers who are interested in learning, in being engaged in the community, in moving into the 21st century.”

Don’t expect branch number 101 to appear anytime soon, though, as the TPL is focusing on maintaining its existing infrastructure and developing digital services. Moving branches is one option to improve facilities—St. Lawrence is slated to relocate to the first Parliament site and grow into a district branch, while plans are being developed with the Parks, Forestry & Recreation and Children’s Services to create a joint-use facility near Bessarion station to replace the Bayview branch.

Step into the gallery to tour the new library.

Photos by Jamie Bradburn/Torontoist.

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