You may care about Toronto. You may love to read. You may have been touched by one of our programs or services at a time in your life when you most needed it. Toronto's Library has enriched your life or the life of someone you love and now you want to give back.

Through your gift you will ensure many others will continue to benefit from all that Toronto's Library provides.

Your Stories

Toronto's Library is the busiest urban public library system in the world.

The urgent needs for the Library include: improved and expanded collections, enhanced programs and services, upgraded technology, and revitalized community spaces to respond to the changing needs of the people of Toronto.

Toronto's Library offers resources to every citizen, at every stage of their life. It welcomes newcomers. It promotes equality. And it builds and adds to the fabric of the community. People come here from everywhere. They value Toronto’s openness. They appreciate its vitality. And they use its Library.

Toronto's Library is arguably the most successful, dynamic community builder in Toronto and is already affecting great social change across our city. As an integral part of every community, Toronto Public Library fosters life, learning and culture in Toronto more than any other institution in our city.

Toronto Public Library Foundation was established in 1997 as a registered charity. Our mission is to provide essential resources for the enhancement of Toronto Public Library and to allocate funds to priority needs not supported by municipal funding.

Throughout its history, Toronto's Library has benefited from the generosity of donors who recognized its vital role in treasuring the past and creating the future.

Our city needs its library. And Toronto's Library needs you.

We live in a unique city. One that is connected to the world through an intricate cross-section of cultures. A city that is full of potential.

Toronto's Library is a vital pillar of this city’s success. It offers free resources to every Torontonian. It supports literacy. It welcomes newcomers. It embodies democracy and equality. And it makes an invaluable contribution to the cultural mosaic of our city.

Everywhere you go, there we are.

Our 99 branches - soon to be 100 - span the city and anchor its neighbourhoods. Our branches are integrated with each other and within the communities they serve.

 Click here to see a graphic of everywhere we are!

In this era of economic transformation, the business of public libraries is being recast.

The role of libraries has shifted from passive, recreational reading and research institutions to active economic development agents.

Toronto's Library is vital to our city's prosperity, serving the city as key support for information and idea industries. Entrepreneurs and the creative class make extensive use of Toronto's Library as they develop and grow our city. Branch libraries anchor their communities, supporting local businesses and neighbourhood stability.

Working together with agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and community organizations, Toronto’s Library helps elevate levels of education and economic potential, making our city stronger, individually and collectively.

Toronto's Library has tremendous reach geographically and virtually. It offers collections and programs that support four key economic drivers:

1. Early Literacy
   Toronto's Library is the primary source of important preschool reading and learning resources for families, many of whom are newcomers. The benefits of an investment in early education compound quickly. Early education initiatives create the foundation for success in school, youth development, job skills training and civic engagement.
   
    
   
   
2. Workforce Readiness
   Many people entering the workforce rely on the library to reduce barriers to employment. For example, thousands of youth gain valuable work experience through volunteer and part-time positions at the library. In addition, foreign-trained professionals use library resources to meet accreditation demands and improve their English and French. 
   
    
   
    
3. Small Business Support
   Small business in Toronto relies on Toronto's Library and its staff for comprehensive resources and expert knowledge. Small businesses cannot afford to develop extensive business-related libraries of their own. Toronto's Library is a critical resource for on-demand business resource information. It provides workshops, programs and 24/7 online services for small businesses, all at no charge
   
    
    
4. The Power of Place
   Libraries contribute to vibrant, livable communities. Through its 99 branches, Toronto's Library serves as a catalyst for community revitalization and a cost-effective investment in community development. Its spaces are welcoming, accessible and inspiring: our community commons. Here, families spend their Saturdays learning together. Youth gather for expression and learning - a safe alternative to the streets. Newcomers can access the resources they need to succeed. Seniors stay engaged in their communities. Business people, artists and city builders wander the stacks together with students, new parents, aspiring writers and visitors from around the world. That's the power of place.

Toronto Public Library Foundation believes in the social benefits of a strong and healthy public library system. As a registered charity, we foster relationships with people of vision to enhance the impact Toronto's Library can have on individual lives, above and beyond the core services that municipal funding provides.

Through its fundraising efforts, the Foundation provides enhanced support to the Library in three broad areas:

• Improved and expanded collections
• Enhanced programs and services
• Revitalized community spaces

We are counting on your vision - and your support.

Absolutely Vital Collections
Absolutely Vital Programs and Services
Absolutely Vital Community Spaces and Equipment