Aurora Public Library (Ontario)

The Aurora Public Library is located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. The library has a collection of more than 150,000 items and has over 31,000 registered users.

Aurora Public Library
Interior of the Aurora Public Library
43°59′49″N 79°28′00″W
Location15145 Yonge Street
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
L4G 1M1
Established1855
Collection
SizeOver 150,000
Access and use
Circulation550,000
Population servedLocal population of Aurora, Ontario
Other information
DirectorBruce Gorman
Websiteaurorapl.ca

Timeline of history
  • 1820s: A free library was organized by local Quakers.[1]: 122 
  • 1855: Aurora Association for the Diffusion of Helpful Knowledge formed, later called the Aurora Mechanics Institute and Library Association. The association provided weekly lectures and concerts rather than lending books.
  • 1863: The library had a collection of 500 books and was open for two hours each Friday.
  • 1868: The association built The Mechanics Hallis built at the southeast corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets. It was used for lectures and concerts but also as a library reading room.
  • 1895: A Public Library Association was formed with a Board of Management appointed by the Town Council.
  • 1920: The library assets were absorbed into a Municipal Public Library under the Free Public Libraries Act and the library moved to the Town Hall on the northeast corner of Yonge and Mosley Streets.
  • 1926: A children's section was added to the library, but children were only allowed on Saturday afternoons.
  • 1945: The library moved to Health Hall, now called Victoria Hall, on the southwest corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets.
  • 1963: The library moved to a new dedicated building of 4,500 square feet (420 m2) at 56 Victoria Street as part of Aurora's centennial.
  • 1967: The collection size was 14,900 and there were 5,236 members.
  • 1979 A 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) extension was finished, designed to serve a population of 20,000.
  • 2001 The library moved to its current location, a 44,375-square-foot (4,122.6 m2) facility on the northeast corner of Yonge and Church Streets.

In 2018, work began on a renovation project to create a multi-purpose room and a creative studio, to update the children's area, to improve lighting, and to create a new seating and new living room-style area.[2]

On 11 April 2020, the library laid off 28 of its 33 employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

See also

References
  1. Bloomfield, Elizabeth P.; Bloomfield, Gerald T. (1983). Urban growth and local services: The development of Ontario municipalities to 1981. Department of Geography, University of Guelph. ISBN 0-88955-020-4.
  2. Latchford, Teresa (2 October 2018). "Aurora Public Library undergoing $2.2M reno to become 'community living room'". Aurora Banner. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. Queen, Lisa (10 April 2020). "'I feel terrible': Aurora Public Library blames coronavirus for layoffs". Aurora Banner. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
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