Toronto Public Library's curbside pick-up starts next week

Jun 1 2020, 7:14 pm

You will soon be able to schedule the pick-up of reserved materials at Toronto Public Library (TPL) locations.

The Toronto Public Library has announced the commencement of curbside drop-off and pick up, which will start on June 8.

On Monday, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) reopened 53 library branch drop boxes to accept the return of library materials. This comes ahead of the curbside services that will then roll out next week.

“Toronto Public Library branches are a cornerstone of so many of our communities. The work TPL staff and volunteers have accomplished throughout the pandemic – to pivot operations to ensure critical food security, for example – has been remarkable. This thoughtful, phased expansion of service is being undertaken with the same care and commitment to community and exemplifies the spirit of recovery and rebuild activities to come,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory.

On May 25, TPL began the reinstatement of dropbox services at 17 library branches. Since then, the service has been expanded to 70 branches. These drop boxes are currently only accepting the return of library books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks.

Other items such as musical instruments and Arduino kits are not accepted currently as they may damage if returned through a drop box. Donations to TPL are also not being accepted at this time.

Toronto residents are encouraged to return borrowed items but it is currently not mandatory. Residents who choose to keep their borrowed items will not be charged any fines at this time.

Library customers who wish to place a hold can continue to do so online at the TPL website and will be able to pick up materials through the curbside pick-up service.

All library branches will continue to remain closed for in-branch services. Many online library services will however be available to residents.

The new TPL curbside services follow the reopening framework laid out by the Province of Ontario, the advice of the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, and the Toronto Medical Officer of Health.

TPL has also introduced new quarantining processes to ensure the safety of materials. Alongside these processes come new physical distancing policies and shorter hours of operation.

The June line-up of Live and Online Programs was also announced on Monday by TPL. This line-up will include over 50 live and on-demand programs for Toronto residents of all ages and cover a variety of interests. The full line-up can be found here.

More details about TPL’s curbside drop-off and pick-up service can be found online.

Irelyne LaveryIrelyne Lavery

+ News
ADVERTISEMENT