Rally on Tuesday, February 22nd at 12 noon at Metro Hall

STOP THE CLOSURE OF THE URBAN AFFAIRS LIBRARY!  

Tell the Ford administration that we do not want cuts to our world-class public library system!

Click here to listen to President O'Reilly's message

In meetings beginning on Wednesday, February 23^rd, City Council will vote on the Budget Committee’s recommendation to close the Urban Affairs Library at Metro Hall. Please join the community and members of the Toronto Public Library Workers Union Local 4948 as we send a message to the Ford Administration and City Council that we value our public libraries and oppose the closure of the Urban Affairs Library at Metro Hall.

Rally on Tuesday, February 22^nd at 12 noon at Metro Hall, 55 John Street.

Read the press release here.

Background information:

MYTH #1: With 99 branches and two branches within close proximity, we can do without the Urban Affairs Library.  

The community, city staff, researchers and students rely on the services of the Urban Affairs Library. Circulation at the Urban Affairs Library has increased 61% in 2010 from 2009 and visits to the branch have increased by 16.8%. This means that in 2010, 111,625 people visited the Urban Affairs Library and accessed the public library service because it was close to where they lived or worked or because the library offers a special collection.

MYTH #2 – The urban affairs collection will remain intact when it is transferred to the Toronto Reference Library.

From the Toronto Public Library Board’s own report, we know that there will not be a separate urban affairs desk at the Toronto Reference Library but rather “efforts will be made to have at least one urban affairs librarian on desk or on call”. The closure of the Urban Affairs Library means that access to the collection and assistance with research, facilitated by professional urban affairs librarians, will be drastically reduced.

MYTH #3 – There are plenty of library workers to assist the public with accessing valued public library services, this cut to public libraries is small.

The closure of the Urban Affairs Library means the elimination of 3.6 full-time jobs. The budget committee has also recommended a further elimination of 8 jobs by 2012.  These numbers are only small unless you know that since 1998, 182 jobs have been cut or 10% of staff have been eliminated, in spite of a 24% increase in library circulation. Our communities need the assistance of staff to access library collections and enjoy library programs. Library services cannot sustain more cuts to staff.

What you can do:

-   Contact your City Councillor – urge your councilor to vote against the closure of the library.

-   Call Rob Ford at 416-397-FORD.

For more information, contact: The Toronto Public Library Workers Union Local 4948 Campaign to Stop the Closure of the Urban Affairs Library at local4948@rocketmail.com or 416-440-7981. For media inquiries contact: Maureen O’Reilly, President, Local 4948 at 647-206-7457, or Sarah Declerck, CUPE at 416-830-9537.