When it opened in 1915, Mimico Public Library was the most significant public building in the village and was used for a variety of activities, aside from library services. Offices for the municipality and hydro were located at the library until a town hall was obtained in 1922.1 Local citizens went to the library to make revisions to the voters’ list, appeal assessments and attend Mimico Council meetings. Following the First World War, an illuminated roll of honour, listing Mimico men who had served in the war, was placed in the library. The library’s large basement room was used for lectures sponsored by the local I.O.D.E (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire), with many well-known speakers coming to Mimico. In 1930, the children’s section of the library was relocated to the lecture room.
Over the years, Mimico’s Carnegie library became increasingly antiquated and overcrowded. The building was demolished in 1966 and replaced with the Mimico Centennial Library constructed to mark Canada’s Centennial and the Town of Mimico’s 50 th anniversary. The new library opened on November 20, 1966 on the old site, augmented with additional property. The following year, Mimico became part of the Borough of Etobicoke, and Mimico Public Library was amalgamated with the Etobicoke Public Library Board.
Mimico Centennial Branch was amalgamated with the Toronto Public Library in 1998.
1 Harvey Currell,. The Mimico story. 2nd rev. ed. (Mimico, Ont,: Town of Mimico and Library Board, 1967), 76. [http://historicity.torontopubliclibrary.ca/] (August 9, 2005)
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