Matthew Church
Board Chair
Jane Pyper
City Librarian
As the world's biggest and busiest urban public library system, Toronto Public Library is very proud of the contribution we made to the democratic, cultural, educational and economic life of the city in 2009. More than 17.5 million people visited our 99 branches last year and borrowed more than 31 million items, making it our busiest year yet. You will see throughout our annual report that Toronto's library is, more than ever, serving the unique and varied needs of its city, from individual library users to the diverse neighbourhoods and communities in which they live.
We are also very proud to present our first-ever online and interactive annual report, as part of our ongoing commitment to fiscal and environmental sustainability. We hope you enjoy it and – like any good library experience – you learn something interesting, enlightening, or perhaps find out about a resource you didn't know we had.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Toronto Public Library as we continue our commitment to the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading and the pursuit of knowledge for people of all ages and backgrounds.