Service Update

All branches of the Toronto Public Library will be closed on Sunday, May 20th and Monday, May 21st for Victoria Day.

Urban Affairs

Service Update

As of September 15, 2011, Urban Affairs will be relocating to Toronto Reference Library. More information

789 Yonge St.
416-395-5577
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: Closed
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

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Branch History


1911 Municipal Reference Branch opened in Toronto City Hall, September, at the request of Toronto City Council, ìimpressed with the necessity of having knowledge on municipal topics near at hand. (TPL Annual Report, 1911).
1928 Municipal Reference Branch closed at Toronto City Hall due to space shortage. Collection transferred for a Ready Reference Division at the new Downtown Branch, 42 Adelaide Street West, opened 23 January. The branch also included a business reference collection, a newspaper reading room and a lending library.
1931 Municipal Reference collection moved to a new Public Documents Room at the Reference Library, College and St. George streets, opened May. The Downtown Branch became a lending library only.
1965 Municipal Reference section located to the mezzanine of the new City Hall Branch (along with Business Reference), opened 13 September in the east tower of the new Toronto City Hall.
1968 Municipal Reference Library transferred to the Metropolitan Toronto Library Board. It remained at Toronto City Hall, but now formed part of the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library.
1992 Municipal Reference Library merged with Metro Toronto's Corporate Library, and moved to Metro Hall, 55 John Street, July. Renamed Metro Urban Affairs Library, the library was located on the ground floor of Metro Hall, with non-circulating public collections on the upper level and Corporate Research Services (for city staff and politicians) on the lower level.
1996 Lower level closed. Corporate collection made available to the public for in-library use.
1998 Renamed Urban Affairs Library.
2007 Became a holds-pick-up location 15 January.
2009 Opening hours changed to 9:30 a.m. Total open hours per week became 48.5.


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