Barbara Frum

20 Covington Road,
Toronto, ON M6A 3C1

Hours

Monday	9:00 am	to	8:30 pm
Tuesday	9:00 am	to	8:30 pm
Wednesday	9:00 am	to	8:30 pm
Thursday	9:00 am	to	8:30 pm
Friday	9:00 am	to	8:30 pm
Saturday	9:00 am	to	5:00 pm
Sunday	1:30 pm	to	5:00 pm

Wheelchair Accessible
Free Wifi

General Inquiries

To speak directly with staff at Barbara Frum Branch during branch hours, please call the number listed above.

For general questions about Toronto Public Library, your account, and quick reference help, email Answerline using the link below.

Email Answerline

Directions, TTC & Parking

View on map

Closest major intersection Lawrence Ave. West and Bathurst Street. Located at north side of Covington Road, 1 block north of Lawrence Ave. West, 1 block west of Bathurst Street, behind the Lawrence Plaza.

Public Transit

TTC Bathurst bus #7 northbound from Bathurst subway station.
TTC Bathurst bus #7 southbound from Steeles Avenue West.
TTC Lawrence bus #52 eastbound from Lawrence West subway station.
TTC Lawrence bus #52 westbound from Lawrence subway station.

Parking

Free - Lawrence Plaza lot, short term parking meters adjacent to the library, street parking.

Featured Services

Computer Learning Centre
Youth Hub

Mon - Fri, 3:30 - 7:00 pm
Adult Literacy Program

Thurs - Fri, 10 am - 6 pm

Upcoming Programs

Featured Programs

Thu, Jun 08

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Crafts and Hobbies

Socialize in an informal group while learning to make a craft in this hands on program. Register by calling 416...

Fri, Jun 16

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Managing Your Finances in Retirement

For seniors who want to learn how to better manage their finances. Learning objectives: - Why it's so impo...

Wed, Jun 21

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

How to Play a Book: Adaptations of Literary Classics as Computer Games

This talk explores interactive digital adaptations of four well-known works of nineteenth-century literature (Arthur Conan...

Regular Programs

Tue, Jun 06

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Digital Life SKills

Digital Life Skills: Online Entertainment Tuesday May 30, 2023 from 11AM-12PM For people who have b...

Wed, Jun 07

10:30 am - 11:00 am

Baby Time (Birth-18 Months)

Bouncing and tickling rhymes, songs and stories for babies from birth to 18 months with their parents and caregivers....

Thu, Jun 08

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Thursday Session: Play & Learn - Presented by EarlyON Child & Family Centre

This is a free, drop-in program where children and their parents or caregivers can enjoy play-based learning, creative act...

All Branch Programs and Events

Branch Features

General Features

Automated Checkin
Book Discussion Group: contact the branch for more information
Book Drop - After Hours
Express Checkout
Free Parking
Public Phone (inside)
Quiet Study Rooms (3) - can accommodate 1-3 people each
Read Aloud Room
Seating for 108
Story Room
Youth Hub

Equipment for persons with disabilities

Book stand
CCTV (closed circuit TV also called print magnifier)
Computer with screen magnification software (Zoomtext)
Large print keyboard
Large trackball mouse
Magnifier
Natural spectrum lamp
Page turner

Technology

Collections

Adult Literacy Materials
Audiobooks on CD
Large Print Collection
Special Collections: Jewish Mosaic

Language

Large collection in French
Medium collection in Hungarian-Adult , Russian-Adult
Small collection in Chinese-Adult , Hebrew , Spanish-Adult , Tagalog-Adult

Meeting Rooms

For booking information call 416-397-5969.

Meeting Room A

432 sq. ft.
Seats 30 lecture style. Seats 20 classroom style. Fire Code Occupancy: 40.
Equipment:
- chairs
- flip chart
- tables
- whiteboard

Auditorium

1,089 sq. ft.
Seats 125 lecture style. Seats 60 classroom style. Fire Code Occupancy: 150.
Equipment:
- chairs
- flip chart
- lectern
- portable video projector
- projection screen (ceiling mounted)
- tables
- whiteboard

Meeting Room A, the Auditorium and washrooms are located on the third floor. Fully accessible washrooms are only located on the first and second floors.

Kitchen

Equipment:
- microwave
- refrigerator
Kitchen is shared if two groups have made a booking.

History

Year	Details
1952	A delegation from the Lawrence Manor neighbourhood appears before the North York Public Library Association Board, which suggests “that the ladies of Lawrence Manor attempt to sponsor a Community Council in the North Bathurst area and use it as a means of founding a Library Association which could work with ours to create a township demand for a public library.” (North York Public Library Association Board Minutes, 18 March 1952).
1954	North York Public Library Association Board announces on 14 July that one of the stops of its first bookmobile will be at Lawrence Plaza, northwest corner of Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West.
1955	North York Public Library Board announces on 24 May that one of its two first branch libraries will be called Bathurst Heights. Several sites are considered.
1956	North York Board of Education recommends "that 100' [foot] frontage and 150' [foot] depth on the Saranac School property be made available for a branch library" (North York Public Library Board minutes, 21 February 1956). The Library Board acquires additional school property (two feet wide by 25 feet deep) in 1957, paying a total of $6,700 for the two properties that November.
1962	Bathurst Heights Regional Branch is opened by the North York Public Library Board, 23 January. Officially opened, 8 April. Located at 3170 Bathurst Street, northwest corner of Covington Road. Freedman, Petroff, Jeruzalski Architects.
1966	Bathurst Heights Regional Branch is enlarged. Opened 3 November.
1989	North York Public Library Board agrees on 20 June to enter into an agreement with CBL, under Dr. Murray Frum, to exchange land and have a new Bathurst Heights Branch constructed at CBL's expense at the northeast corner of Covington Road and Saranac Boulevard, one-half block west of the existing branch. Phillip H. Carter, Architect, is confirmed as the architect of the new library, 1 August.
1991	Construction of the new branch commences on 22 July. Service continues at the old branch.
1992	North York Public Library Board votes on 27 April to rename the new library in honour of the late Barbara Frum (1937-1992), the distinguished broadcaster and journalist. In waiving its policy of not naming library buildings after individuals, Board chair Barry Burton said, "Barbara Frum's contribution to Canadian culture and the Frum family's contribution to North York have been exemplary and deserving of such a tribute." Public service is suspended for four weeks from late July to late August for the move from the old branch to the new branch, which officially opens on 24 September. 25 Years of Barbara Frum Library (1992-2017) and how it came to be.
2007	Hours open per week increased on 8 January from 59 to 59.5.
2011	Closed 30 October for retrofit of the main floor. Reopened November 16.

Land Acknowledgement

Barbara Frum is on Indigenous land. This is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee (ho-den-oh-sho-nee) Confederacy (aka. the Six Nations Confederacy), the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Toronto Public Library gratefully acknowledges these Indigenous nations for their guardianship of this land. We'd also like to remind and reaffirm, as Torontonians and Canadians, our accountability to these Indigenous nations, and to all Indigenous peoples and communities living in Toronto.

This land is also part of the Dish with One Spoon territory, a treaty between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (aka. The Six Nations Confederacy), the Anishinaabek (Ah-nish-nah-bek) and allied nations, to peaceably share and care for this land, its waters, and all of the biodiversity in the Great Lakes region. All those who come to live and work here are responsible for honouring this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect. About Land Acknowledgement Statements