Deer Park

40 St. Clair Avenue East,
Toronto, ON M4T 1M9

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	5:00 pm
Saturday	9:00 am	to	5:00 pm
Sunday	Closed

Wheelchair Accessible
Free Wifi

General Inquiries

To speak directly with staff at Deer Park 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 Yonge Street and St. Clair Ave. East. Located one block east of Yonge Street on the north side of St. Clair Ave.

Public Transit

TTC St. Clair subway station, exit St. Clair Centre.
TTC streetcar St. Clair Ave.

Parking

Paid parking on Alvin Street 1 block east of Yonge and north of St. Clair Ave.

Upcoming Programs

Featured Programs

Wed, Jun 07

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Journey Through A Beloved Green Space

Rosehill Reservoir, located in the David A. Balfour Park and just redesigned at a cost of $35 million, is critical in prov...

Thu, Jun 08

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Mango Languages

In this class you will: 1. Learn how to access Mango Languages for free through the Toronto Public Library 2. Co...

Thu, Jun 15

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Online Travel

For people who have basic internet skills, time and resources to pursue travel, but want to learn about the online tools t...

Regular Programs

Mon, Jun 05

10:30 am - 11:00 am

Baby Time

Join us for bouncing and tickling rhymes, songs, and stories for babies from birth to 18 months with their parents or care...

Fri, Jun 09

10:30 am - 11:00 am

Family Time

Stories, songs, rhymes, and activities for children ages 5 and under with their parents or caregivers. Drop in, no registr...

Mon, Jun 26

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Deer Park Monday Afternoon Book Club

Join us in-person every fourth Monday of each month to discuss books in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Please call Deer Pa...

All Branch Programs and Events

Branch Features

General Features

Book Discussion Group: contact the branch for more information
Book Drop - After Hours
Express Checkout
Seating for 65

Equipment for persons with disabilities

Book stand
Computer with screen magnification software (Zoomtext)
Large print keyboard
Large trackball mouse
Magnifier
Natural spectrum lamp
Page turner
Wheelchair accessible furniture

Technology

Collections

Adult Literacy Materials
Audiobooks on CD
Large Print Collection
Local history collection

Language

Medium collection in French

Meeting Rooms

For booking information call 416-397-5969.

Main Floor Meeting Room

418.5 sq. ft
Seats 16 lecture style. 8 classroom style. Fire Code Occupancy: 50
Equipment:
- chairs
- projection screen (ceiling mounted)
- puppet show stage
- tables
Washrooms are available in the library. Wheelchair accessible.

Meeting Room - 2nd Floor

776 sq. ft
Seats 64 lecture style. 38 classroom style. Fire Code Occupancy: 96.
Equipment:
- chairs
- closet with hangers
- flip chart stand
- podium
- tables
2nd floor women's and 3rd floor men's washrooms are not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair accessible washroom only on main floor.

History

Year	Details
1905	Deer Park Public Library is organized. By 31 December 1905, the "not Free" library has total receipts of $425.65 including a municipal grant of $25 from York Township and $60.75 from member's fees. It has 180 members, 532 volumes issued 212 times and expenditures of $403.40. The library is housed in Deer Park School (it stood from 1888 to 1961 on the north side of today’s St. Clair Avenue East, just east of the present Ferndale Avenue). Principal William J. Thomson is the librarian.
1908	Deer Park is annexed to Toronto from York Township. The assets of the Deer Park Public Library, including $18.25 cash on hand and 1,281 books are transferred to the Toronto Public Library.
1910	Deer Park Public Library ceases to receive provincial and local aid, and closes. “At the request of those interested in the Library, its collection of books [1,281 volumes, plus $18.25 cash on hand] was taken over by the Toronto Public Library, and it decided to open a sub-station in that section of the city. In accordance with this decision, premises have been leased on Yonge Street, in the near vicinity of the Deer Park Post Office, and furnishings and books are being installed. It is the intension of the Board to open this Branch during three afternoons and evenings of the week. It will commence operations with a supply of some 1,200 volumes.” (Toronto Public Library, Annual Report, 1910).
1911	Toronto Public Library opens Deer Park Branch, 21 January. Located in rented premises, 1524 Yonge Street, west side, between Delisle Avenue and Heath Street West.
1914	Relocated to rented premises, 4-6 St. Clair Avenue West, north side, late December.
1917	Relocated to larger rented premises, 5-7 St. Clair Avenue East (Murray Block), southeast corner of Yonge Street (between Yonge street and Tamblyn Lane), opened 29 December.
1933	With drastically decreased revenues, the Toronto Public Library Board decides to close Deer Park Branch on 30 April, but reversed its decision on 4 May. “When this decision was announced, however, there arose such a storm of protest that the Board was eventually prevailed upon to keep Deer Park open.” (Toronto Public Library, Annual Report, 1933).
1950	Site for a new library is acquired on St. Clair Avenue East at the northeast corner of Alvin Avenue. Beck and Eadie Architects are hired to design “a three-storey building. At street-level will be the Adult Library and three stores; on the second floor, the Boys and Girls Library and offices; the third floor will be given over entirely to offices. The building will be a milestone in library planning on this continent, in that the cost of $473,000 will be amortized over twenty years or less by means of rentals from the stores and offices; thus no part of the capital cost will fall on the tax rate.” (Toronto Public Library annual report 1950, p. 7)
1952	Opened at 40 St. Clair East by Mayor Allan Lamport on 2 June.
1981	Renovated by Shore Tilbe Henschel Irwin Peters Architects. Reopened 20 June.
2000	Closed for renovation 12 June. Bruce Stratton Architects. Reopened 23 October.
2007	Open hours per week increased on 8 January from 60.5 to 62.

Deer Park 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