Leaside

165 McRae Drive,
Toronto, ON M4G 1S8

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 Leaside 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: Eglinton Ave. East and Laird Drive. Located on southwest corner of McRae Dr. and Rumsey Rd.

Public Transit

TTC bus 88 from St. Clair subway station.

Parking

Free parking on McRae Dr.

Upcoming Programs

Featured Programs

Sat, Apr 01

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Repair Cafe

Bring in your broken household items and Repair Café will fix it for free and teach you how to do it yourself!...

Wed, May 17

3:45 pm - 5:15 pm

Teen Acrylic Painting

Join us for our Teen Painting Program! Meet other teens who share your passion for painting. Participants will be guided...

Tue, May 30

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Learn-to Camp with Parks Canada! Registered Workshop

Learn-to Camp with Parks Canada and Rouge National Urban Park! Find out how to plan for your first camping trip with tips...

Regular Programs

Fri, Mar 31

10:25 am - 10:55 am

Toddler Time

Join us for bouncing and tickling rhymes, stories and songs. Foster your child's love of reading with story times on Frida...

Mon, Apr 03

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Makers Club: Celebrate the Environment

Join in fun STEM-based activities on Mondays after school. For April, we're exploring the environment to celebrate Earth D...

Tue, Apr 04

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Adult Board Games Night

Come and join us for a night of fun at the Leaside Branch! Bring your friends or come make some new ones as you battle it...

All Branch Programs and Events

Branch Features

General Features

Art Exhibit Space
Book Discussion Group: contact the branch for more information
Book Drop - 24 Hours
Express Checkout
Free Parking
Seating for 85

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
Wheelchair accessible furniture

Technology

Collections

Audiobooks on CD
Large Print Collection
Local History Collection

Language

Large collection in French

History

Year	Details
1943	Library opens as an association library in a rented storefront at 645 (now 1645) Bayview Avenue, on the east side a few doors north of Fleming Crescent, 15 July.
1944	Leaside Public Library Board incorporated, following a referendum in December 1943 when the people of Leaside voted overwhelmingly to establish a public library.
1948	Town of Leaside Council approves plans for a new library, June. The first sod is turned in April 1949 in a section of Millwood Park (renamed Trace Manes Park in 1950).
1950	New building at 165 McRae Drive officially opened, 8 March. Adamson & Morgan Architects.
1958	New main entrance and addition to the southern part of the building is officially opened, 15 November. A branch library for boys and girls also is opened in a portable on the grounds of Northlea Public School, Rumsey Road at Divadale Drive. A similar branch opens at Rolph Road School, October 1962.
1967	Leaside Public Library becomes part of the new Borough of East York Public Library Board formed with the amalgamation of the Town of Leaside and the Township of East York.
1998	Leaside Branch becomes part of the Toronto Public Library with municipal amalgamation, 1 January.
1999	Sunday openings discontinued 25 April.
2001	Closed for reconstruction, 31 March, Moffat Kinoshita Architects Inc. Temporary library service provided at Trace Manes Community Center for 35 hours per week, 17 April.
2002	Temporary library service at Trace Manes Community Center discontinued 18 May. Branch officially reopened 11 June.
2007	New hours, 8 January. Open hours per week increased from 48.5 to 50.5.
2010	New hours, 13 September. Open hours per week increased from 50.5 to 62.

Leaside 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