Aurora Public Library (Ontario)
Public library in Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Aurora Public Library is located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. The library has a collection of more than 256,643 items and has over 25,406 registered users.
Location15145 Yonge Street
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
L4G 1M1
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
L4G 1M1
Established1855
SizeOver 256,643
Circulation630,553
| Aurora Public Library | |
|---|---|
Interior of the Aurora Public Library | |
 | |
| 43°59′49″N 79°28′00″W | |
| Location | 15145 Yonge Street Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 1M1 |
| Established | 1855 |
| Collection | |
| Size | Over 256,643 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 630,553 |
Population served | Local population of Aurora, Ontario |
| Other information | |
| Director | Jodi Marr |
| Website | aurorapl.ca |
Timeline
- 1820s: A free library is organized by local Quakers.[1]: 122
- 1855: The Aurora Association for the Diffusion of Helpful Knowledge is formed, later called the Aurora Mechanics Institute and Library Association. The association provides weekly lectures and concerts rather than lending books.
- 1863: The library has a collection of 500 books and is open for two hours each Friday.
- 1868: The association builds The Mechanics Hall at the southeast corner of Mosley Street and Victoria Street. It is used for lectures and concerts and as a library reading room.
- 1895: A Public Library Association is formed with a Board of Management appointed by the Town Council.
- 1920: The library assets are absorbed into a Municipal Public Library under the 1882 Free Libraries Act of Ontario and the library moves to Town Hall on the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Mosley Street.
- 1926: A children's section is added to the library, but children are only allowed in the library on Saturday afternoons.
- 1945: The library moves to Health Hall, now called Victoria Hall, on the southwest corner of Mosley Street and Victoria Street.
- 1963: The library moves to a new 4,500 square feet (420 m2) building at 56 Victoria Street, as part of Aurora's centennial celebration.
- 1967: The collection size is up to 14,900 items and the library has 5,236 members.
- 1979: A 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) extension is finished, designed to serve a population of 20,000.
- 2001: The library moves to its current location, a 44,375-square-foot (4,122.6 m2) facility on the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Church Street.
- 2019: The library completes a renovation project to create a multipurpose room and add a Creative Studio space. Improvements also include lighting and new seating in the "living room" area, which is opened up to accommodate library programming.[2]
- 2020: The library lays off 28 of its 33 employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
