Support our libraries - this Sunday!

Dear Beth, I would like to personally invite you to attend the first-ever Forum on the Future of Our Public Library. It will take place on Sunday, November 24 from 2pm to 4 pm in the Council Chamber at Toronto City Hall.  Please RSVP. Toronto has the busiest and, by most measures, the best library system in North America. But this precious public asset, founded in 1883, is falling behind. How could it not, after 20 years of political neglect and budget cuts? More service reductions are being planned for 2014 and beyond. Toronto Council is closely divided on this issue. Major decisions will be made soon. Unless we stop them, this would make four years in a row that Rob Ford and his allies on Council have attacked our public library - on top of years of neglect that have already diminished this vital institution. For Torontonians this means: Fewer Books - The TPL’s acquisition budget has been cut in each of the last four years. In total, cuts have taken more than $50 million in new materials from the shelves. Less Service – 525 TPL staff positions have been cut since 1992 including all children’s librarians (more than 300 since 1998) Reduced access – branch hours were cut dramatically in the 1990s and never fully restored; literacy, children’s and other programs have been eliminated Please let me know if you can attend the first ever Forum on the Future of Our Public Library. Click here to RSVP: http://ourpubliclibrary.to/#event This is a crucial moment for the future of our public library.  It is essential that we have a strong show of support on November 24th. Yours sincerely, Maureen O’Reilly OurPublicLibrary.to