Why You Still Need a Toronto Public Library Card in the Internet Age

I recently discovered that I know a lot of people who don’t use public libraries. This dumbfounds me, and I can only assume that all these people aren’t aware that nowadays the Toronto Public Library (TPL) offers way more than tangible book lending.

First of all, you should know that you’re entitled to a TPL card if you live, work or study in Toronto! So if you don’t have one, please get one right away, but do check the hours at your local branch beforehand because some of the schedules are unusual.

Use your library card to borrow books, DVDs and CDs

Libraries still do the traditional things well. You can borrow most items as long as they’re available, and if they aren’t  available you can “place a hold”. This is equivalent to joining a lineup to access a specific item that is in high demand or that someone has already borrowed. The wonderful thing about placing holds today is that you can manage them online and have the items delivered to your local branch. Currently, TPL lets you place a stupendous 60 holds!

Explore the digital collections

TPL’s current digital offerings are nothing less than amazing. Among other things, you can borrow digital books, magazines, music and movies. Borrowing these materials is a little bit more complicated than print sources, but TPL has excellent instructions online in addition to in-branch support.

eBooks

eBook borrowing is managed through a system called OverDrive that allows you to read eBooks online using your computer or on a device such as an iPhone/iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Kobo or Windows RT Tablet. After you install the pertinent software, you can place holds for eBooks, and even set up automatic borrowing for when your items become available. 

Magazines

Before you can access digital magazines you need to create an account at tpl.ca/zinio – a small price to pay for unlimited downloads that don’t expire. Too many quality titles are offered to list, but The Economist, The Atlantic and The New Yorker would all be great starting places for free reading material. Of course you could also binge-download Us Weekly if you were too embarrassed to pay money for it in public!

Music and Videos

You’ll need to create yet another account at hoopladigital.com, but the benefit is totally worth the trouble. Hoopla is kind of like Netflix, except it includes music and limits your borrowing to 8 items per month. The loan periods are relatively short (music = 7 days; video = 3 days), but you can download items for offline viewing or listening.

Photo by Metropolitan Toronto Library (CC BY-SA)