Libraries aren't just about the books
The prolonged renovation of Wychwood Library highlights the importance of free community spaces
The reopening of Wychwood Library can't come soon enough for patrons whose routines have been disrupted by its prolonged renovation.
"I appreciate having a place where I can go to separate my home from my work," said Amanda Martinez, a self-employed artist who used the library as her office. Martinez converted her bedroom into an office but misses having a separate space to go to every day.
"When I come home, I can relax more," she said. "If I'm working all day from home, I'll always find something to do."
Losing the branch has complicated family life for Betsy and Tay Moss, who also live nearby.
"I found that library to be such a wonderful part of our routine," Ms. Moss said of after-school trips to Wychwood with her son, now age 11. The Mosses also have four-year-old twins who have never been inside their neighbourhood library.
"I know it's going to be re-opening soon but there have just been many years now where it has not been an option," Ms. Moss said.
"We can, of course, go to other library branches, but it requires either driving or taking the streetcar."
Closed in mid-2018, the branch was expected to be completed by 2020.
"The construction has been delayed because of all sorts of supply chain issues and challenges related to COVID," said Susan Martin, who is responsible for capital planning and implementation at Toronto Public Library.
Most of Wychwood's customers have been diverted to the Deer Park branch and home delivery service is available for patrons who have trouble travelling to alternate branches, said library services manager, Sarah Bradley.
Martinez said without a library in walking distance, she orders her family's books online and picks them up by herself at Deer Park. Pre-renovation, she and her children visited Wychwood every Saturday.
"It was my way of getting them to enjoy reading," she said.
Wychwood opened in 1916 and is one of three nearly identical libraries designed by Eden Smith & Sons, the architects who introduced the Arts and Crafts movement to Toronto. The condition of the heritage property was a key factor in the decision to renovate.
"It was definitely in the shape where it needed a lot of TLC," Bradley said.
Toronto Public Library has determined that 10,000 square feet is the minimum size required for a neighbourhood branch to accommodate the kinds of services a modern library must offer. At only 6,700 square feet prior to renovation, Wychwood fell short of meeting its community's needs. According to 2016 Census data, the most recent available, the branch serves a population of 15,596.
"There has been a lot of development in the area so that neighbourhood use population will be increasing over the next few years," Martin said.
The renovation boosts Wychwood's interior to 17,000 square feet and brings it up to current building code and accessibility standards. That includes increasing the size and number of washrooms and adding a proper elevator.
"The other thing that is sorely lacking, and this came out very strongly during the pandemic, is how little public space there is in the city," said Martin noting that Toronto libraries did not reopen until May 2020.
Mr. Moss highlighted lack of public space in the neighbourhood as a serious equity issue.
"This issue tends to disproportionately affect people who don't live in these Forest Hill mansions," he said.
"The more you're squeezed into a small apartment that you share with other people, the more you need other space outside the home."
Bradley and Martin envision Wychwood's new outdoor plaza as part of the solution. With room for outdoor programming and events, it is also a place where the community can sit and access the library's free wireless network.
Wychwood branch is expected to reopen in mid-2022.