Susanne One evening I dropped by and talked to Eniko Szabo, the children’s librarian, and she informed me about the various programs that are being offered to children and adults at the Beaches Library. Eniko herself is also a puppeteer who puts on a variety of animated shows for children throughout the year.
Eniko Szabo
Both Barbara and Eniko directed me to a variety of special places in the building: the main floor multi-purpose room with the fireplace, the comfortable sitting areas on both levels of the west wing which according to Eniko provide some of the best sunset views in Toronto; a majestic view from the gallery over the Reading Hall; a historic tapestry that was created as a community project, and the original water fountain that has been preserved throughout the years.
The original water fountain
The Beaches Library primarily features English print material, fiction and non-fiction for adults, teens and children as well as videos, DVDs and CDs. In addition, it also has an extensive local history collection as well as a wide selection of audio books, a career information collection, English as a Second Language materials, language learning kits, a large print collection and French language collections for both adults and children. The Beaches Library is one of the most active libraries in the Toronto Public Library system, one of the largest and busiest library systems in the world. Public usage has increased dramatically since the 2005 reopening after the renovation, attesting to the popularity of this library branch.
What a cool chair!
A variety of special events are also held at the Beaches Library, including a weekly “Wednesday Afternoon at the Movies” featuring classic and contemporary feature films every Wednesday at 2 pm. Beaches Book Lovers is a monthly drop-in for book discussions. The Teen Programs at the Beaches Library include Anime Films for March Break and a Knitting Circle that teaches basic stitches and how to knit a funky scarf. The Knitting Circle is also offered for children ages 7 and up. The popular Storytimes programs are offered for children of different ages including Babytime, Toddler Time and Preschool Storytime.
The Beaches Library – a centre of learning for all ages.
Winter view towards the Alex Christie Bandshell
