Toronto Public Library

⚠️ Due to planned system maintenance, My Account, the TPL app and some online services will be unavailable from Sunday, May 17 at 6 am to Tuesday, May 19 at 12 pm.

Learn more and explore available digital resources: tpl.ca/temporary-outage

How is AI changing healthcare—and what questions does that raise for all of us?

Join leading AI researchers Muhammad Mamdani and Laleh Seyyed-Kalantari for an evening of conversation and ideas where we’ll explore how AI is showing up in medicine and what it means for patients, practitioners and the public.

🗓 Mon, Jun 1, 2026
⏰ 6:30 pm
📍 Toronto Reference Library

The event includes a moderated discussion, small-group conversations and a Q&A with speakers.

Everyone is welcome—no technical background needed.

👉 Reserve your free tickets: https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events/69ea7c8ee7c57a539c14a88c

Get ready to chat with the locals thanks to Mango Languages!

Start learning the basics in 70+ languages, including Arabic, French, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.

All you need is your library card 👉 tpl.ca/mango

History. Poetry. Cookbooks. Memoirs.

Explore recommended reads for Asian Heritage Month, featuring Asian-Canadian authors: https://ow.ly/TjSs50YTAaO

From serial killers to picture-perfect “tradwives,” these aren’t your typical moms. Explore gripping stories of motherhood pushed to the edge—and the families left to make sense of the aftermath.

Browse books about moms gone wild: https://ow.ly/7JNr50YV0u9

From biographies and history to poetry and family traditions, these titles offer ways to connect with Jewish life and culture.

Explore our Jewish Heritage Month reading list: https://ow.ly/oZVV50YTzrA

We're celebrating Asian Heritage Month with two charming folktales on Dial-a-Story, our free storytime hotline! Call and listen with the whole family.

📞 416-395-5400

📖 Mr. and Mrs. Haktak (featured May 1-16)

An elderly couple finds a large brass pot in their garden and discovers that anything put inside is instantly doubled! Based on the Chinese folktale Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong, this story is read by the late Alice Kane, librarian and co-founder of the Storytellers School of Toronto (now Storytelling Toronto).

📖 The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water (featured May 17-31)

A thirsty lion is frightened by a fierce rival he spots in a pool of water. An ancient fable retold by Idries Shah, this version was recorded for Dial-a-Story by the late Aubrey Davis, storyteller and children’s author.

Calling all indie authors in Toronto!

The 2026 Indie Author Project contest is officially open! Submit your ebook by May 31 for a chance to win prizes and have your book added to our BiblioBoard collection.

Find more details: https://ow.ly/H28I50YSxAS

Red Dress Day honours and remembers missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.

Learn more about this ongoing crisis through a curated reading list featuring powerful works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors—stories that reflect lived experiences, resilience and the strength of Indigenous communities.

Browse the list: https://ow.ly/tiWm50YIct7

🏆 Bridlewood branch wins a Design Excellence Award!

The Ontario Association of Architects recognized the relocated space in Bridlewood Mall for its outstanding design. Many thanks to Ken Fukushima Architecture and David Fujiwara Architect.

“This project promotes adaptive reuse by repurposing an underutilized commercial space to create needed, inclusive, and adaptable community space,’’ according to the project team. “The vertical solar panel installation with integral programmable LEDs creates a visual reference to rows of books and the power of books, with the books opening up at night into a dynamic dreamscape. The interior is inspired by great spaces of historic libraries and from community history.”

Located in the L'Amoreaux neighbourhood, this is the fourth incarnation of the ever-evolving branch. Tomorrow marks 50 years since the first location opened as part of Scarborough Public Library. It was one of the five new branches opened by the former library system between 1972 and 1977 to serve a surging population. All five locations were in shopping malls or plazas in an effort to place libraries where people gathered.

Have you ever visited one of our branches in a mall or plaza?

📸 Doublespace Photography

Check out the hottest releases coming out in May, including:

📗 the latest suspense novel from Freida McFadden
📘 a thriller from the super-duo of Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung
📙 a memoir about surrendering to AI for a year by journalist Joanna Stern

Place holds on these and more: https://ow.ly/r4l550YRKVQ