I love libraries! I remember the Sackville, Moncton and Halifax libraries, and the Mount Allison and York university libraries. I sometimes dream about them today. I’d spent forever reading the latest newspapers and magazines there. I also learned to read microfilm scans and go through old issues of papers like The New York Times. (I sometimes read newspapers that were published on the day I was born!)
One of the big things I miss during the pandemic is going to the library. Toronto has a superb library system! You can request a book at one branch and have it sent to a branch that’s close to you. There’s also a Kanopy system that gets you access to a lot of online videos.
The library branch that’s closest to my home is Davenport, but it’s one of the smaller ones. A bigger branch that’s also close to me is Wychwood, which is now undergoing renovations anyway, and its reopening may come not much later than the general system’s reopening.
I have a friend who works at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s library. Something like that would be a dream job for me! About 15 years ago I did have a temporary job at the Reference Library in the Human Resources department. It didn’t lead to anything else, but I did enjoy it, though the place was a bit dusty. Lots of sorting files and unearthing stuff from the regional systems that got taken over with the metro amalgamation. I also shredded a lot of files, which is fun.
