Did you know that before 1883, there was no public library system in Toronto, or anywhere else in Canada? Fast forward 129 years later and Toronto now has 99 of them! In addition, the city’s 100th public library will be connected to Library District Condominiums. It’s quite a milestone and the city’s public library system has certainly come a long way since 1883. Let’s take a look back at the history of Toronto’s first library.

Toronto's first public library in 1884. It was previously known as the Toronto Mechanics' Institute