Aurora Public Library (Ontario)

The Aurora Public Library is located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. The library has a collection of more than 256,643 items and has over 25,406 registered users.

Aurora Public Library
Interior of the Aurora Public Library
43°59′49″N 79°28′00″W
Location	15145 Yonge Street Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 1M1
Established	1855
Collection
Size	Over 256,643
Access and use
Circulation	630,553
Population served	Local population of Aurora, Ontario
Other information
Director	Jodi Marr
Website	aurorapl.ca

Timeline of history

• 1820s: A free library was organized by local Quakers.^[1]: 122
• 1855: Aurora Association for the Diffusion of Helpful Knowledge formed, later called the Aurora Mechanics Institute and Library Association. The association provided weekly lectures and concerts rather than lending books.
• 1863: The library had a collection of 500 books and was open for two hours each Friday.
• 1868: The association built The Mechanics Hallis built at the southeast corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets. It was used for lectures and concerts but also as a library reading room.
• 1895: A Public Library Association was formed with a Board of Management appointed by the Town Council.
• 1920: The library assets were absorbed into a Municipal Public Library under the Free Public Libraries Act and the library moved to the Town Hall on the northeast corner of Yonge and Mosley Streets.
• 1926: A children's section was added to the library, but children were only allowed on Saturday afternoons.
• 1945: The library moved to Health Hall, now called Victoria Hall, on the southwest corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets.
• 1963: The library moved to a new dedicated building of 4,500 square feet (420 m²) at 56 Victoria Street as part of Aurora's centennial.
• 1967: The collection size was 14,900 and there were 5,236 members.
• 1979 A 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m²) extension was finished, designed to serve a population of 20,000.
• 2001 The library moved to its current location, a 44,375-square-foot (4,122.6 m²) facility on the northeast corner of Yonge and Church Streets.

In 2018, work began on a renovation project to create a multi-purpose room and a creative studio, to update the children's area, to improve lighting, and to create a new seating and new living room-style area.^[2]

On 11 April 2020, the library laid off 28 of its 33 employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

See also

• Ask Ontario
• Ontario Public Libraries