About the Library

In this section

About TPL

Toronto Public Library is the biggest and busiest public library system in North America, with more than 46 million annual visits to our branches and online. We empower Torontonians to thrive in the digital age and knowledge economy through easy access to technology, lifelong learning, and diverse cultural and leisure experiences, where, when and how our customers need us.

Key Facts and Statistics

TPL has 100 branches and two bookmobiles that serve neighourhoods across the city; we also provide 24/7 access to collections and services through tpl.ca. Our collections include 10.5 million items, such as books, CDs, DVDs and eBooks, with 40 languages represented.

According to a public survey conducted in 2019, 68% of Torontonians use their library, and in 2023:

There were more than 46 million visits to TPL – 12.5 million visits to our branches and 33.5 million visits to TPL online platforms.
There were more than six million wireless sessions in library branches and almost 1.9 million public computer workstation sessions.
Nearly 700,000 participants attended over 33,000 in-person library programs, and we offered over 1,000 online programs with total views and attendance of more than 45,000.
Library materials were borrowed 25 million times.
252,000 people registered for a library card.

To learn more, email Answerline at answerline@tpl.ca or follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to email updates.