[URBAN NOTE] "For Newcomers, the Library is About More Than Just Books"

[rfmcdonald]

Torontoist's Catherine McIntyre explains how the Toronto Public Library is helping Syrian refugees in the city.

For newcomers to Toronto, the library is much more than a place to borrow books—it’s the connection point to job and settlement services, a place to build language skills, and a space to learn about recreational and cultural programs. It’s a community hub.

“Libraries are the one place where newcomers can find everything they need,” says Elsa Ngan, multicultural services specialist for Toronto Public Libraries, at Tuesday night’s welcome event. Along with musical performances, the evening offered story time for kids and an information fair to help new residents get acquainted with settlement and cultural services across the city.

Toronto libraries have long offered programs and services to help newcomers settle into their new city. They host ESL classes, resumé-building workshops, and offer books, movies, and newspapers in dozens of languages.

But with the recent intake of Syrian refugees to Toronto, libraries have added a number of new services to ease the adjustment process even more.

For instance, the MAP (Museum and Arts Pass) offers newcomers a package of free passes to museums and attractions across the city, including the AGO, the Ontario Science Centre, the Museum of Inuit Art, the City of Toronto Historic Sites, The Toronto Zoo, and the ROM. Regular MAP passes are available to anyone with a library card—you simply borrow it like you would a book, and it gives two adults and up to five kids access to a museum or gallery, for example. The pilot program, specifically for Syrian newcomers, offers families vouchers for one of the participating venues of their choice.