Murdoch Mysteries is a tremendously popular Canadian television show. William Murdoch is a fictional police detective working in Toronto in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He solves many of his cases using methods that were unusual at the time such as fingerprinting and surveillance. At Toronto Public Library (TPL), our Special Collections & […]
As an early Hollywood actress, Mary Pickford (1892–1979) was one of the most famous people in the world. Pickford's introduction to acting can be traced back to the red brick house that she was born in on University Avenue in Toronto. This post features digitized postcards and photos related to Pickford from TPL's Baldwin Collection […]
Did you know that Centre Island is home to one of Toronto’s oldest buildings? That building is Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, completed in 1808. Here's an overview of its history — from the geological origins of the Toronto Islands to the lighthouse's spooky lore. This post features paintings, photos and other images from our Digital Archive, […]
The name Laura Secord may make you think of either a Canadian woman who assisted the British in winning the War of 1812, or tempting chocolate treats. Our Special Collections at Toronto Public Library have documents and paintings related to Secord and her role during the War of 1812. We also have advertisements for the […]
At first, you might not think that the Christmas season has much to do with the murders and forensic science of Sherlock Holmes and his narrator, Dr. John Watson. However, our Arthur Conan Doyle Collection — one of the world's finest research collections devoted to the creator of Sherlock Holmes — has many items that […]
For many decades, families across Ontario looked forward to getting seed catalogues in the mail so that they could start to plan their gardens. Flower and vegetable gardening were popular, and sometimes even essential over, the course of Toronto's history. Steele, Briggs’ Garden Guide (1928), portion of back cover. You can access full seed catalogues […]
On Monday, November 7th at 6:30, Wilf Steimle of the Electric Vehicle Society, and Ron Groves of Plug 'N Drive, will give a presentation on Electric Vehicles. The Program takes place at the Toronto Reference Library, in the Beeton Hall, at 6:30 pm. If you are curious about some of the advantages of Electric Vehicles, here are just […]
You are invited to join a series of FREE workshops being held at several Toronto Public Library branches. These workshops are just for family caregivers. When was the last time you took a rejuvenating break? You're invited to join other family caregivers to socialize, learn, relax and be entertained in a series of interactive […]
Toronto Star Archives 1998 A workshop designed especially for newcomers to Canada, Library Settlement Partnerships and Toronto Public Library will present a program on Healthy Eating for Life in Canada. Wednesday, September 7, 1:00 – 3:00 Toronto Reference Library Discussion Room, 3rd floor. This session addresses access to healthy food, food and its relation to […]
On Tuesday, May 31st in the Toronto Reference Library Atrium, there will be a special program on dementia with Dr. June Andrews. Dr. Andrews is a nationally recognized specialist in the UK on improving the public understanding of dementia. Dr. Andrews was Director of the University of Stirling's Dementia Services Development Centre for 10 years. […]