It’s been two years since marijuana was legalized in Canada on October 17, 2018. This changed the course of the small town of Smiths Falls, home to a significant pot-producing factory in Canada. So how did my hometown (hi, Mum and Dad!) get to where it is today? To find out, I turned to Digital […]
Toronto Public Library has 180,000+ digitized photos, books, maps and more. We've transformed 40 Ontario-related items into colouring sheets. We hope you learn something new as you colour in history! Full colouring book Colouring pages 1 to 40 All colouring pages | PDF 57 MB Single colouring pages Colouring page 1 Waterfront Fish […]
Genealogists, either beginners or experienced, often know someone who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command in the Second World War. This could be someone in their family or other circles. RAF personnel served as: pilots navigators flight engineers wireless operators bombardier/bomb aimers aerial gunners. Camp Borden recruit, 1940. Toronto Star Photograph Archive. […]
One of my favourite things to do when I visit a new place is to check out monuments and public art. Every street tells a story, and monuments are a big part of that narrative. They invite us to "read" our built environment. Of course, I’m not travelling right now due to the pandemic. But […]
Ci-dessous, l'exposition virtuelle de 114 histoires X 114 étages. L'exposition photographique originale à voir en personne avait été exposée à la Tour CN avant les fermetures mises en place afin d’aider à freiner la propagation du virus COVID-19. Intro Bienvenue à une célébration à 360 degrés des visages et des lieux changeants de Toronto. […]
Below is the virtual exhibit of 114 Stories X 114 Storeys. The original, in-person photo exhibit had been on display in the CN Tower before closures to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Intro Welcome to a 360-degree celebration of Toronto’s changing faces and places. The 114 Stories X 114 Storeys exhibit […]
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 […]
Did you know Toronto Public Library has a huge collection of digitized photos, books, maps and more? You'll find 170,000+ of these rare and historical items on our Digital Archive Ontario — no library card needed. We've transformed 70 digitized items into online jigsaw puzzles, drawing from our wide range of Special Collections. We hope […]
All the signs of support in our city during the pandemic have been truly inspiring. Also, they made me think of the many wartime posters held in our Baldwin Collection of Canadiana in Special Collections. Both today's signs and these vintage posters capture key moments in history. We turned to the Toronto subreddit (a social […]
Archives and museums not only preserve knowledge — they support learning. For example, Digital Archive Ontario — our database of 170,000+ historical items from Toronto Public Library — has sets of primary sources for educators (e.g. The War of 1812, Prohibition in Ontario, Canadian WWI Posters, Canadian WWII Posters). Below are online lesson plans and […]