Canada’s largest public library condemns banning of Mistry Book
Canada's largest public library condemns banning of Mistry Book
Toronto Public Library adds its voice to the growing concern over University of Mumbai withdrawal of "Such a Long Journey"
The Toronto Public Library wishes to express its concern over the removal of Canadian author Rohinton Mistry’s book Such a Long Journey from the University of Mumbai’s curriculum and the subsequent burning of the book by the right-wing nationalist group, Shiv Sena. The Library finds the book burning particularly abhorrent as this act has become emblematic of the destruction of knowledge and culture.
“The restriction of access to this book goes against the Library’s fundamental values of support for intellectual freedom, opposition to censorship and the promotion of universal access to a broad range of human knowledge,” said Jane Pyper, Toronto Public Library City Librarian. “We wish to add our voice to those of other organizations and individuals in requesting that the University reconsider its decision and reaffirm its commitment to unimpeded access to information, and to the free exchange of ideas.”
No similar objections were made when the book was published in 1991 or when it was added to the University’s curriculum in 2007. Mistry’s story of a bank clerk living through India’s political turmoil in the 1970s, won'the Governor General’s Award for fiction and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book and was short-listed for the Booker Prize. It has been translated into twenty-nine languages and is owned by public and academic libraries worldwide. Toronto Public Library owns 59 copies, many of which are replacements of well-used copies, and it continues to be heavily borrowed, an indication of its lasting importance and popularity.
Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban public library system. Every year, more than 17.5 million people visit our 99 branches and borrow more than 31 million items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library, visit our website at torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131.
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Media Contact:
Linda Hazzan, Director, Marketing & Communications, 416-455-7360
lhazzan@torontopubliclibrary.ca
8 thoughts on “Canada’s largest public library condemns banning of Mistry Book”
Well done, TPL.
a) The library isn’t a person. If the head of the organization wants to condemn something, that’s fine but it’s enormously silly to say “The Toronto Library…” as if it’s an individual.
b) I’d bet anything that TPL is not the busiest urban library system. You really expect me to believe that the NY system is used less?
hear, hear, TPL!!!
The “busiest urban public library system” statement is based on the following 2009 figures from The IFLA Metropolitan Libraries Survey: Toronto Public Library has higher circulation per capita (11.9) than any other international or North American library system serving a population base over 2 million followed by Queens Borough (10.2), Hong Kong (8.5) and Brooklyn, New York (6.8).
Oh, Rantguy –
1) A corporate statement released by the public face of the company is nothing new, and the statements she’s releasing regarding the support for broad access are a treasured belief of librarians and part of our professional mandate and therefore safe to say on behalf of the library’s professional employees, as well, so that’s kind of a useless rant.
2) New York’s library system *would* be the busiest except for the fact that while New York as a city is integrated and counts their population as one, their library systems were established before that amalgamation had fully happened, so The New York Public Library covers only Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Queen snad Brooklyn each have their own library systems.
If your going to rant, please at least sort out your facts first, won’t you?
Careful what you bet Therantguy. Although Queens and Brooklyn amalgamated into New York City in 1898, their separate library systems did not. Thus, New York City now has three public library systems. The New York Public Library serves the boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. These however are the three smallest boroughs putting NYPL behind Queens and Brooklyn, the two largest, which each have their own systems. If those three systems ever amalgamated into one system it would indeed be both larger and busier. Prior to Toronto’s public library amalgamation, Queens was in fact the biggest. Hope that helps.
As the city librarian, she is in authority position to represent the TPL, and she is entitled to issue the statement to express the position of TPL. Every time when the Minister of Foreign Affair or the spokesperson issues a statement, do we challenge the authority of the government? Or will we insist on a resolution from the parliament or even referendum? No, we don’t. Common sense should prevail.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is concerned that Exit International, a prominent right-to-die organization, is facing undue restrictions in carrying out its work in Canada. CCLA recently learned that the Toronto Public Library (TPL) refused to rent a library meeting room to Exit International, due to concerns about the content of one of its workshops…The Canadian Civil Liberties Association believes that the unduly restrictive interpretations of the law on the part of the TPL and the TBC constitute unwarranted constraints on freedom of speech and the right to information.