North York Central Library Blog

We are starting an exciting phase of the renovation program at the North York Central Library this week – this is the beginning of the construction of the new Circulation, Browsery and Children’s areas on the main floor.  When completed, this will include a large KidStop for young children featuring a transportation theme, a Discovery Zone for school-aged children, and a study terrace. At the same time, construction will begin on our new Creation Loft and Reading Room on the second floor.  The Creation Loft will feature leading edge technology in its content creation spaces including a digital innovation hub, fabrication lab, expanded music rooms, a media lounge, and a learning lab to support e-learning. 

The library will be OPEN during the different phases of construction.  

Starting the week of July 11: 

The Language, Literature & Fine Arts collection on the second floor will be moving to its temporary location on the 5th and 6th floors. Service will be provided on the second floor until the move is complete by the end of the week. Some of the collection will be unavailable when the collection is being moved.  Please see staff for assistance. Call 416-395-5639 to check on the availability of collections.

Once the temporary move is complete,  

• the 5th floor will have the following Language, Literature & Fine Arts collections:
  • Magazines
  • Graphic novels 
  • Fiction 
  • Science Fiction 
  • Music scores 
  • English CDs
  • Non-fiction  

• the 6th floor will have the following Language, Literature & Fine Arts  collections: 
  • English DVDs 
  • Language learning materials 
  • Mysteries
  • Large Print books 
  • French materials 
  • Multilingual materials (Chinese, German, Hindu, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Tagalog) 

The concourse study hall will close in preparation for the Children’s Department’s move into the space. 

• Space will be cleared in the Teen Zone area for the relocation of the Browsery collection.
• The Children’s Department will move from the main floor to the concourse level and will close temporarily to facilitate its move. During the move, a Read, Play, and Chill Zone will be provided for families. 
• The holds and the Circulation service desk will also be moved to the concourse level. 
• The main entrance to the library will be re-located to the concourse level.  

As some items in the collection may not be available on the days of the move, please call 416-395-5672 for updates about what collection moves are underway. 

We look forward to serving you throughout this exciting project.