Saturday 6 April 2019
Public libraries contribute to urban inequality
A recent search for progressive texts in the Toronto Public Library system about public education and popular organizing revealed a disturbing trend; TPL is increasingly buying just one copy of key titles, but that one copy goes to the Reference Library at Yonge and Bloor, in the heart of downtown, where, increasingly, only the well-off can afford to live. You will look in vain for such titles in Scarborough or in northern neighbourhoods, like Jane-Finch, where the real need for such ideas and action is greatest. This policy is beyond tokenism; it is a calculated commitment to the status quo. If TPL wants to support social justice they should invest in the ideas that support it. The likely defensive arguments from TPL management is that they can't afford multiple copies and that they would not be read if they are bought. Our counter- argument is: "Go ahead and try it; your responsibility is not just to buy books, but to promote them locally where they are most needed. Social justice is not a hobby."
# posted by Taodhg @ 1:36 pm 
