Toronto Public Library

Bloor gladstone is one of those libraries that looks bigger on the outside, this library is two parts, the stone building that was the original library and the glass building that was an addition during the Renovation back in 2006. The library and building was deemed an historial building back in midst of 90’s hence why the original building is still there, Not like most branches like Cederbrae or Brentwood that have gone through entire renovation where the original building has been taken down
The original building now just serve mostly as the circulation desk, and part of computer lab, if you see it now, you know why the expansion was needed, it not a large building. The majority of the adult section, which is second floor of glass building is there same with kid section which is part of main floor, there is vast amount of study places including chairs by the fireplace on the second floor,
The design throws me off a bit since the bridge between the new and old building on second floor has a random door in between the two plan that lead to nowhere, if you were to try to use it, you would fall to main floor. I guess it there for effect
There are three group study rooms and many spots to plug in and study… due to open concept of this library noise from second floor travel down and vise verse, usually the staff are on top of this so it usually peaceful to study

Great space. Comfortable seating. However, terribly slow internet connection, and the noise echoes through the whole place from the entrance. I prefer highpark even though it’s a dump in comparison. At least it’s quiet and the wifi is reasonable.

I’m so glad I finally stopped in! This library has a great layout, well organized, very spacious and there’s lots of different types of seating and lounging areas. They also have many study areas with tables, privacy hutch desks, and computer stations.
I am also extremely impressed with the programs, seminars, and events they offer. There’s a lot of variety, and they are catered towards all different age groups and educational levels. I am eager to attend ones on useful topics for the average working adult. I don’t have kids, but they seem to have a lot of events and programs for children as well on the lower children’s level.
This library made me excited to come back and take full advantage of everything it had to offer!

I’ve passed by this library many times but never step foot in it and I’m so glad I did. It’s very spacious with lots of seating and tables, especially by the large windows where natural lighting is appreciated. Definitely a great study spot.

This library is very bright and smartly designed, architecturally. They’ve managed to fit in a lot of comfortable seating, including a lot of desk spaces that are great for working. The collection seems reasonably good, from my perusals; I was impressed at the number of different languages covered — Italian, Vietnamese, you name it. They also have a wide assortment of magazines. There are study spaces available for bookings of 2 hours at a time, if you’re looking for somewhere extra quiet to work, or somewhere to collaborate without disturbing other patrons.
This would have been a 5 star review except that the wifi at this branch is terribly slow — visiting on a Monday morning, it took over a minute to load a simple webpage. The other issue is that a facility of this size absolutely needs more, and better maintained, washrooms.

I like this library. It’s clean and huge and the staff are ultra helpful. The first couple of times I went to this library was without incident. The one time I went to study… not so much.
There was a disgruntled courier sitting at one of the reading stations with his head down. I thought he was crying so I sat at the table opposite to him. This was not an act of concern on my part, I just saw that it was the only station with an outlet, and my phone needed immediate charging. I also figured he’d probably be leaving soon because a public display of eye water is somewhat embarrassing when you’re a grown man/​courier.
As I plugged in my phone, the man pounded his fists on the table and shouted «eff this man!» Immediately some guy told him to «chill, you’re in a library! Relax!» Then the courier (who resembled Redman of Wutang or could have possibly been Redman of Wutang) said, «it’s like that man? these effing *gay slurs* are out there man!» to which the guy replied, «don’t talk to me like that man, have some respect, you’re in a library.» The crazy courier then stormed off, spewing hate throughout the library, as small children read with their loving parents.
See, that right there? That’s not the library’s fault. That’s Dufferin and Bloor for ya. I was kinda soured so I packed my things and left the library.
The inebriated man that had been slithering around the nearby Popeye’s entrance when I was entering the library was now talking to police officers. I heard him saying,‘yeah I was a little tired before, but now I’m fine.” Yeah right. I saw this guy fall over three times trying to get on his bike, and he was quivering the whole time. It was really weird. I saw the cigarette in his mouth vibrate like a rubber pencil. That man was on SOMETHING.
Library = good. Duff/​Bloor = not so good.
4 stars!

Woah!
Ok, I’ve gotta agree with the others that architecturally, this ones a real beauty!
There’s a large array of magazines targeting probably every audience, including a couple of magazines in different languages, I believe I saw Portuguese, Korean and another, which I think is a good call based on the languages predominantly spoken in area, outside of English. I like this inclusion. Good stuff.
Because my local library is North York Center, the giant five floor library, I’m slightly biased in terms of size/​selection lol, but it seems to be a well equipped branch. TPL did good with this one.
Even if books aren’t your thing, definitely a nice place to come and wander through and look at!

The Bloor Gladstone library is a centrally located branch at Bloor and Gladstone. The building is modern, with plenty of glass used throughout the design. There is a lot of natural light. Throughout the first and second floor, there is seating available between rows of bookshelves, although most aren’t ideal if you are bringing a laptop. There are probably a couple dozen public use computers, some of them being express use only. There are many desks/​computers that are not heavily used, as they are reserved for children and parents only.
The book collection seems to be average, with the library placing much less emphasis on displaying featured books, etc. The Wi-​Fi works at moderate speeds, with YouTube working fine.
To the immediate right of the entrance there is a hallway that leads to a meeting room, often used for library-​hosted events. However, when the room if free, it is an excellent place to study, with many wide tables, outlets, washrooms nearby.
Next door to the library there is a PopEye’s chicken, across the street there is a Jerk King chicken, and many other restaurants within a few minutes walk.
Highly recommended.

The Bloor-​Gladstone library is my neighbourhood branch of the TPL system, at least the branch closest to the routes I normally take. It’s a wonderful building, the restored old section mated to a stunning new glass construction, providing access to a substantial collection of its own and virtual access to the rest of the TPL’s huge collection, as well as space aplenty for public computer use (WiFi and the branch’s own terminals) and other meetings.
The restoration project of a few years ago was a huge success. Well done.

This is an architecturally gorgeous space, that has excellent WiFi and plenty of electrical plugs for personal electronics. Since this is a district library, it has consistent hours and is open on Sundays during the school-​year. It has a great meeting space, and has a decent audio/​visual collection.
Since it is on the Bloor-​Danforth TTC subway line, I get off at Dufferin and walk the one block it takes to get to Bloor-​Gladstone. When I am not using TPL’s Reference Library, or the University of Toronto’s Robarts Library, this is where I go to read, write and relax with a book or digital media, or watch the street-​life unfold below me.

A great branch of a great library! The Gladstone branch is almost 2 libraries and one; there is the beautifully restored original portion as well as the ultramodern Borg cube that is the right half of the building. Great super comfy armchairs with built-​in laptop surfaces, decent FREE WiFi and one of the best selections of DVDs.
The only real con is that the place can be a bit noisy due to inherent structural issues as well as unchecked loud people and, the lowest of the low, library cell phone talkers.

Love Bloor Gladstone Library! It is the best Toronto Public library I been to!
Love how the new and the old structure just compliment and blend with each other so nicely… love the old arches and the vaulted ceilings. love the big huge windows that letting in all the sunshine…
Love the free WIFI. and the numerous electric outlets for laptops or whatever you need to charge up!
Love those comfy individual armchairs… I can just have a power nap in one of them anytime!
Love the location! Right across from Dufferin subway station…
I am in LOVE!

There are better libraries than the Gladstone branch, but if you live in the neighbourhood and this happens to be your only benchmark, you really should get out to the other locations.
Yes the architecture and interior design here is nice, but there are some negatives which can detract from the experience:
— spotty wifi: In general the TPL rules the internet airwaves with a heavy hand (over restrictive proxy practices, bandwidth throttling perhaps) but for some reason this library was slower than the rest.
— the main foyer area is a class-​A noise-​generator and unfortunately this permeates throughout the library. People talk out loud when entering and this echoes off the walls and into other areas… but the worst is the chatter (screaming) from the children’s area located on the lower level which for some reason does not have any walls or doors to contain both the noise and stray kids wandering around.
— the ONE place in the library that is quiet is on the second floor furthest to the east, but realestate is in high demand here and the area is not laptop friendly since there aren’t many tables near the windows that have power outlets. I did bring an extension cord and ran it from one of the outlets, but the punchy security guard with the bad moustache shut that down pretty fast (tripping hazard apparently. who knew).
— if you do manage to get a seat with a view the homeless people yelling at the pedestrians outside can be a bit distracting.
Don’t get me wrong: I do like the renewal that the libraries are undergoing, but dealing with the hard rules and logistics is a stark reminder that it’s still a municipal service run by a commission with their own interpretation of ‘Community Service’
For a better experience, try the newly reno’d Northern District branch at yonge/​eg with decent views and plenty of laptop stations in quiet areas. OR the Toronto Reference Library, which hosted a live hardcore punk band recenty… now that’s the spirit!

This is quite possibly one of the nicest libraries in the city.
With two large glass and stone fireplaces, tons of computer stations and free Wifi this place is great.
I didin’t find their selection all that great but you can always have books you need shipped in from other locations with the online hold option.

Wow, I was shocked when I stopped in to check my email one sunny day. Recently renovated in a modern, large window, high-​tech motif that in many ways would hold its own with large corporation meeting room facilities. Great spot to read and use the interweb and right across from Dufferin subway station.

From the moment I first walked into this library, I’ve been completely in love. Huge ceiling arches, bright sunlight streaming through floor to ceiling windows in the new section, and many many places to curl up with a book or some homework. Sold.
This library is so magical (I’m almost convinced that faeries are involved) that the computers know which books you’re checking out without the involvement of a single human. (i know about rif technology, but prefer to maintain my faerie hypothesis).

A recent renovation has made this my favourite library branch in town. It’s bright, open, and inviting. Lots of comfortable chairs to sit in, plenty of desk space, and free WiFi. I think they did a great job incorporating the new addition with the original brick building.
As for the books, I can’t really comment on the selection as I usually go with a specific book in mind and have never browsed the collection before. But, it’s pretty much irrelevant anyway because:
Pro Tip: The Toronto Public Library website allows members to order books online and have them delivered to any library in the city. With a service like that I don’t see any reason to buy books anymore.

There is a library here but it’s terrible so don’t go.
It’s been open since July and you can see a lot of money was spent on the renovation and restoration. Now it’s all modern and good-​looking, stream-​line and chic in a non-​libraryish way. The addition is almost entirely glass and brings in a lot of natural light which is just horrible because we all know that sunlight gives you cancer and burns your retinas.
What’s worse is that this library improvement could be a sign of things to come. What will happen to all those beloved 1950s-​era, dim, windowless, but cozy bombshelters that represent the essence of TLP?
I say boycott the Bloor-​Gladstone Library. We need to protect and preserve those dark and dank libraries and our retinas from this eminent threat!