How to get your own tiny library: Tips from Yorkdale-Glen Park residents
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How to get your own tiny library: Tips from Yorkdale-Glen Park residents
The Green Line team visited Lotherton Pathway to learn how residents make books more accessible in their neighbourhood through three tiny libraries.
Rickysha Jn-Baptiste, girls program lead of the Village Bloggurls, sits inside a meeting room at North York Community House.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.
Amanda Seraphina James Rajakumar
Indian immigrant with a post-grad in journalism from Centennial College. Now living in Grange Park, meeting new people, and hearing different stories. Has four names, so it’s a pick-your-player situation.
March 7, 2025
How far would you go to read a physical book?
If it's the middle of winter, maybe across the street or around the block. But, not every neighbourhood has the luxury of having a nearby library.
That’s why residents in Yorkdale-Glen Park made it their mission to get an easy-to-access library for locals.
There are tiny libraries across different neighbourhoods in downtown Toronto, but in the suburbs, they're not as common.
In Yorkdale-Glen Park, the closest public library is a 20-minute bus ride away. Although a Toronto Public Library van visits the neighbourhood with around 200 books every Tuesday from 3 to 4 p.m., its selection isn’t diverse and visits are infrequent.
So, in the tight-knit U-shaped street of Lotherton Pathway, a local youth council decided to take action by setting up three tiny libraries. Village Bloggurls, a local media literacy group in Yorkdale-Glen Park, takes care of them.
Map showing routes to the two closest public libraries from Lotherton Pathway.
: Paul Zwambag for The Green Line.
Lisa Baker, a resident who’s lived on Lotherton Pathway for over 20 years, says residents can miss the TPL van if they aren’t at home at the right time since visits are so infrequent.
“When we decided to have a tiny library in the community, that made a very big difference and impact for the community. So, people didn't have to go far to get a book for their little kids — to read to their kids at night."
The tiny libraries run on one simple rule: Take a book and leave a book. From novels to textbooks, the libraries cater to people from all walks of life.
The Village Bloggurls group stand by the tiny libraries on Lotherton Pathway.
: Village Bloggurls.
“It makes me very happy and proud of the hard work we [do] for the community, so they can have more opportunities and not be scared to just go out there, find a book they want to read and not be shy about it," says Y’Anna Baker, who grew up on Lotherton Pathway and is a Village Bloggurls member.
Y’Anna Baker, a member of the Village Bloggurls, stands inside a room with a Black History Month display at North York Community House.
: AMANDA SERAPHINA/THE GREEN LINE.
In 2012, Lotherton Pathway was part of the Lawrence Heights Social Development Plan, which had a key priority of improving community connection and recreation. And according to the latest City of Toronto census, Yorkdale-Glen Park has a higher unemployment rate and fewer Bachelor's Degree graduates compared to the rest of Toronto.
Bar graph showing the percentage of unemployed residents and residents with Bachelor’s degrees in Yorkdale-Glen Park.
: Paul Zwambag for The Green Line.
That’s where Village Bloggurls play an important role. Launched in 2013, the group formed to bring local girls together, so they could give back to the community. Rickysha Jn-Baptiste, girls program lead for the Village Bloggurls, says maintaining the tiny libraries is one way of doing so.
"It also brings a sense of belonging to the community, and allows [residents] to meet new residents, meet new people and start their own groups,” she explains. “Also just in [terms of] engagement and creating that safe space within the communities where anyone could take a book and leave a book at any hour."
How to get a tiny library
Jn-Baptiste says it’s simple for you to get a tiny library for your own neighbourhood. Here’s what Lotherton Pathway residents did:
- Find a location where it’s legal to set up a library and work with building management to find the right spot with high foot-traffic.
- Build your own library or order a library post from the U.S.-based non-profit Little Free Library. For neighbourhoods with high need and scarce books, the organization offers free libraries through its Impact Library program.
- Donate your own books and collect donations from local book banks.
- Replace books periodically (e.g. every month in the summer, every three months in the winter.)
- Expand programming by hosting book clubs for local residents.
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