Library Tech Confidential

Soon, the City of Toronto will release a final report detailing its highly-anticipated and long overdue redevelopment of Union Station (our downtown subway, regional bus and regional/long-distance rail terminal).

Plans that the City has made available so far emphasize expanded retail space to complement the mostly food-centric vendors already onsite. Local transit whiz Steve Munro has a great overview of the station’s present and possible future.

You know what I think would be great? A storefront-style branch of the Toronto Public Library.

The idea(s):

• Beefy holds pick-up desk for commuters to pick up reading material for their trip home, an upcoming weekend at the cottage, or to help their kids with homework.
• Information desk, maps and a reference collection tailored for tourists and other travellers to augment the Travellers’ Aid booth that never seems to be open.
• With the ability to place holds well in advance online, it’s very convenient for patrons, and materials could be transferred in from other branches and checked out at the Union Station branch like any other.

The problem(s):

• By definition, commuters passing through Union aren’t from Toronto. This is a lot of effort to serve the clientele of other municipalities’ library systems.
• Optics (and ethics) of rolling out new services aimed at white-collar, middle-class adult commuters from the exurbs at the percieved expense of disadvantaged children in the City’s own priority neighbourhoods.
• Any bookstores that move into the new retail space will strenuously object, potentially demanding some kind of exclusivity arrangement with the City.
• Difficult delivery truck access to the branch for pickups and deliveries of materials coming in from other branches (though this doesn’t seem to stop the other storefront operations in the station).

Oh, well. It seemed like a good idea for about five minutes.

Photo credit: “Union Station, Toronto” by Flickr user StarbuckGuy
(Creative Commons)