A trip to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with your family can cost more than a week of groceries. What if a small plastic card could get you in for free? A Toronto Public Library card does that, and much more.
The Toronto Public Library is one of the busiest public library systems in the world. It has 100 branches and over 46 million visits each year. Yet many people still use their card only for books.
In this post, you will learn seven benefits of a Toronto Public Library card. You will find free attraction passes, musical instruments, streaming, newspapers, online courses, trusted research databases, 3D printers, and personal help. At the end, you will learn how to get a card and which card type to choose.
1. Free Passes to Museums and Attractions
This is the benefit most people want. The tpl:map program gives adult cardholders free admission to some of the city's top attractions. It was once called the Museum + Arts Pass, or MAP.
Places that take part include the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Toronto Zoo, and Ripley's Aquarium of Canada. You can also visit the Aga Khan Museum, the Bata Shoe Museum, the Gardiner Museum, and the Toronto Railway Museum. Performing arts groups such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Tafelmusik take part too.
Each pass covers a different number of guests. For example, the ROM pass covers the cardholder plus three guests. The Toronto Zoo pass covers two adults and two children aged 3 to 12.
Here is how it works. Log in at tpl.ca/map with your card number and PIN. Choose an attraction and a date, then print or download your pass.
Passes go fast. Most are released at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, for visits in the following month. You can hold one active reservation at a time.
Set a phone reminder for Wednesday, December 2, at 1:55 p.m. That release covers January visits, and the system is offline from 1 to 2 p.m. that day.
Everything I just told you is true. But there is a big exception, and it catches many people. I will explain it in the last section.
2. Borrow a Musical Instrument
Have you always wanted to learn the guitar or the ukulele? You do not need to buy one first. The Sun Life Musical Instrument Lending Library lends instruments for free with a valid card.
The collection includes guitars, ukuleles, banjos, mandolins, keyboards, and accordions. Three branches lend them: Parkdale, Downsview, and York Woods. Call the branch first to check if your instrument is available.
The loan lasts three weeks. You can renew twice, for up to nine weeks in total. Each cardholder borrows one instrument at a time and returns it to the same branch.
You must sign a lending agreement. A parent or guardian signs for anyone under 18. If you lose or damage the instrument, you pay a replacement fee.
3. Free Movies, eBooks, and Audiobooks
Your card works like a free streaming subscription service. The Libby app lets you borrow eBooks and audiobooks. Kanopy offers films, documentaries, and classic cinema. Hoopla offers movies, music, and comics.
Kanopy uses a ticket system, and some titles cost more tickets than others. Kanopy Kids gives children unlimited viewing with no tickets.
Think about what you pay each month for streaming. Then, try the library apps for one month before you renew a paid service.
4. Newspapers and Magazines from Around the World
Paywalls block many news sites. Your card opens some of them. PressReader gives you over 7,000 newspapers and magazines, including the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
You can also read the New York Times online. Redeem a library pass, and each pass gives you 72 hours of access. When it ends, redeem another one.
This benefit is a great fit for people who follow news from their home country. PressReader carries papers from many countries and in many languages.
5. Online Courses and Trusted Research
Your card gives you free access to LinkedIn Learning. It offers video courses on business, software, design, photography, and more. Without a library card, you must pay for a premium account to use it.
Mango Languages is also free. It offers interactive courses in 71 languages, including Cherokee and Potawatomi.
Your card also opens commercial research databases. The library pays for these services, so you do not have to. They hold articles, business directories, and practice tests.
This content is different from a random web search. It comes from publishers, newspapers, and journals, so editors have checked it before it reaches you. You get information you can trust and cite.
Some examples include Canadian Business and Current Affairs, Canadian Newsstream, Consumer Reports, and Oxford Reference. Students can use them for reports and essays. Business owners can use them to research companies and markets.
Here is a simple plan. Pick one skill you need for work this year. Find one short LinkedIn Learning course on it and finish it before the end of the month.
6. 3D Printers and Creative Technology
The Digital Innovation Hubs are free creative spaces for people of all ages and skill levels. All you need is your card. Ten branches have a hub, including the Toronto Reference Library, Fort York, North York Central Library, and Scarborough Civic Centre.
Each hub has 3D printers and design software. The Toronto Reference Library hub also has a recording studio with a green screen, virtual reality, and computers with Adobe Creative Cloud. You can reserve a hub computer online.
Classes are free, but you must register. Note that 3D printing may have a cost, so check the price list before you print. Book a printer by calling the branch.
7. Personal Help from Library Staff
Sometimes you need a person, not a database. With Book-A-Librarian, you can schedule an appointment at a branch for one-on-one help with library services. Staff can even walk you through a tpl:map booking.
Newcomers to Canada get extra support. Through Library Settlement Partnerships, settlement workers from local agencies work inside select branches. They give free information and referrals on jobs, housing, schools, and more. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada funds the program.
How to Get Your Card (and the Big Exception)
The card is free if you live, work, go to school, or own property in Toronto. It is also free if you live on a First Nations reserve in Ontario. For a full card, visit any branch with an ID that shows your name and address.
Toronto residents aged 13 and older can also sign up online for a Digital Access Card. It gives you digital services for 12 months.
Now, the exception. Digital Access Card holders cannot book tpl:map passes. The same rule applies to non-resident, visitor, temporary, and corporate cardholders. If you want free museum passes, you need a full adult card from a branch.
If you do not qualify for a free card, you can buy a non-resident card. It costs $50 for three months or $150 for 12 months. It gives you borrowing privileges, but not tpl:map passes.
Your Next Step
Pick the parts that apply to you. Check which card you hold, then choose one benefit to try this week. Book a museum pass, borrow a ukulele, or start a free course.
Your library card is one of the best free tools in this city. A Toronto Public Library card turns a branch visit into a museum trip, a music lesson, or a new skill.
Sources
- Getting Started with Toronto Public Library
- tpl:map FAQ
- Free Toronto Attractions With a Library Card: How the tpl:map Pass Works (Lost in Toronto)
- Borrow a Musical Instrument
- Mobile Apps for Library Services
- Your Library Card Now Gives You Access to NYTimes.com
- Maximizing Toronto Public Library's Resources (Eesti Elu)
- Toronto Public Library: More Than Just Books (Humber College)
- Digital Innovation Hubs
- 3D Printers
- Learning How to 3D Print at the Toronto Public Library (TorontoToday)
- Build Connections and Celebrate Library Settlement Partnerships
- Your Library Card
- Your Library Card: Fees
- Articles & Online Research
- Toronto Public Library Update: Online Services
