Taylor Swift has an unexpected competitor in town, and they could use a little more love from the municipal and provincial governments.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) announced Tuesday it is requesting more funding for the Toronto Public Library in order “to meet the huge and growing demand for its services,” according to a release.
To put the library's success into perspective, the CCPA said 34,000 people use the library's services each day.
In the ten days between Swift's first Toronto concert on Thursday, and her last (and sixth) show on Nov. 23, the CCPA said the Toronto Public Library will likely see more people use their services than the amount of people who will have seen Swift in concert.
The total turnout for The Eras Tour — which by its conclusion will see Swift play for 11 million concertgoers in 21 months — is just half of the library’s visitor counts over the same period, the CCPA said.
“When it comes to attracting fans in Toronto, only one performer comes close to Taylor Swift: the Toronto Public Library,” said Carolina Aragão, author of the new report on library funding from the CCPA.
“It never goes out of style,” Aragão said of the library.
Aragão noted 81 per cent of Torontonians use the library, which generates more than $1 billion each year in economic activity. Every dollar invested leads to an estimated $5.63 in value to locals.
The CCPA claimed the current streams of funding aren’t matching the Toronto Public Library's performance.
“As a vital service with no entry fee, the Toronto Public Library is a haven of learning and connection that builds community, helps welcome new immigrants and holds our city together,” Aragão said. “The case for boosting funding could hardly be stronger.”
The CCPA report makes four recommendations to shore up the library and help it thrive — both now and into the future:
- The city should continue to recognize the key role of the library in city life and use the tools it currently has to boost revenue.
- The city should explore other own-source funding options, such as a municipal income tax, sales tax or other mechanisms.
- The city should work with other municipalities to advocate for increases in the provincial Public Libraries Operating Grant and the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.
- Queen’s Park should recognize its historic role in supporting public libraries and fund them accordingly.
“If Taylor Swift had a song about Torontonians and the Toronto Public Library, it would be Love Story,” Aragão said. “Governments at every level can help keep the relationship strong.”
