Stadsbiblioteket, Stockholm, Sweden
The Future of Libraries
Toronto, Ontario
Presented by
Toronto International Festival of Authors
Throughout history, the role of the public library has adapted to the times and the community it lives in. Perhaps the most dramatic shift has occurred within the last 20 years.
In Canada, the local library is often the first place new Canadians visit, as a place to learn about the community, join language classes, and to receive crucial access to the internet and other technologies that assist with job searches and networking with others. The support and access models of libraries, such as the Oodi Central Library in Helsinki, Finland, are increasingly going beyond book lending, to provide additional resources such as sewing machines, music studios and tools. Are libraries taking over where community centres left off? Are books being pushed off the shelves? Pull up a chair to this lively conversation between experts from some of the most progressive libraries in the Nordic region and Toronto, about the renewed goals of libraries and their impact on education, innovation and community development.
See full list of event participants below.
Event Supporters
Ronni Abergelis founder of the Human Library Organization, where instead of books, real people with real stories are on loan to readers. Born and raised in Denmark, with stints living in Egypt and the U.S., Ronni first got involved in non-violence activism after a friend was stabbed in Copenhagen. After co-founding the StopTheViolence Movement, an NGO that achieved national recognition for its work with young people, he established The Human Library Organization (Menneskebiblioteket) to help further implementation of the concept and methodology behind StopTheViolence. Ronni is currently focusing on an expansion project to establish ten new Human Library Book Depots across Denmark. He’s also working on developing an app to bring HLO’s books online, and the organization is currently helping to introduce the Human Library concept into South Africa, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Peru, Mongoliaand Israel.
Ann Dixon is the author of eight picture books for children and one nonfiction title for young adults, as well as poems, essays, and nonfiction for adults. She lives in beautiful Homer, Alaska, where she writes, hikes, gardens, and volunteers to drive the Friends of Homer Library bookmobile. Her children’s books have garnered numerous awards, including the National Outdoor Book Award, Ben Franklin Award, and Patricia Gallagher Award. She has a particular interest in northern children’s lit, particularly Swedish, in which she is moderately fluent.
Sarah Ham (they/them) is a student at Carleton University, majoring in English and History, and minoring in Greek and Roman Studies. Sarah is also a former member of Ottawa Public Library’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG), where they spent four years helping to organize library events from book nights to art competitions. They are now a member of The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Youth Advisory Council (YAC), which guides LAC on how youth view, access and relate to Canada’s documentary heritage.
Anne-Rachel Schiffmann (she/her) brings 25 years of design experience to her position as Director at Snohetta. Her expertise anchors a range of award-winning projects, including the Calgary Central Library, the Ryerson University Student Learning Center, and the SFMOMA Expansion. She is currently leading design efforts for the Summit One Vanderbilt Observation Deck in New York City, the Burnside Tokyo restaurant and art space, a cottage on Lake Muskoka, and Snohetta’s ongoing work re-envisioning Ford Motor Company’s R&E campus in Michigan. Anne-Rachel is a registered architect in New York and a member of the American Alliance of Museums.
Janet Smyth (she/her) is an arts programme consultant specialising in strategic planning of events, programmes and projects for children, young people, educators and care-givers within festivals and creative spaces. She has worked with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the National Galleries of Scotland, Seven Stories in Newcastle and is currently Children’s and Families Programmer for International Literature Festival Dublin, Programme Consultant for the Bath Children’s Literature Festival and Reading is Magic virtual festival, Children and Families Programme Curator for the Boswell Book Festival in Scotland and Programme Consultant for the TIFA Kids 2021 Festival.
