On occasion, it is quite possible to judge a book by its cover. Inside the beautiful architecture of the Lillian H. Smith library is a specialized collection of literarure and resource material. In particular, the Canadiana Collections of Children's Literarue and the Bagshaw Collection of Children's Resource Material.
The flagship branch for the City of Toronto's Public Library, it was named after Lillian H. Smith - the first professionally trained children's librarian in the British Empire. Smith came to Toronto at the age of twenty-five and by the end of her 40 years of innovative leadership, children's services were available in 16 branch libraries, 30 schools and two settlement houses, as well as at the flagship Boys and Girls House, opened on St. George Street in 1922.
At the front of the library: two bronzed Griffins stand guard, and if you look closely on your visit, you'll discover more animals hiding in the statues. A part of Terry Murray's Face on Places tour of Toronto, this library is an ountstanding family stop not only for its architecture and stunning interior, but for the wealth of stories and information contained within.
Faces on Places takes us up into the the sky to the fascinating world of creatures and icons that watch over Toronto and its inhabitants. Terry Murray invites readers to delve into the little-know and often overlooked grotesque world of gargoyles and cherubs and caricuatures that adorn some of Toronto's most prominent buildings.
Tours featuring this location.
Our By The Book tour series allows you to navigate all the sites featured in one of our great Ontario books. What better way to bring a book into your world? Walk the streets, try to see a landmark in the context it's been written.
