A local writer, artist and urban geography graduate has sketched all 99 of Toronto's library branches -- plus two bookmobiles.
Now, 25-year-old Daniel Rotszstain is sharing his sketches on social media and writing a book about what he learned along the way.
The idea arose over beers last summer. Friends told him about cool-sounding libraries that he’d never seen in Scarborough and Etobicoke, despite having grown up in Toronto.
He was between jobs, and he wanted to see the buildings, so he conceived of a project that could eventually be turned into a book. He has also since started selling prints of his sketches.
Rotszstain got to work last August and finished on election day, Oct. 27. He travelled from branch to branch on bike, foot and public transit, drawing as many as eight in a day.
The varied architecture is part of what drew him to the libraries.
“Toronto’s libraries are as diverse as the city itself,” he says. “That was part of the pleasure of the quest.”
He was also pleased to see how well the system works in an amalgamated city.
Each branch benefits from being part of larger system, but is small enough to serve the needs of local communities, he says.
For example, local branches all have unique collections, that may include some books in languages that are only common in the neighbourhood. At the same time, any branch can quickly get a book delivered from another in the system.
Rotszstain also came to better understand his fellow citizens' political beliefs.
While sketching the Albion branch in suburban Etobicoke, he got into a heated discussion with a self-proclaimed Doug Ford supporter who correctly identified Rotszstain as a downtown-dweller who would not support the Fords.
They argued for a bit, but Rotsztain came to see that Etobicoke residents feel underrepresented at City Hall.
Another idea that was cemented in his mind is the importance of a public place where people can work, learn and collaborate.
“It’s one of the last non-commercialized indoor spaces,” he says.
He was reminded of this while sketching a branch of a library from inside the corridor of a shopping mall. A security guard told him to move along. That wouldn’t happen inside the branch.
Libraries are so architecturally varied that it’s difficult to pick favourites, but Rotsztain has a few.
Among the older branches he likes are Annette Street, which he calls “a very solid beautiful red brick building grounded in the neighbourhood."
He's also partial to Weston, with its whimsical Arts and Crafts style and cozy interior.
Among newer locations, he likes Malvern’s modernist branch, and also appreciates the city's newest, at Fort York.
Fort York is among his favourites because it was done well, despite pressure to cut budgets while it was being built, he says.
Rotsztain hopes the city will continue to invest in new libraries in the future.
"We need more spaces like this."
When the 100th branch opens at the Scarborough Civic Centre this spring, he will be among the first there -- with his sketch pad, of course.
