Aurora Public Library (Ontario)

Timeline of history

• 1820s: A free library was organized by local Quakers.
• 1855: Aurora Association for the Diffusion of Helpful Knowledge formed, later called the Aurora Mechanics Institute and Library Association. The association provided weekly lectures and concerts rather than lending books.
• 1863: The library had a collection of 500 books and was open for two hours each Friday.
• 1868: The association built The Mechanics Hallis built at the southeast corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets. It was used for lectures and concerts but also as a library reading room.
• 1895: A Public Library Association was formed with a Board of Management appointed by the Town Council.
• 1920: The library assets were absorbed into a Municipal Public Library under the Free Public Libraries Act and the library moved to the Town Hall on the northeast corner of Yonge and Mosley Streets.
• 1926: A children's section was added to the library, but children were only allowed on Saturday afternoons.
• 1945: The library moved to Health Hall, now called Victoria Hall, on the southwest corner of Mosley and Victoria Streets.
• 1963: The library moved to a new dedicated building of at 56 Victoria Street as part of Aurora's centennial.
• 1967: The collection size was 14,900 and there were 5,236 members.
• 1979 A extension was finished, designed to serve a population of 20,000.
• 2001 The library moved to its current location, a facility on the northeast corner of Yonge and Church Streets.