Ajax Public Library is a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

system in

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

History

The first Ajax Public Library opened December 13, 1952. This library contained 1,175 books and served a population of 4,057. A new main branch was constructed in 1967 as a

Centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

project. The new branch was built next to the original and led to a surge in library activity. In 1974, the boundaries of Ajax were expanded to include Pickering Village, which resulted in the Ajax Public Library absorbing the village's library into its network. This second branch was called the Village Branch. This would be the first time there would be more than one Ajax library branch. The Village Branch closed in 2019. Ajax library main branch

Governance

The Ajax Public Library is governed by a nine-member board appointed by Ajax Town Council. The board is composed of eight citizen members and one councillor.

Services

Collections

The library's collection count is 235,000 items and includes books, movies, music, magazines, audiobooks, book club kits, and daisy readers.

Makerspace

The McLean branch contains a

library makerspace A library makerspace, also named Hackerspace or Hacklab, is an area and/or service that offers library patrons an opportunity to create intellectual and physical materials using resources such as computers, 3D printing, 3-D printers, 3D scanning, a ...

. This workspace gives library card holders access to specialized equipment for a small fee. The Ajax Makerspace contains a vinyl cutting machine, 3d printer, soldering station, laser cutter, button/magnet maker, book/coil binder, and large format printer, among other digital tools.

Technology

All branches of the Ajax Public Library include public access to computers and free wireless internet. The library also loans mobile hotspots, which can be borrowed for up to 21 days.

Digital content

An Ajax Public Library card gives access to different online services such as

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

s, comics, and graphic novels, digital newspapers and magazines, movies and TV shows, and music. The library is partnered with Hoopla, which free offers access to different media such as audiobooks, ebooks, music and TV shows.

Ajax Archives

The Ajax Archives was established by town council in 2010. In 2022, the management of the archives was transferred from the Town of Ajax to the Ajax Public Library. The archives contain a collection of municipal records of permanent value and include photos, documents, and books. Many items in the collection have been digitized and can be accessed online.

Branches

The library previously operated the Village Library branch, which closed in 2019.

References

Bibliography

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.ajaxlibrary.ca Public libraries in Ontario Libraries established in 1952