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TPL surveyed Canadian and U.S. public library systems and found that commercial advertising is uncommon. Mississauga and Kitchener are examples of places that do, and it brings in a “modest” amount of money.

Councillor Janet Davis, a member of the library board, fears this push for advertising dollars is “selling our souls.”

“We’ve plastered our public spaces everywhere with advertising, to the point where you can’t recognize a subway or streetcar, you smack into billboards as you’re walking down sidewalks,” she said. “Where do you draw the line? I say you draw the line at schools and libraries.”

But Councillor Paul Ainslie, chairman of the library board, doesn’t see what’s wrong with advertising on the back of slips, or looking at other options that help raise revenue. “People want programming at the library but they don’t want their taxes raised, and we have to find a way to do that,” he said. “It’s not like we’re putting up a flashing billboard while you’re trying to read a book.” Mr. Ainslie has already been contacted by three different firms that advertise on the back of grocery store slips with a roster of clients that “library patrons would find acceptable.”

“You’re not going to find a strip bar advertised on the back of a library slip. You’re not going to find any bars either,” he said.

Linda Hazzan, director of communications for the library, said it is expecting to get most interest from “services and programs that are complimentary to the services we deliver,” such as not-for-profit, educational organizations or publishers. Councillor Cesar Palacio, also a member of the board, is confident staff will exercise “common sense” when choosing what companies have access to the eyeballs of more than 19-million visitors a year. Policy states library staff will sign off on all commercial messages, which must be appropriate for all ages.

National Post

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