• 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. • 2019 Library completes a renovation project to create a multipurpose room and add a Creative Studio space. Improvements also include lighting and new seating in the Livingroom area which was opened up to accommodate in library programming. • 11 April 2020, the library
laid off 28 of its 33 employees as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic. ==See also==