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Toronto Public Library considers selling ads

Faced with a demand by the city to make up a $3.9 million budget shortfall, the Toronto Public Library is considering a revenue-generating proposal that could result in private-sector advertising on the back of due-date slips.

Tonight, the TPL board will debate the necessity of an advertising policy, a first step before hiring a consultant to handle ad sales. According to the Torontoist, the TPL hasn’t needed a policy up until now because it’s only ever accepted sponsorships and occasional ads inside printed programs. As the article points out, libraries selling advertising is considered an “unusual strategy that would raise eyebrows in other cities.”

Other money-making ideas that have been suggested in the past couple months include increasing fines and selling ebooks.

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