There’s a political fight in Toronto over whether or not to cut funding to library branches and services, to meet the needs of the city budget.

A report was put forward by consultants suggesting that closing library branches will cut 13 million from the budget, but it did not specify just how many should be shut down.

The city is looking to help close a $774 million dollar gap in the 2012 budget. Closing libraries is just one suggestion on a long list of city services that could potentially be on the chopping block.
One Toronto councillor – Doug Ford — has been very vocal about closing libraries to help meet budget needs, saying he would close a library in his ward in a “heartbeat.”
He’s also responding to the campaign to save branches, which is backed by homegrown legendary author, Margaret Atwood. Ford says the movement is an “over-reaction” led by library groups.
And some are probably wondering: are libraries really needed in a society that has e-readers, tablets and iPhones? It seems information is at our fingertips at any given moment.
Joining Mark and Liz in studio is a member of the Toronto Public Library board, Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler.