Despite cuts, both threatened and actual, Toronto's libraries seem to be humming along busily. According to the latest numbers, circulation is up and there's been a big jump in e-book lending especially (though it still makes up a tiny fraction of the Toronto Public Library's work). According to the Toronto Star:

The Toronto Public Library is reporting that digital downloads from its site will hit 500,000 this year, double the number from 2010 and more than 10 times what they were in 2007.

“This is a huge jump,” said Anne Marie Aikins, the library’s manager of community relations. “And incidentally, book borrowing is increasing slightly as well, so the book isn’t dead. That's for sure.” The library had its busiest year in 2010, with 18 million visits and 32 million items circulated.

But the library may have to limit additions to its digital and print collections this year, as it searches for ways to cut the mandated 10 per cent—or $17 million—from its 2011 operating budget to reduce the city’s deficit.

But, to quote Bob Barker, there's more! Toronto's schools are also seeing increasing enrolment, with the Toronto District School board predicting that they'll see an increase of almost 40,000 students by 2035 as the children of baby boomers have a little baby boomlet of their own.

With all the talk of whether Toronto is on the ropes—just last night, the Walrus Magazine and the Art Gallery of Ontario hosted a debate over whether this city could ever be beautiful—it's important to note that fundamentally, there are a lot of trends in the city's favor.

Blog photo by ilkerender via Flickr.