Visit museums, galleries on library card

The Toronto Public Library has an amazing new item in circulation: the Museum and Arts Pass, or MAP.

The MAP, which can be borrowed using a valid adult library card at any Toronto Public Library branch, grants family access to Downtown favourites like the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Bata Shoe Museum, the Gardiner Museum, the Museum of Inuit Art, and the Textile Museum of Canada, in addition to city-run museums like Colborne Lodge, Fort York, Gibson House, and Mackenzie House.

The Parliament, St. James Town, Lillian H. Smith, Parkdale, and Sanderson branches also offer passes to the Royal Ontario Museum, Casa Loma, and the Ontario Science Centre.

Passes are available for one-week periods starting March 7. Quantities are limited and passes are issued on a first-come first-served basis.

Borrowing rules apply: for instance, each pass admits one family. Patrons cannot borrow more than one pass per week.

Most venues provide access for up to two adults and up to four children during regular operating hours.

MAP is sponsored by Sun Life Financial. Visit torontopubliclibrary.ca