Toronto Public Library cyber attack: Public computers available, no printing

Public computers are now back in use at Toronto libraries, months after a cyber attack disrupted their systems, but printing is still not available.

The Toronto Public Library (TPL) announced Tuesday that it has restored computer workstations at all of its branches, allowing patrons to book in advance by phone or through the branch's online reservation system.

While most public computers are backed up and running, Macs are not. Computers for children will soon be available.

While print services remain unavailable, TPL says it has no set date for when it will be back.

Any TPL that has placed the book on hold will notify the customer by phone or email in mid-February when the item is ready for pickup.

“Ultimately, one million books and other materials—returned and new items—will be processed and returned to library shelves,” the library's Feb. 6 service update said.

When the TPL catalog is restored in late February, the library said patrons will be able to host, manage and delete their holdings online.

Toronto Public Library users have been unable to hold books, access their accounts or use computers on site since the October 23 cyber attack. At that time, employees' personal information, including social security numbers and copies of government-issued documents. identification, stolen.

In late January, some sections of the TPL website were restored, including eResources, programs, and branch information.

“We continue to recover from the cyber security incident that compromised all library systems and technology. Restoring systems and services across 100 library branches is a challenging task, and we are making progress in our recovery efforts,” the library's service update said.