About 100 public library workers rallied outside the Toronto Reference Library Wednesday afternoon as the countdown towards a potential strike or lockout continued.

The rally began at noon and was expected to include speeches from several library workers and users.

According to CUPE Local 4948 President Maureen O'Reilly, the rally was organized to inform the public of the unique challenges her union members face.

"More than 50 per cent of our members are part time and struggling to make a living and we just can't have a city template imposed upon us," she told CP24. "We are a different and unique bargaining unit and we have delivered to Torontonians the most used public library system in the world."

Robert Priest, a Toronto based poet, was one of several speakers during the rally and told CP24 that he was worried about the impact a labour disruption would have on city residents.

"Libraries have been important to me all my life as sources of information, entertainment and inspiration and librarians are essential to that," he told CP24. "They carry on the fire of literature and we need more of them, not less."

About 2,300 library workers represented by CUPE Local 4948 will be eligible to walk off the job at midnight on Sunday after the Ontario Labour Relations Board approved their request for a ‘no board' report earlier this month.

The workers, who have already voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, have repeatedly accused the city of being unwilling to negotiate.

The main sticking points that have prevented a new deal from being ratified have revolved around job security and the city's desire to have part-time workers play a bigger role in running libraries, O'Reilly said.

"We want to be able to continue to deliver great services to Torontonians and we need certain supports to do that," O'Reilly said.

On Wednesday morning Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said the city just wants an agreement that is fair to both workers and taxpayers.

"Even if we were to get all the conditions changed that we want, our employees would still be left with one of the best contracts in all of Canada," he told CP24. "We just want something that is fair to the taxpayers. We want to be able to provide service in a flexible and efficient manner and save tax dollars."

CUPE Local 4948 has been without a contract since midnight on Dec. 31.