Toronto Reference Library
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Reference Library is located at 789 Yonge Street
, one block north of Bloor Street
, in Toronto
, Ontario. Formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, the name was changed in 1998 when it was incorporated into the Toronto Public Library
system..
The 38,691 m² (416,035 sq. ft.) five-storey building, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama
, opened in 1977 and is the biggest public reference library in Canada. The library
's collection is mostly non-circulating
, although some materials can be borrowed.
The library operated separately before the amalgamation of the City of Toronto and surrounding boroughs in 1998. It is one of the three largest libraries in the city along with the Robarts Library
at the University of Toronto
and Scott Library at York University
.
The library had 1,653,665 catalogued items in 2010 , including:
The TD Gallery is the library's exhibit gallery, and features exhibits of art, books, documents, manuscripts and other items from the collections. The Gallery is currently closed for renovations.
Like all libraries in the Toronto Public Library system, the reference library offers free wireless Internet, as well as computers that can be used free of charge. Many of these public computers are located on the main floor, but they are also available on all floors including the basement. The Digital Design Studio, provides access to more advanced software and staff assistance for a small fee.
at the Toronto Reference Library are:
The library also has an extensive performing arts collection, including papers and information on many Canadian artists, such as Al Waxman
and The Dumbells. Some of the materials in this collection are available online.
When not in use for library programs the Salon is available to be rented for private functions.
The project includes:
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
, one block north of Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario. Formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, the name was changed in 1998 when it was incorporated into the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is a public library system based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest public library system in Canada and in 2008, had averaged a higher...
system..
The 38,691 m² (416,035 sq. ft.) five-storey building, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama
Raymond Moriyama
Raymond Moriyama, CC, O.Ont is a Japanese-Canadian architect. He has designed several buildings at Brock University from the 1970s through the latest campus expansion and is the University's former chancellor....
, opened in 1977 and is the biggest public reference library in Canada. The library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
's collection is mostly non-circulating
Reference library
A reference library does not lend books and other items; instead, they must be read at the library itself. Typically such libraries are used for research purposes, for example at a university. See List of closed stack libraries...
, although some materials can be borrowed.
The library operated separately before the amalgamation of the City of Toronto and surrounding boroughs in 1998. It is one of the three largest libraries in the city along with the Robarts Library
Robarts Library
The John P. Robarts Research Library, commonly referred to as Robarts Library, is the main humanities and social sciences library of the University of Toronto Libraries and the largest individual library in the university...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and Scott Library at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
.
The library had 1,653,665 catalogued items in 2010 , including:
- 1.5 Million volumes (monographs and bound periodicals)
- 2.5 Million other materials (films, tapes, microforms, maps, fine art items, ephemera, etc.)
- 475 (linear) metres of manuscript materials
The TD Gallery is the library's exhibit gallery, and features exhibits of art, books, documents, manuscripts and other items from the collections. The Gallery is currently closed for renovations.
Like all libraries in the Toronto Public Library system, the reference library offers free wireless Internet, as well as computers that can be used free of charge. Many of these public computers are located on the main floor, but they are also available on all floors including the basement. The Digital Design Studio, provides access to more advanced software and staff assistance for a small fee.
Special Collections
Among the special collectionsSpecial collections
In library science, special collections is the name applied to a specific repository or department, usually within a library, which stores materials of a "special" nature, including rare books, archives, and collected manuscripts...
at the Toronto Reference Library are:
- The Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
Collection, devoted to the life and works of the creator of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, is housed in a room built to look like Holmes's study at 221B Baker St. - The Baldwin Room, a collection of books, pamphlets, periodicals, manuscripts, broadsides and printed ephemera, maps, newspapers and historical pictures relating to Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
(now Ontario) and to early Toronto. This collection is named for Robert BaldwinRobert BaldwinRobert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....
, a leading political reformer in Upper Canada and pre-ConfederationCanadian ConfederationCanadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
PremierJoint Premiers of the Province of CanadaJoint Premiers of the Province of Canada were the leaders of the Province of Canada, from the 1841 unification of Upper Canada and Lower Canada until Confederation in 1867....
. However it also includes a Canadian historical picture collection illustrating the history of Canada, originally donated to the library in 1910 by John Ross RobertsonJohn Ross RobertsonJohn Ross Robertson was a Canadian newspaper publisher, politician, and philanthropist in Toronto, Ontario....
(1841–1918), founder and publisher of the Toronto TelegramToronto TelegramThe Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...
and a major philanthropist of Toronto's Hospital for Sick ChildrenHospital for Sick ChildrenThe Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
, which now contains thousands of historical paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and postcards. - The Genealogy and Local History Collection, whose strength is Canadian content but which also includes numerous resources for Great Britain, Ireland and the United States (particularly the northeastern states).
- The Map Collection of current and historical maps, atlases, gazetteers and cartography resources is international in scope. Some of the resources it includes are: maps of Toronto from 1788 to the present, Toronto fire insurance plans and Goad maps and atlases, as well as current and retrospective topographic and photo maps of the Toronto area.
- The Art Room containing rare books, photographs, posters and manuscripts, including important costume design and sheet music collections.
The library also has an extensive performing arts collection, including papers and information on many Canadian artists, such as Al Waxman
Al Waxman
Albert Samuel Waxman, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian actor and director of over 1000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage...
and The Dumbells. Some of the materials in this collection are available online.
The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon
The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library is an event space located on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library. It opened to the public on September 23, 2009. The Salon hosts free literary and cultural programming organized by the library.When not in use for library programs the Salon is available to be rented for private functions.
Renovation
The Toronto Reference Library's renovation project will be completed in 2012 at a cost of $34 million.The project includes:
- Glass Entrance Cube, Yonge Street Façade Expansion and a Revitalized Exhibition Gallery Space
- Special Collections Rotunda
- Enhanced Research and Study Areas
- New and innovative technology