The University of Toronto’s library system comprises over 40 libraries and resource centres across the three campuses. As a graduate student, you will have access to most of these collections. The contents of these collections are linked through an online catalogue system, which provides information on books in all the campus libraries as well as allowing you to search journal articles and databases.

Graduate students can borrow most books from UofT libraries for a 90-day period with unlimited renewals (unless someone else requests a book you’ve borrowed, in which case you have to return it within 14 days) and have a 200-item limit, so get borrowing!

The following is a list of the libraries that you will be most likely to consult as an English student and some of the resources you can find at each.

John P. Robarts Library

Robarts is the research library on campus. This brutalist architectural wonder will be home to innumerable hours of your graduate student work. Among its many facilities and resources, you will likely find the following to be most useful:

Library Stacks
Located on floors 9-13, this is where you’ll find Robarts’ physical holdings. The stacks can be a little intimidating — Robarts holds over 2,000,000 items, after all — but U of T Libraries has assembled a handy guide to finding the book you want; all you’ll need is the call number, which usually looks something like “PN212 .B3813 2017.”

Media Commons
Located on the third floor, the Media Commons is made up of three collections: media archives, audio-visual, and microform. The microform collection includes recent journals and papers as well as early books and theses on microfilm. Several machines in the area can photocopy from microfilm (at a small cost per page). The audio-visual library is an indispensable part of any modern study. It includes a wonderful selection of all kinds of films, from instructional videos to all the classics, and is staffed by a friendly and helpful group of people. More recently, the audio-visual collection has even added a selection of video and board games to borrow for home use!

Study Carrels and Book Lockers
Graduate students can apply online to be assigned a Robarts study carrel; these carrels provide a private study space and can only be accessed by the user and Robarts staff, so you’re generally safe to leave books and other research materials there. There are a limited number of carrels available and priority is given to upper-year PhDs, so early-year students and MAs may not receive a carrel depending on demand. Applications are open from May 1st to August 31st for the following academic year; after this time, you may still be able to receive a carrel, but it’s best to apply ahead of time if you know you’re interested.

You can also apply for a locker in Robarts, which provides a safe space to store books and research materials but not a private study space. To apply for a locker, email carrel.applications@utoronto.ca directly.

Café/Food Court
Located on the second floor, the Robarts Café/Food Court offers pizza, burritos, sushi, and even a Starbucks for your mid-research snacking convenience.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
You’ll need to sign up for a separate card and follow some strict rules (no pens, no large bags or briefcases) to access the Fisher Collection, but it’s worth it to see their treasure trove of rare materials, first editions, and original manuscripts. Fisher also presents lectures and events throughout the term, often accompanied by exhibits on the main floor. Even the library’s architecture — particularly the interior’s open shelving structure — is worth an appreciative look.

The Dictionary of Old English, also known as the DOE, is located on the 14th floor, accessible from the elevators on the second floor. The staff, consisting mainly of faculty and students from the Centre for Mediæval Studies, is dedicated to creating a comprehensive dictionary of every word in Old English; as a result, facsimiles of every manuscript containing Old English may be found there.

Other Libraries

Victoria College / E. J. Pratt Library
This library features an extensive collection of holdings of Coleridge, Erasmus, Tennyson, Virginia Woolf, and the papers of Northrop Frye. It also houses the non-lending Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies (CRRS) library. This library is worth a visit, even just for the interior decorating and the pleasant, comfy chairs.

Trinity College / John H. Graham Library
The Graham Library, located in the Munk Centre at Trinity College, is another source for English students. It also has some of the most well-appointed study spaces (with fireplaces and dangerously comfortable armchairs) on campus.

St. Michael’s College / John M. Kelly Library
This library also has a very good collection for English students’ purposes. On the fourth floor is the non-lending Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) library. Getting a card to use this facility can be difficult; if you need to use the PIMS, try getting a letter of reference from a faculty member working in the field first.

Knox College Library
Knox is a beautiful space with mostly theological holdings, with some works pertaining to history and English.

Innis College Library
Although small, this library holds a good Film Studies collection.

New College / Donald G. Ivey Library
An excellent Women’s Studies collection can be found here; some of its materials are not catalogued on UTCat, so check it out if you can’t find Kristeva elsewhere. It is also quite good for African Studies.

Robertson Davies Library, Massey College
This library collects texts pertaining to the fields of book history and printing as well as related fields of interest, including typography and papermaking.

Toronto Public Library

Don’t be afraid to go off-campus! The Toronto Public Library (TPL) has an incredibly robust collection of its own, and undoubtedly beats U of T when it comes to popular literature. The central branch, the Toronto Reference Library, is located just minutes away from campus at 789 Yonge Street and has an array of workspaces, technological resources, and even one of the world’s largest research collections devoted to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s also worth noting that materials in the TPL system can be browsed online and transferred between branches.

Still not convinced? A TPL library card also gives you access to an array of live and online events and programming, plus electronic resources and content like eBooks, audiobooks, movies, and music, all the way to eLearning courses on every subject from photography, to business, to learning to a new language.