The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library welcomed over 1,700 visitors to Doors Open on Saturday, May 26. This year, for the first time, all three UTL Special Collections departments - Media Commons, Rare Books and Special Collections, as well as the University Archives – participated in the event. In keeping with the Doors Open 2018 theme of “film”, on display in the Fisher were early editions of books adapted into film, screenplays, storyboards, as well as historic University of Toronto films. On the third floor of Robarts, the Media Commons hosted tours and a screening of highlights from their collections varying from a 1907 French silent film to a 1978 Miss Teen Canada television broadcast. Staff from all three departments were on hand to chat and answer any questions throughout the day.
A message from Kelly Hannah-Moffat, Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity, University of Toronto 
We are pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural Showcase Your Work: U of T Libraries Student Graduate Exhibition Competition (submission deadline: May 31, 2018).
family study space on the 9th floor of Robarts Library (Room 9-002). The space is for current students, faculty members, visiting scholars, and staff at the University of Toronto who have children 12 years old or under. The Family Study Space has a capacity of up to 20 adults and children, and includes workstations, collaborative space, a children’s play area with furniture and toys, a large screen TV/monitor, and nearby access to washrooms with comfortable nursing and baby changing facilities. Information on usage policies and registration can be found here: 
and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS), almost 50% of graduate students at the University of Toronto report family obligations as an obstacle to their success. By establishing the Family Study Space in the Libraries, we hope to reduce some of the obstacles for our community members with children to accessing physical collections, spaces, and in-person services. 
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the University of Toronto Mississauga (once called Erindale College), the UTM Library commissioned a sculpture by world-renowned artist, Guy Laramée. The piece was made possible through the UTM 50th Anniversary Legacy Fund, which was “established to support initiatives that showcase UTM’s legacy for future generations, contribute to the vibrancy of the UTM campus and celebrate its history and future.”
The University of Toronto Libraries' Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and Information Technology Services (ITS) department are pleased to announce the re-launch of four digital collections, including the UNESCO Memory of the World registered Discovery and Early Development of Insulin, 1920-1925 collection. All four collections are excellent tools for research, and highlight some of the areas of strength in the Fisher collections.
practices session was informative and offered some very practical suggestions on a broad variety of topics.” The U of T Medical Journal editors emailed to say, “we were blown away by the quality and engagement of the speakers and the audience, your meticulous organization of the event, and your graciousness as hosts.”
This past Thursday, members of the UTL Collection Development Department along with staff from the Archives, Fisher Library, and the Access and Information Department visited UTL at Downsview to celebrate the shelving of the 3 millionth book. Head of Access and Information, Lari Langford, and Downsview staff hosted the event. A celebratory cake was served along with a tour of the facilities, allowing staff the opportunity to see firsthand the collections and operations at Downsview. Staff signed the tray that the 3 millionth book is shelved on, so it will also function as a time capsule commemorating the event. The 3 millionth book was 
transferred to Downsview, it was held at Robarts Library. To see the digitized copy visit the 
Thanks to the support of the UTL community, it was another successful year for Food for Fines! Across the downtown campus, 428 items were collected by the Law, Robarts, Music, OISE and Gerstein libraries, while UTM collected 921 items and UTSC collected 74 items. This totals 1,423 items collected and $2,433 fines waived!
The University of Toronto has signed a collaborative agreement with Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to share the expertise and knowledge of the two institutions.
Regehr, who often meets with other provosts from across the continent, said U of T’s library system is the “envy” of other universities. The 44-library network, including libraries at U of T Scarborough and U of T Mississauga, is consistently ranked the best in Canada and among the top 10 in North America.
I am delighted to announce that after several years of hard work and discussions at all levels of the university, the partnership previously known as the Downsview 5, now known as Keep@Downsview, has been formalized. The memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed by all Universities and was officially announced May 30th. 
The aim of the event was to assist the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) with potential legal challenges to the Safe Third Country Agreement and related legal mandates of the CCR.
To assist students in their research here at the University of Toronto, the Bora Laskin Law Library put together a research guide on Immigration Law. It lists and links to resources on refugee law, extradition, judicial review and US immigration law. The research guide will be updated as the issues develop in the U.S. and here in Canada.
The Library has also arranged for immediate access to the Immigration Law & Policy in the U.S. collection on HeinOnline. This collection features historical documents and legislation related to immigration in the United States, as well as current hearings, debates and recent developments in immigration law. This database also includes BIA Precedent Decisions, legislative histories, law and policy titles, extradition titles, scholarly articles, an extensive bibliography and other related works.
The country-wide event was a smashing success, with over 3,000 hours of research completed and $7,000 raised for the Canadian Council for Refugees. Here at U of T, Law Librarians were on hand to answer reference questions, and social media was abuzz with posts from students documenting the process using the #Research4Refugees hashtag.
Thank you card to the Bora Laskin Law Librarians from participating students after the event. Photo by LaskinLawLib
Response to US travel restrictions
Dear Colleagues,
I know you share my deep concern about the recent executive order by the US President to exclude from the United States travelers and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries. There is no justification possible for discrimination on the basis of religion and country of origin. Libraries and educational institutions are sustained by the free flow and expression of ideas and people. Excluding people because of their origin or religion strikes at the fabric of academic freedom, free thought, learning and research. An exclusion of this nature diminishes all of us.
University of Toronto departments and offices across the three campuses are speaking out against this ban and in support of our affected colleagues and students. In particular, I would like draw your attention to the statement issued by President Gertler: https://www.utoronto.ca/news/university-toronto-keeping-close-watch-impact-us-travel-restrictions, as well as the statement from Provost Regehr and Vice President Hannah-Moffat: http://memos.provost.utoronto.ca/us-travel-restrictions-pdadc-59/.
For any of our colleagues personally impacted by the travel ban, the library will do everything possible to help. I know I speak for all of us in saying that our thoughts are with our Muslim colleagues and friends who are such a vital and valued part of the library and university community.
Sincerely yours,
Larry P. Alford
Chief Librarian
University of Toronto
I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Kui-Wai Li has joined the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library and the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs as Visiting Professor from today to June 30, 2017. As a macro-economist, Dr. Li obtained his undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States. In addition to his long service in the City University of Hong Kong, Dr. Li has taught in Nigeria, Switzerland and Lithuania, and previously visited numerous universities, including Yale University, Tokyo University and the University of Toronto. His specialities include Asian economics, political economy, development economics, globalization and financial crisis, and monetary economics. Dr. Li has published a number of academic papers and authored several books. During his visiting professorship, he will work on his forthcoming book from Elsevier entitled “Redefining Capitalism in Global Economic Development”.
Contributed by Lindsay Harker
Avast! Did ye hear the news? The H.M.S. Terror has been discovered in Nunavut’s aptly-named Terror Bay! The doomed expedition of Sir John Franklin, including the Terror and Erebus, was abandoned 168 years ago, and the vessels have been locked in the ice ever since. According to John Geiger: "After the discovery of HMS Erebus two years ago, the Terror remained the largest missing piece of the puzzle. Together, these discoveries have the potential to alter forever our understanding of the Franklin expedition's disastrous end.” (
An audio guide of the Fisher Library's current exhibition, 
What an adventure! What began with the chance discovery of a long thought lost violin concerto by the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen, followed by a chance meeting at a reception in New York City with the Norwegian president of the International Musicological Society (IMS), came to a happy conclusion when a trio of music librarians, Houman Behzadi, James Mason, and Suzanne Meyers Sawa attended the IMS annual conference in July in Stavanger, Norway, held at the Department of Music and Dance of the University of Stavanger. The conference, "Music as Art, Artefact and Fact: Music Research in the 21st Century," featured two events on July 4 related to the Halvorsen concerto. The first, a panel dedicated to the concerto, and moderated by Suzanne, featured three papers related to Kathleen Parlow (1890-1963), the Canadian violinist to whom the concerto had been dedicated, and who gave it four known performances, in Holland and Norway in 1909 and 1910. James described the discovery of the concerto, and the technical aspects of organizing the digitization of the Kathleen Parlow archival collection. Houman's paper featured the physical preservation measures used in preparation for long-term care of the archive. 
The Engineering & Computer Science Library (ECSL) recently reopened after renovations to increase and improve student study spaces.
On June 17, 2016, the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources celebrated the 
Having met the 
A large crowd of donors, friends and supporters (we could not have fit any more people in the room if we tried) came to the Fisher Library on June 14th to say farewell to Anne Dondertman, Director of the Fisher Library and Associate Chief Librarian of Special Collections, who retires on June 30. Michael Walsh, Chair of the Fisher Steering Committee and one of our most generous donors, expressed great pride about his strong relationship with Anne and his association with the Fisher. He spoke eloquently about the importance of Anne’s legacy and her profound impact on the success of the Libraries. (He also made sure to mention Anne’s passion for gardening and vintage beer labels.) It was a wonderful evening for everyone, and Anne very graciously posed for many, many photos. What a perfect way to send off one of our most admired and respected library leaders.
On Sunday, June 12, for the second year running, the University of Toronto Libraries fielded a team to participate in the 2016 Orbis Plane Pull for Sight. Led by Dr. Jack Leong, director of the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library, the team members combined their strength to pull a Boeing 757 cargo plane and raise money for Orbis, an organization dedicated to training eye doctors and restoring vision worldwide.
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library participated in Doors Open once again this year, on Saturday May 28th. More than 1650 visitors came to see the gorgeous library and highlights from the Rare Books and University Archives’ collections, including this month’s display case on the planning, construction, and early days of the building. Visitors also had the opportunity to view the exhibit “‘So long lives this’: A Celebration of Shakespeare’s Life and Works” on its closing day. One couple was overheard remarking that it was “the best Doors Open event” they had ever attended.
Researchers from across Europe and North America gathered at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the University of Toronto on May 5th and 6th, as part of the
May 9th, the OISE Library helped to celebrate OISE’s 50th anniversary by taking part in the R.W.B. Jackson lecture and reception. To mark OISE’s impressive milestone, this year’s Jackson lecture was a panel discussion, moderated by TVO’s Steve Paikin and featuring OISE faculty experts Carol Campbell, Sherene Razack, Jean-Paul Restoule and Michael Skolnik. The theme for the evening was a discussion of how OISE will impact the next 50 years of education. The panel voiced their hopes for an increased dedication to social justice and diversity, a greater focus on indigenous education, and a revitalized post-secondary system.
Interested in free Detroit Dark Red beet seeds? How about some Super Sioux tomatoes, Waldman’s dark green lettuce, or warty pumpkins? The Inforum branch of the Toronto Seed Library, temporarily located on the 1st floor of Robarts library (Room 1017), is open to ANYONE. We have all kinds of vegetable and some flower seeds for the ‘borrowing’. In the fall, ‘return’ some seeds that you’ve saved from your harvest. That’s the seed library model! We are open Mondays-Thursdays 10-5:30pm, and Fridays from 10-5pm. Learn more about seed libraries at 
This past Wednesday the Media Commons celebrated the third annual National Canadian Film Day. There were two free screenings: Clement Virgo’s film Poor Boy’s Game and the Heritage Minutes from Historica Canada. The Media Commons Media Archive holds archival collections for both Clement Virgo’s company Conquering Lion Pictures and Historica Canada’s materials relating to the Heritage Minutes and both screenings also featured some treasures from those collections from props and costumes to production elements. Additionally, the Media Commons celebrated through their social media feeds with a reference service where followers could tweet or facebook the name of an international film and would get a recommendation for a similar Canadian film. Overall, it was a great success!
The Fisher Library opened its doors for a rare and special Saturday on April 23 for visitors to view the current exhibition ‘So Long Lives This’: Celebrating Shakespeare, 1616-2016. The date was significant: it was exactly 400 years ago – April 23, 1616 – when William Shakespeare died. The day is also celebrated as UNESCO World Book Day. The day was a successful one as almost 300 people came through the Fisher's revolving doors. Tours of the exhibition were led by lead curator Scott Schofield and the iSchool's Alan Galey (photo at left). There will be one more opportunity for visitors to view the exhibition on a Saturday when the Fisher will be open on May 28 for Doors Open Toronto. It will be the final day of the exhibition.
The Fisher Library possesses an extensive bookplate collection dating from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, referencing prominent figures and institutions in Canadian history. Reaching across Canada as well as the United Kingdom, the ex-libris collection comprises a wide range of owners. Provenance for some bookplates include prime ministers, military commanders, universities, libraries, private businesses and journalistic groups. The collection also offers a wide range of styles, representing a great variety in bookplate artistry. Some of the styles consist of armorial, pictorial, printed, emblematic, and hand-written bookplates. Many ex-libris have extraordinary artwork by notable artists like J.E.H. MacDonald and Francis Adams, while others possess witty rhymes, elegant mottos and family crests.
A diverse, multi-generational audience of Friends of the Libraries members, donors, students, and fans were treated to a delightful talk at Innis Town Hall on March 31st by Linda Schuyler and Stefan ‘Snake’ Brogren on 35 Years of Degrassi: Sexual Awakening, Peer Pressure & Bad Hair Days. This engaging conversation between two long-time friends and colleagues ran the gamut from Linda’s early DIY approach to creating television for young people, to how they developed the diverse and compelling stories that teens love about Degrassi, and continue to relate to so strongly.
“The John M. Kelly library is delighted to announce the creation of forty-three new individual study spaces on our third floor. Ranged along the north and east walls, with a view of the changing seasons, the long birch tables have frosted glass panels for privacy and electrical outlets for power, all amidst silence for inspired study.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 | University of Toronto | St. Michael's College
Kosuke Tanabe, Systems Librarian at the prestigious 
The University of Toronto Archives is pleased to announce that the Roxana Ng fonds is now available to researchers. Professor Roxana Ng (1951-2013) was a Professor at OISE whose research and activism focused on issues facing immigrant women and garment workers, especially in the Canadian context. The first woman of colour to hold a tenure track position at OISE, Professor Ng was also a key researcher in critical pedagogy, decolonizing pedagogy, and embodied learning.
On March 3rd through 5th, Robarts Library hosted the 
Visiting Librarian Yuki Suzuki nears the end of her five-month visit to UTL, but not without a new network of colleagues, a dozen of which attended her presentation on Friday, February 19, to hear what she had learned through a wide assortment of visiting activities. Yuki expressed a very deep and sincere thanks, saying how “all inspired very much”. If you haven’t had a chance to meet Yuki, or to say goodbye, Yuki will be at UTL until Monday, February 29.
Yuki has been UTL’s 8th visitor on exchange, and the visits have all been well-received and enjoyed. Yuki’s time with the libraries was ambitious given her scope of learning, a necessity when, in Japanese libraries such as hers, there is a reshuffle of roles every few years. Some experience was hands-on, such as with the Music Library and cataloguing Japanese materials, other topics were broader, like assessment and collaboration. Yuki remarked at how there are no specialist roles at Keio University like our Assessment or User Experience Librarians.
Yuki was also surprised to see the extent of collaboration that UTL engages in, in spite of its many resources. The experience in Japan is somewhat different. Around 800 universities in Japan, most of which are small, private institutions depend on collaboration, such as inter-library loans.
rowse beta application
The University of Toronto Students’ Union 
In December 2015, Victoria University Library acquired five plates from the first issue, first printing of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence. Songs was printed by the author and printer William Blake and his wife Catherine Blake in London between 1789 and 1790 and is considered innovative for its representation of Blake’s poetic text within an artistic framework. With this significant acquisition, Victoria University Library joins the ranks of academic libraries at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale, who also own versions of Blake’s earliest printing efforts. This new acquisition is part of the 
The OISE Library is excited to announce that 
Subscribe by sending an e-mail to 
nications team at UTL has recently updated both information pages and forms to request promotional and event support in the libraries. Find these updated pages in the 
On Friday, January 15, the University of Toronto Libraries were official participants in a Wikipedia library outreach initiative to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Wikipedia. The campaign, called #1Lib1Ref, was described as a global “micro-contributions drive” with the goal of engaging professionals working in the research, library, and cultural sectors to improve the quality of Wikipedia articles. Information professionals were asked to contribute one reference for one article. The libraries participated in the initiative by holding a Wikipedia edit-a-thon where staff members edited over 50 articles, contributing high quality open access resources to relevant Wikipedia articles. Resources added to Wikipedia articles included web archive collections and digitized document collections. Since Wikipedia articles are the starting point for research by many of our users, we are providing an additional access point to our collections by including UTL resources on Wikipedia articles.
On November 10, the University of Toronto Archives held a reception to celebrate its golden anniversary. The event brought together over 125 individuals - archival donors, researchers, University officers, UTL colleagues, and former staff - who have supported the Archives over the years. We were especially honoured that former Chief Librarian Robert Blackburn, who in 1962 first proposed a University Archives, was in attendance. UTL Chief Librarian Larry Alford welcomed guests and provided a history of the University Archives. Dr. Bruce Kidd, Vice-President U of T and Principal UTSC, spoke about the University Archives’ vital role in the academic community and its impact on his students and his own research. And, of course, there were cake and magnets.
The archives officially opened in January 1965 within the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, with Helen Miles as the first University Archivist. When the University Archives moved into the Fisher Rare Book Library in 1972, it had 1,500 metres of materials. Today, the University Archives houses over 11,400 metres of archival records. It is now the largest University archives in Canada. The collection includes: over 300,000 photographs; 39,000 print items; as well as thousands of audio/visual recordings, architectural drawings, and student records. The Archives also has the private papers of more than 1000 individuals and groups affiliated with the University of Toronto such as Harold Innis, Claude Bissell, Ursula Franklin, and C.B. Macpherson, to name a few.
Congratulations to Katya Pereyselavska, Scholars Portal’s Accessibility Librarian, who has been named an AODA 10th Anniversary Champion Award recipient. Katya is recognized for her outstanding leadership, passion, and commitment to the promotion and awareness of accessibility, and her encouragement of accessibility and inclusiveness in the community.
Bella, the 
ITS at UTL is pleased to announce the release of the “
From October 19th to 23rd, the University of Toronto Libraries hosted UofT’s first Alternate Reality Game for Open Access Week 2015. UTL’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office collaborated with local writer Mark Foo and artist David Oxley to create a plot and artifacts that would transport players to another reality. The ARG focuses on a conspiracy theory regarding the staff at Robarts Library, where, according to a group of concerned citizens, there is something strange happening and they want to know what. Players begin by working with this group of investigators as their agent. The group can’t search themselves because they have been banned from Robarts for being disruptive.
Lisa Gayhart, User Experience Librarian at Robarts, has enlisted to become one of U of T's Green Champions. Part of "It's Greener Here", the o
October 9, 2015
The first recipients of the inaugural 
A team of 14 librarians and staff from Robarts, Gerstein, and Engineering & Computer Science Libraries welcomed approximately 200 incoming international students taking part in the 
The University Archives recently acquired the papers of eminent Canadian paleoanthropologist Davidson Black (1884-1934). Though he did not teach at U of T, Black maintained close ties with the university throughout his career and the Black family personal papers are also in the University Archives, spanning four generations of the family but with an emphasis on Dr. Black's life, teaching and research. Dr. Black's extensive correspondence, meticulously identified photographs, home movies and teaching files provide an engrossing account of his life, shedding light on the expatriate community in Beijing in the 1920s and early 1930s, and the culture in which it existed. For sample photographs and a link to the finding aid check out the 
The Fisher Library's latest exhibition is now open. Aviators and the Academy: Early Aeronautics in Canada explores how aviation touched the University of Toronto and the city of Toronto in the closing years of the Great War and the 1920s. The exhibition brings together art and archival materials from various sources, including the University Archives and the Fisher Library, to tell the story of how historians have navigated the topic of army co-operation, flight training and post World War One avation.
Before becoming a librarian, Neil worked as an editor at Facts On File, Wiley and IEEE Inc. Since becoming a librarian, he has held positions at Columbia University, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and most recently at the New York University Health Sciences Library where he was Assistant Director, Operations & Department Administrator. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) in English from Rider University, a Master of Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers University, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science (with distinction) from Pratt Institute. Additionally, he has completed a Certificate in Human Capital Management, with a focus on organizational development, change management and employment law, from the New York University School of Professional Studies. He is presently an ARL Leadership Fellow in the 2013 – 2015 cohort.
This month the Fisher Library celebrates the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in its 
This past Tuesday evening (February 24), the U of T Libraries, U of T Department of History and U of T Sexual and Gender Diversity Office co-sponsored a screening and panel discussion of Paris is Burning, the classic LGBTQ documentary about the Harlem drag ball scene in the 1980s, directed by American director Jenny Livingston. The event, coordinated by Robarts Library Reference Librarian, Jesse Carliner, generated a high degree of interest in the U of T and broader Toronto community, including a mention in 
Contributed by John Shoesmith
lecture by David Stern that helped to launch the official opening of the Fisher's current exhibition on one thousand years of Jewish manuscript and print history is now freely available as an 
the 
The 
Gerstein Library is asking for the U of T community's help in naming our resident skeleton! 
Medici.tv
Contributed by John Shoesmith
UTL archivists from the University of Toronto Archives (UTARMS) and the Media Commons participated in the Association of Canadian Archivists (ACA) 39th annual conference in Victoria, BC, June 23-27. Following the conference theme of 'Archivatopia', archivists from across Canada and around the world gathered to define their 'archival Utopia', their ideal future for archives and archivists. Loryl MacDonald, University Archivist and President of the ACA (2011-2014), delivered the opening plenary on the future of the Canadian archival system. Rachel E. Beattie, Assistant Media Archivist at Media Commons, presented a paper on copyright in orphan works, through the lens of her work with the Colin Geddes Collection of commercial films from Hong Kong. In addition, Tys Klumpenhouwer and Karen Suurtamm, archivists at UTARMS, participated in TAATU, ACA’s Technology Unconference, where they were able to collaborate and skill share with other archivists tackling the issue of the preservation of born-digital records. Former recent UTL graduate student assistants, Robb Gilbert, Sean Hayes, James Roussain, and Emily Sommers also attended the conference. UTL archivists even made valiant efforts in the legendary annual ACA East – West baseball game. We won’t divulge who won- other than stating that there is always next year!
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library has been nominated for this year’s Now Magazine Best of Toronto Reader’s Choice in the category Cityscape > Best Library. We’ve made it to the shortlist of libraries and voting is now open. You can cast your vote at 
This month, the Fisher's rotating display case features books and materials from Marshall McLuhan's library. The library, comprising more than 6000 volumes, was used heavily by McLuhan in the writing of his most famous works, including Understanding Media, The Gutenberg Galaxy and The Medium is the Message. A majority of the books bear McLuhan’s annotations and more than half of them contained material - including notes, manuscripts, and correspondence - laid into the books by McLuhan.
Amie Lalonde, the new photoblogger at 'Life @ UofT', has created some incredible photo mashups using images from the U of T Archives. Amie, a 3rd
On April 30, the Engineering & Computer Science Library (ECSL) and Elsevier co-hosted a workshop on the scientific publishing process. Approximately 45 graduate students from a range of science and engineering disciplines attended. The event was a great success and similar workshops can be expected in the future. Three publishers and one editor presented on the ways authors can improve their chances of being published. 
This month, we honour both the arrival of spring and a wonderful recent acquistion: Hortus Eystettenis by Basil Besler (1561-1628). This magnificent oversize flower book first published in 1613 documents the plants that were in the personal collection of Johann Conrad von Gemmingen, the Prince Bishop of Eichstätt near Nuremberg, Germany. The book includes 367 engraved plates documenting over 1000 different plants comprising 667 species, with accompanying explanatory text for each plate.
