Research Guides: Special Collections Access: RBSC: Request materials

Requesting from Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC)

We look forward to welcoming you to RBSC! We are located on the first floor of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.

The instructions on this page will guide you through the steps to request materials and book an appointment. If you are visiting us for the first time, please be aware of the following requirements:

You will need to create a Special Collections Access account to request items.
You must request materials when booking an appointment. For materials on hold, please review the Holds section.
There is a maximum of 10 active requests per user.

If you encounter any problems requesting materials, or if you have questions that are not answered in this guide or the Quick Links, please contact us.

You can automatically populate requests for our print and manuscript collections from within LibrarySearch by following these steps:

Locate your desired item in LibrarySearch. If you see too many results, you can narrow your results to Fisher Library holdings using the filters on the left side of the screen or the dropdown in the Advanced Search dialog.

For more assistance with searching, consult the LibrarySearch Tips guide.
When you have found your item, navigate to the Locations section and select Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. If there are multiple holding locations, you may need to expand the Fisher Library option.
Select the Special Collections Access link, which will redirect you to the Special Collections Access system.

If you have not already logged into Special Collections Access, you will be prompted to log in.
The system will automatically populate the Fisher Library request form with information about your requested item. Please review the imported data as the quality may vary.
You may need to provide additional information about the requested materials.
- Volume/issue: If you are requesting materials from serial publications (such as newspapers or magazines) or from multi-volume sets, please indicate the specific item you want to see.
- Copy: If the Fisher Library holds multiple copies of the item, please indicate which copy you want to see.
- Box: For special collections, please provide item-specific information, such as a box number. You can browse the contents of each item in the collection from the finding aid, available from the item description in LibrarySearch:
  
  The finding aid is also accessible from the item record in Discover Archives, just below the request button:

When you have entered all the necessary item information, you can proceed to booking your appointment.

Please keep in mind that same-day requests are subject to our retrieval times, and that items held off-site at Downsview may take up to 3 business days to arrive.

You will need to manually enter the required information to request archival materials. Please note that you must include a box number to ensure your request is processed. Please follow these steps:

Locate your requested materials via Discover Archives or the RBSC index of archival finding aids.
- Call number: The MS Coll. number, e.g. "MS Coll 123".
- Title: The title of the archival collection, e.g. "Margaret Atwood papers".
- Box number: You can request up to 6 box numbers in a range.
Visit Special Collections Access and log in. If you have not registered for an account yet, you will need to do this first.
From the main menu, navigate to New Request and then select Thomas Fisher Library to open a new request form.
Complete the form with the required details, making sure to include the title, call number, and box number(s).

When you have finished entering the item information, you can proceed to booking your appointment.

Please keep in mind that same-day requests are subject to our retrieval times, and that items held off-site at Downsview may take up to 3 business days to arrive.

(Optional) Additional Information

This section gives us more information about your request to help us better assist you. You can also add notes and tags for your own reference.

Purpose: Tell us about the purpose of your request. If requesting archival collections, this field is required.
Research Subject: Tell us about the topic you are researching.
Special Requests/Questions: Share any special requirements, requests, or questions for library staff.
My Notes: These are for your personal reference and are not shared with staff.
My Tags: These can help you organize your requests and are not shared with staff; separate them with commas.

Schedule Appointment

Your request must be associated with an appointment in the RBSC Reading Room so that staff can retrieve your materials in advance of your visit. You can either create a new appointment or add the request to a previously created appointment.

Make a new appointment

Select Schedule a New Appointment, which will expand into a calendar dialog.
Choose your appointment date, expected length, and time.
(Optional) Enter an Appointment Tag to give your booking a name for your own reference.
Select Create Appointment to save the appointment.

Creating your appointment does not submit your item request! Your materials will not be submitted for processing until you use the Submit Request button below.

Add to an existing appointment

You can view any number of requested items during your visit, up to the maximum of 10 requests. Instead of creating a new appointment, choose one from the Appointment drop-down menu, which will ensure all of the requested items are made available together.

Save an appointment for later

If you are not ready to submit your request, select the Save Request for Later option. You can retrieve previously saved requests from the main menu by selecting Request History, then Saved Requests.

Submit Request

When you have completed the form, select Submit Request to forward it to our team for processing. You will receive an email from Special Collections Access to confirm your appointment.

You may also review, manage, and cancel your appointment and item requests in Special Collections Access. If you are unsure about the status of your materials, please check your request in the system: the tracking section contains the most up-to-date information.

If you have questions about your appointment or requests, please email fisher.library@utoronto.ca or call 416-978-5285, and staff will be happy to assist you.

Repeated Requests

Holds
Re-requesting

Request a hold

If you are planning to view your materials again within one week, please ask Reading Room staff to place them on hold for you, and the items will remain in the Reading Room for your next visit.

Holds are automatically removed after seven days, so please submit a new request if your next visit will not occur during that time. You can quickly re-request your items by following the instructions in the Duplicate Requests tab.

View materials on hold

After you have requested holds, you will need to make another appointment.

If you will be requesting additional materials on your next visit, please create your appointment normally.
If you will only be viewing materials on hold, please ask Reference Desk staff to create an appointment for you. Readers cannot book new appointments in the system without item requests. We recommend booking your next visit at the end of your current one, just after requesting holds.

When you arrive for your appointment, please advise Reading Room staff that you have materials on hold, and they will check the items out to you again.

Remove holds

When you are finished with the materials you have placed on hold, navigate to the requested items in Special Collections Access, then choose Remove from Hold under the Actions dropdown.

Remove from Hold

Once the hold has been removed, staff will reshelve the items.

Unless you have placed materials on hold, you will need to submit a new request to consult them again. However, you can easily re-request materials by following these steps:

In Special Collections Access, visit your Request History and locate the material you would like to request again.
Select Clone Request from the Actions drop-down menu.
Complete the rest of the form normally, including the Schedule Appointment section.
Select Submit Request.

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