FAQs

There are a number of advantages to the Library’s HathiTrust Membership.

For individual users: the ability to download, rather than just view full-text public domain content, access to the full HathiTrust corpus for non-consumptive uses such as data-mining, and access to tools to facilitate those uses through the HathiTrust Research Center.

For the library: preservation services including the ability to deposit content with bibliographic and full-text searching of that content, access to a digital preservation copy of materials held in print, help in managing shared print preservation through the tracking of retention commitments of member libraries, and access to any book in the corpus for users who qualify through the Accessibility Office, enhancing the Library’s ability to provide service to students with print disabilities.

Students care passionately about their library spaces.  Our conduct regulations help create a safe and respectful environment for everyone who uses the library.  

These private, assigned rooms are study carrels for graduate students, faculty members, and visiting scholars.  Gerstein also has them.

These carrels are used as on-campus offices that are conducive to serious academic work and study.

Our holiday hours page lists our major closures. You can also check each library's hours on their library information page or on their website.

LibrarySearch is supported by current versions of these browsers:

• Chrome (Google)
• Edge (Microsoft)
• Firefox (Mozilla)
• Safari (Apple)

LibrarySearch does NOT work well with Internet Explorer.

Welcome to your carrel! You will be assigned a card with your name and carrel number, which you must display in the window of the carrel. If you do not display the card, the carrel may be considered vacant.

When you take possession of your carrel, we will apprise you of the regulations about how to use it.

What you can do in your carrel

• Work or research quietly
• Store books checked out to you
• Decorate as long as you do not block the window of the door as this interferes with staff monitoring and is a safety hazard in case of an emergency or building evacuation

What you can not do in your carrel

• Eat
• Smoke
• Talk
• Make coffee or tea
• Use it as an office

Although the library expects you, as a concerned user, to follow these regulations, carrels and lockers are monitored regularly by library staff.

Severe violations will result in loss of carrel privileges.

You can search the catalogue for:

• Print & electronic books
• Print & online journals, magazines & newspapers
• Audiovisual materials such as DVDs
• Microfiche & other microforms
• Cartographic material such as maps & atlases
• Music scores

To find electronic articles choose 'Articles' in the drop down menu in LibrarySearch.

To find databases choose Popular databases or Subjects A-Z from the library's home page.

Scholarly sources are written by academics and other experts and contribute to knowledge in a particular field by sharing new research findings, theories, analyses, insights, news, or summaries of current knowledge.

Scholarly sources can be either primary or secondary research. They can also come in many different formats. Books, articles, and websites can all be scholarly. Remember, there is sometimes a difference between scholarly and peer-reviewed articles; all peer-reviewed sources are scholarly, but not all scholarly sources are  peer-reviewed. 

1. Accuracy
   • The information should be based on verifiable facts.
   • There should be a bibliography or list of references.
   • There should be no spelling or grammatical errors.
2. Authority
   • A specific author or team of authors should be listed. 
   • These authors should work at an institution (such as a university or research institute) with a good reputation.
   • The authors' qualifications (PhD, research chair, etc) should be stated.
3. Bias
   • The information should be based on fact, not opinion.
   • There should be no obvious bias.
   • The authors should appeal to the reader's sense of logic, not emotion.
4. Audience
   • The source should be written for other experts or people who are familiar with the topic.
   • The language should be fairly technical, not simplistic.
5. Currency
   • In some disciplines, it is very important to use recent sources (within three or five years), but in others it's OK to have older sources.  Ask your TA or instructor if you're not sure what's too old.

Please see our policy on lost and damaged book charges.

1. Report your card as stolen/lost

Report your lost card ASAP so no one can use your account. Call 416-978-7694 or visit the circulation desk of any library to do this.

2. Get a replacement TCard

Students who require a replacement TCard can get one at the TCard Office. Ensure you bring valid Government Photo ID.

Faculty and staff can also go to the Reader Registration Desk at Robarts Library.

"SLA" stands for Student Library Assistant.  Similarly, "GSLA" stands for Graduate Student Library Assistant.

These part time student library jobs are posted online and hiring mostly occurs is August.

"The stacks" refers to the main book shelves in any library.  In Robarts Library, the stacks are on floors 9 to 13.

To find your book in the stacks

• Get the call number of an available copy of the book (ex. PR4556 .W45 2000X)
• Go to the library the book is held at (ex. E. J. Pratt Library)
• Find the book stacks (ex. see Pratt Library floor map)
• Look for the section in the stacks that has the first letters of your call number (ex. PR is found on the ground floor of Pratt Library)

For help finding a book in the stacks, please ask at the library's reference desk.

This will appear when a book that belongs in one library is returned to a different library.

It can take a while for the book be transported by staff to the library which officially owns the book. During this time period that the book is listed as 'in transit', it is not possible to place a hold on the book during this time.

For various reasons, some books are kept on the "Protected shelf" at Robarts. Request these items at the first floor loans desk. We will retrieve it for you immediately. You can check the book out and leave the library with it.

"Searching" means that

• Another library user was not able to find the book after trying several times
• They reported it to library staff members
• We are now trying to locate it

If we do not find it either, we will mark it as missing and order a new copy if appropriate.

In early 2021, the library upgraded to a new system. LibrarySearch has now replaced Article Search.  

Here is an FAQ on finding articles by their titles, and one on finding articles by their DOIs. 

You can also search for articles on topics in Simple Search mode, or in Advanced Search mode, where you can use Boolean operators. 

This screenshot shows that you can sign in with your UTORid and password.  This will let you download the article PDF right from within the record.

For more information on using all the many features and functions of LibrarySearch, have a look at this guide on using the new system.

In January 2021, the library upgraded to a new system. The classic catalogue was retired as part of this transition.    

The classic catalogue was a very useful workaround for lacks in our previous system. With this new system, it is no longer needed.

You can use LibrarySearch to look for books and other items and to check your account just like you once did in the classic catalogue. 

If you’re a current U of T student: 

You can access it here for free: /linkit/uptodate  

If you’re U of T faculty or staff member: 

Regular access is limited to current U of T students due to the high cost. 

A call number is an address. It tells you where the book (or DVD or print Journal) is located within the library. A book’s call number appears in the University of Toronto Libraries library catalogue. In the library catalogue, the call number is written horizontally.

On the book spine, it appears vertically, making it easier to find a specific call number on the shelves. Each book (or other item) has its own unique call number, which is taped to the lower outside edge of the book’s spine.

LC Classification Subject Divisions

• A - General Works
• B - Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
• C – History - Civilization
• D - History – General (not U.S.)
• E - U.S. History
• F - U.S. Local History and Latin American History
• G - Geography, Anthropology, Recreation
• H - Social Sciences
• J - Political Science
• K - Law
• L - Education
• M - Music
• N - Fine Arts
• P - Language & Literature
• Q - Science
• R - Medicine
• S - Agriculture
• T - Technology
• U - Military Science
• V - Naval Science
• Z - Information Science

This entry has been adapted from this page by Mindy Thuna.

A DOI (digital object identifier) is an alpha-numeric code assigned to a journal article.  It is intended to make articles easier to locate on the Internet.

How do I recognize it?

They usually start with a 10 and end with a z or an x.  Example: 10.1021/ja100167z

How do I use it?

Search by DOI in LibrarySearch.

PMID numbers are unique identifiers assigned by the National Library of Medicine; every article in their database of over 20,000,000 articles has a unique number. Usually they are 9 digits long.

Recently they have begun adding "version numbers" which indicate changes and amendments to records.

A recall is when someone else requests a book that you have borrowed from the library.

When this happens, you will not be able to renew the book. After you have had it for two weeks, we will notify you by email that you have 48 hours to return the book.  After 48 hours, you will be charged a recall fine of $2 per day.

Review articles summarize the scholarly research on a specific topic. They can help you discover

• The main people working in a field
• Recent major advances and discoveries
• Significant gaps in the research
• Current debates 
• Ideas of where research might go next

Most article databases have advanced features that will help you find review articles.  Examples:

PubMed

ProQuest

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique identification number for a book. Conversely, an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is a unique identification number for a periodical or journal.

Including the ISBN or ISSN number when submitting an interlibrary loan request can help speed up request processing time, as it assists library staff in finding a correct match for what you need.

The OCLC number is a unique number associated with a record in WorldCat. WorldCat is the world's largest database of library holdings and can be used to search for items not available from the University of Toronto Libraries. 

Including the OCLC number when submitting an interlibrary loan request can help speed up request processing time, as it assists library staff in finding a correct match for what you need.