FAQs

You have a couple of options. You can request that a copy be returned early by placing a recall request, or you can submit an interlibrary loan (ILL) request to obtain it from another institution. Consider ILL if there are multiple requests on U of T copies, or if the item is missing or otherwise unavailable.

To submit an interlibrary loan request, first sign into LibrarySearch to see your request options. Once you are signed in, select "Get it from outside of U of T" in the item's record. 

An auto-populated request form will appear. Confirm the details are correct, choose a pickup location and select "Send Request". 

After your request is submitted, you can check your LibrarySearch account for updates on the status of your request(s). You will receive an email once your request is available.

You can also submit an interlibrary loan request using a blank request form, or when your catalogue search returns no results. 

A book "dummy" is a wooden block that sits on the shelf in the place of a book that has been moved elsewhere.  If you pull it out, it should tell you where the book has been moved to.

Not all scholarly articles are peer reviewed, although many people use these terms interchangeably. Peer review is an editorial process many scholarly journals use to ensure that the articles published in journals are high quality scholarship. 

If you've been asked to find "scholarly" articles:

• Clarify with your professor or TA if peer reviewed articles are required.
• Check the journal in Ulrich's to see if it is peer reviewed.
• Use a library database to search for articles.  Most databases have features that allow you to limit to peer reviewed articles.
• Ask Chat with a Librarian for a librarian's opinion about an article.

Library hours are listed on each library's information page or on their individual websites.

Never! U of T students should never pay for articles because, most of the time, you have already paid for them via your tuition!

The University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) have one of the biggest collections of journals in the world. Most likely we have what you want. Before you pay for an article, try these steps:

1. Try the search box on the library home page or one of our other article-finding tips.
2. Don't give up. Check with us to see if we can find it for you.
3. If the article really isn't at UTL, you can request it via interlibrary loan.

And finally, connecting Google Scholar to the library's resources makes it really easy to get the article.

Located on the first floor

How to get there

By elevator

• Take the P5 elevator to the first floor
• Look for the loans desk as you walk towards the Robarts Library main entrance revolving doors

By escalator

• Take the escalators to the first floor
• Turn left into the computer workstation area.
• Turn right and walk towards the Loans Desk just before the Robarts Library main entrance revolving doors

Before we started using Library of Congress classification system, Robarts books were catalogued using the 'Old Class' system.  Many older works are still catalogued this way.

Journals & periodicals

• Journals and periodicals: 9th floor Robarts, ranges 6–14
• Distinguished by a letter P at the beginning of the call number
• Example: P LE N

Monographs & pamphlets

• Monographs and pamphlets are in Robarts storage
• Sometimes mistakenly marked as 'Stacks' in the catalogue record
• Pamphlets distinguished by "Pamph" at beginning of the call number
• Example: Pamph. HAm. S.

Pencil sharpeners are available in the following locations in Robarts Library:

• 3rd floor in the Media Commons and in the Petro Jacyk Resource Centre
• 4th floor
• 5th floor in the Map and Data Library.

Robarts Library

• First floor (includes one colour printer)
• Fourth floor
• Eighth floor (Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library)

Gerstein Science Information Centre

• Main floor (includes one colour printer)

OISE Library

• Ground floor

Noranda Earth Sciences Library

• Main floor

Math Library

• Main floor

Engineering and Computer Sciences Library

• Main floor

John M. Kelly Library

• Main floor (one colour printer, one black and white)
• Second floor
• Third floor
• Fourth floor

E. J. Pratt Library

• Main level

John W. Graham Library

• Main floor (one colour printer, one black and white)

Missed a printer?  Let us know in the comments.

Water fountains are available in the following locations in Robarts Library:

• 2nd floor: in the food court and outside food court entrance
• 3rd floor
• 8th floor
• 9th floor
• 10th floor
• 11th floor
• 12th floor
• 13th floor
• 14th floor

Online

Our research guides can show you how to find government documents and statistics online. We have digitized much of our physical collection and made it available through the Internet Archive.

Many online items are listed in LibrarySearch. To find them, search for your topic or the relevant government agency and limit to online. Click the "Available Online" link to open the item.

In the library

Print copies of government documents and publications are housed in Robarts Storage and in our offsite storage location (Downsview), these items are available by retrieval request. 

Some government documents are available at Bora Laskin Law Library, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, OISE Library, and other locations - LibrarySearch will tell you where each item is located if it is not available online.

Help

• Government Information, Robarts Library
• Bora Laskin Law Library for legal sources

Our group study rooms page lists all of the available rooms at University of Toronto Libraries and how to book them. 

Robarts Library and Robarts Common 

Robarts Library has 27 bookable group study rooms. They are located on the ground floor, third floor, and stacks floors (9 - 13). The ground floor study rooms are called Suites and the stacks floor rooms are called Harbord, Sussex, and St. George. Please note that Harbord 1 – 4, St. George 2, and Sussex 3 – 4 do not require a booking. Bookable individual study rooms for single-person use are available in St. George 1 on each of the stacks floors

The Robarts Common has 32 bookable group study rooms on floors 2 – 5. Each floor has 8 rooms labelled A through H. For example, Group Study Room 4H is room H on the 4th floor. During extended study hours these rooms do not require booking. 

We subscribe to many full text digitized archival collections.  Browse for a collection by title or topic.  

You can search and explore the archival holdings of the University of Toronto and its federated colleges at Discover Archives.

We have also produced several U of T digital collections like Heritage U of T which collects images, text, and rich media about the University of Toronto's history.

Looking for something specific?  Search the catalogue or ask us!

OISE is home to the Ontario Historical Education Collection (OHEC), which includes old curriculum documents, primarily from the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Access to the Collection is by appointment only, and items cannot leave the library. If you are not accessible to Toronto, you may request photocopies through your home institution's Interlibrary Loan services.

To book an appointment, please contact us at oise.library@utoronto.ca.

The Map & Data Library has a computer lab with statistical software. Beginning May 1, 2024 the 5th floor of Robarts is under renovation and the Map & Data Library (MDL) computer lab has been merged with the Robarts 4th floor electronic classroom. 

MDL computers with GIS and statistical software are marked with an MDW on the desktop.

For more details, please see the list of available statistical software  

You could also purchase a copy through the Licensed Software Office (LSO).

You can find the status of your active requests by signing into LibrarySearch and checking under "My Requests" in your account.

A DOI can be found in a journal article, usually along with other citation data, such as author names, journal name, volume, issue, etc.

• Under the author information,
• Under the article title, or
• At the top or bottom of the first page.

DOIs can also be found in database search results, or by clicking on the detailed record for the article you are interested in.

If the database does not show the DOI for an article, search for that article by its title on the public web—you may find a citation to the article (not the full text) on the journal publisher's website, with a DOI.

Journal Citation Reports lists the impact factors of journals from science and social science disciplines.

Please see our guide for finding newspapers.

For a list of major open education repositories, sources of open university courseware, and affordable course material offered by the University of Toronto Libraries, see UTL's LibGuide on Open Education 

For openly licensed content, resources, and courses created by University of Toronto faculty and researchers, see Open.UToronto

Our extensive online research guides will direct you to the best places to search for your topic and discipline. Some courses even have their own guide.

Sample guides:

• Newspapers
• Canadian Government Information
• Bora Laskin Law Library Guide to Finding Law Journals and Journal Articles
• Systematic Reviews in the Sciences and Health Sciences

See the full list of guides

There are 5 self-charging laptop lockers available at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library on the 8th floor of Robarts Library.  

By using our laptop charging lockers, you are agreeing to abide by the following terms and conditions:

1. Liability: 

The Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library will not accept any liability for lost, damaged or stolen items caused by using the charging lockers.

2. Each locker has: 1 USB jack and 2 AC outlets. 

3. Charging cables: 

Charging cables are available for loan from the Robarts Library 1st floor loans desk.

4. Hours of use: lockers are available for use during the East Asian Library’s opening hours. They must be emptied before the library closes.

5. Eligibility: 

The charging lockers are available free of charge to any library user. A library card is not required.

6. What if I forget my 4-digit combination code?

You are responsible for remembering your 4-digit combination code to access the locker.

If you forget your code, submit the Laptop Charging Locker Problem form to the East Asian Library Loan Services Desk. Patrons must be present with Photo ID when devices are retrieved.

7. What if I leave my device in the locker overnight?

Lockers are cleared out every day before the library closes. Devices found left in the charging lockers will be treated as Lost & Found items and handed over to library security.

8. The Prime purpose of the lockers is to protect your laptops or other electronic devices. The following items MUST NOT be placed in the lockers:

• Library materials;
• Food or perishable items;
• Illegal substances

9. Misuse or physical damage of the lockers may lead to disciplinary actions specified in the University of Toronto Library Conduct Regulations.

For clarification, questions or concerns, please contact Helen Tang (helent.tang@utoronto.ca), Public Service Librarian. 

Robarts Library has a Reflection Room for quiet meditation, prayer and other spiritual practices is located in Room 8045 on the 8^th floor across from the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library. Use the P4 elevator to get there.

Robarts Library

• First floor 
• Third floor (also high resolution book scanner)
• Fourth floor
• Fifth floor by the Map and Data Library
• Twelfth floor
• Thirteenth floor

Gerstein Science Information Centre

• Main floor (also high resolution book scanner)

OISE Library

• Concourse
• Second floor

Engineering and Computer Science Library

• Main floor (attached to four computer workstations)

EJ Pratt Library

• Main floor, South Information Commons

Did we miss a scanner?  Let us know!

University of Toronto staff, students, and faculty with a valid TCard can study overnight at Robarts Common during the fall and winter terms.  

Other libraries may have extended or overnight hours during exams:

• New College
• UTM
• UTSC
• EJ Pratt Library
• John M. Kelly Library