FAQs

Your library privileges as a current student expire after graduation and your academic status changes to "alumni." 

Alumni may purchase alumni library cards to borrow books and gain on-site access to library computers and on-site access to electronic resources. See Alumni Library Access for further information on what services are available to alumni library card holders.

Privileges may vary at individual libraries

You can use U of T books in the library, but if you want to take them out, you'll need a library card

Graduate students, faculty members and staff from other Canadian universities are eligible for a Direct Borrower card and all other researchers can apply for a Research Reader card.  Undergraduates from other universities and high school students are generally not eligible for borrowing privileges.  

Instead of obtaining a U of T library card, you can ask your home library to request a University of Toronto book for you via interlibrary loan.  Some libraries charge for this service.

The in-person 3D printing service and training is currently closed due to construction. Please access the remote service.

If you have attended safety training, you are ready to pass the knowledge test and become a certified user of the 3D Printing @ Gerstein + MADLab service. A passing grade of 100% is required to become a certified printer. For more information on when the in-person trainings and service will resume, please see the Gerstein 3D Printing Services page.

 

There are numerous reasons why a book may show as available in LibrarySearch, but not actually be on the shelf. Locate the sorting shelves on the floor, and check to see if the item is there. 

In Robarts sorting shelves are in middle of the yellow section on each stack floor.

At Gerstein sorting shelves are near the elevator on level 1 and 2 below: as you face the elevator, look to the right to find the sorting shelves. The library asks that you check the shelves at least twice before placing a search at the Loans Services desk on the main floor.

This will vary from library to library.

If the item is not on the sorting shelves, you can place a hold request on the item to prompt staff to search for it. If the item is still not found, it will be marked missing. 

 

Resources at the U of T Schools--a university preparatory school--are only available to UTS staff and students.  

Order the resource you are interested in through interlibrary loan instead.

To find an item in a library, you need to know:

  • If the item is available. If it is, the item record will say Available. 
  • Which U of T library the item is in
  • The location of the item within the library.  Each library is organized differently, so ask a library staff member to direct you to the right location within the library.  Common locations include:
    • Stacks: the library’s main book shelves
    • Course Reserves: high-demand course readings that have short term loan periods, e.g. 3 hours
    • Reference: encyclopedias, dictionaries and other materials that must remain in the library
  • The call number. This is like the address of the book on the shelf. 

call number of available Robarts book circled

Yes! If you would like to borrow an item that is held at a different University of Toronto campus or library, you can request delivery of items to the library of your choice through the Library Pickup service.

Guest Cards users will be able to load funds online. However, Guest Cards do not have the same online functionality as for TCard users with UTORids. It is not currently possible to view transactions and monthly statements for Guest Cards. Users will be able to swipe their Guest Card at any machine to view their balance. 

Guest Cards users should keep their card number stored in a safe place. In the event a Guest Card is lost or stolen, the card holder will need to call the TCard+ Office at 416-208-2233 to have their card deactivated to protect their online funds.

As long as the showing is “private” (that is, essentially limited to your private circle of friends or floor mates) you should not need a licence. However, if you advertise the showing or invite a wider audience that could not reasonably be understood to be private, different considerations may apply and a licence may be required.

Please contact the Library where you returned the book.  Staff will begin a search for the item.  They will also explain their "claims returned" policy to you.

 

In print

Online

Should you need help making an online fines payment please call 416-978-8450 or contact us online.

When using LibrarySearch, if your search produces no results, you can expand your results to include items not held by the University of Toronto Libraries and conveniently request them via interlibrary loan. 

From the FILTER options, toggle “Include results from outside U of T” 

Catalogue search with no results, instruction to toggle "Include results from outside U  of T".

Any listed items not held by U of T Libraries will present the option to submit an interlibrary loan request. 

screenshot of get it link

Select the "Get it from outside U of T" option. 

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

screenshot of a filled in request form

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 place an interlibrary loan request on items from the U of T Libraries collection that are not currently available

Your library will not be listed as a pick-up location if the item you are requesting is available on your campus. For intercampus delivery, the only pick up locations offered will be on campuses where the item is not currently available.

On the St. George campus, there are four pick-up locations: Robarts Library, Gerstein Science Information Centre, Kelly Library, and OISE Library.

 

It depends on the purpose of your film screening. If you are planning a screening of a cinematographic work on campus, it is your responsibility to make sure that your showing is compliant with Canadian copyright law.

You do not need to seek permission to play a song or an audiovisual work, for educational purposes, to an audience consisting primarily of University students and located on the premises of the University. However, a film screening for entertainment purposes will require a license. 

For Instructors: Please consult Question 3 on page 15 in the  Copyright Basics and FAQ for specific guidance on using films and other audiovisual materials in the classroom environment. If you have a more specific question in mind about showing a film on campus,  you can contact the SCCO at scco.support@utoronto.ca  

For students, student groups, and other campus organizations: Please consult the Audiovisual Copyright Guide from the Vice Provost, Student when planning your screening or event. This guide helps to clarify copyright considerations when using films and other audiovisual materials in various campus settings. Contact information for student groups organizing film screenings at various campuses is available in the following Audio-Visual FAQ webpage

Visit the Media Commons site for details on advance reservations of audiovisual material for classroom/teaching use and for assistance with theatre and screening room bookings.

There are at least two ways to find the answer to this.

1. Find the journal's home page and look for a page entitled "information for authors" or something similar. For example for Nature the route is: For authors/Getting published in Nature/Manuscript FormattingGuide/5.4 References.

2. Login to your RefWorks account, select a few citations, then go through the steps to Create a Bibliography...Preview Output Style...open the drop menu box and scroll through the thousands of options till you find the journal.

2a. Many of the citation management softwares will also do this for you.

  • eduroam (education roaming) allows faculty, staff and students to access wireless services at any participating institution by logging in with their home institution credentials.
  • see basic information

Please see our EndNote Web guide or visit EndNote's YouTube channel.  EndNote also offers online tutorials and webinars.

Retired faculty at the University of Toronto retain all library privileges they had prior to retiring, including access to electronic resources.

Welcome!  The University of Toronto Libraries is the third-largest academic library in North America, and we are proud to support you with world-class spaces, services, and collections.

Undergraduates

Graduate students

Faculty members

UpToDate is available for current University of Toronto students only.

To maintain remote access to UpToDate (on your computer, and on the mobile app), UpToDate needs to know that you are still affiliated with the University of Toronto. Every 90 days, follow these steps to re-verify your U of T affiliation:

Step 1) On your personal computer or smartphone, both on or off-campus (or on a library computer on campus), access UpToDate via the library homepage  > UptoDate 

Step 2) On the following page, click the Connect to this resource link, then login using your UTORID and password

Step 3) On the UpToDate login screen, login with your personal UpToDate username and password 

Now when you go back to your UpToDate app, you should be able to login with your personal UpToDate username and password.

(Click here to find other ways to verify your affiliation).

 

 

Items are typically available within a few days if they are coming from a main campus library such as Robarts, Gerstein, UTM, or UTSC, or from the Downsview storage facility.

Items coming from other libraries may take about a week.

There is no weekend delivery.

You may track your requests in our catalogue, LibrarySearch.