About the library

The mandate of the ROM Library & Archives is to support the collections and research of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The ROM Library & Archives comprise of the Richard Wernham and Julia West Library, the Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia, and the Museum Archives.

The Richard Wernham and Julia West Library has over 300,000 volumes, including 7,000 rare books, and subscriptions to more than 150 current journals and magazines. The Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia has about 70,000 volumes and 70 current journal subscriptions. The Museum Archives (1,200 linear ft.) maintains the historical records and documents relating to the ROM.

Collection strengths

Richard Wernham and Julia West Library – Anthropology, archaeology, botany, costume, Canadiana, entomology, geology, herpetology, ichthyology, invertebrate zoology, mammalogy, mineralogy, museology, paleontology, textiles, and the decorative arts.

Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia – Fine and decorative arts of Asia, Asian archaeology, Islamic art and culture, and Egyptology.

Museum Archives – Historical records and documents relating to the ROM, including unpublished manuscripts and photographs, as well as over 150 fonds of personal papers relating to the history and collections of the Museum. The Museum Archives are located within the Richard Wernham and Julia West Library.

How to access

Our library collections are listed in the University of Toronto library catalogue, however, they are non-circulating, and are for in-library use only. As our collections are dispersed throughout the Museum, we require advance notice of one business day to retrieve materials for your in-library consultation.  Please email us for your retrieval requests.

To visit the Richard Wernham and Julia West Library and Museum Archives, enter the museum through the Bloor St. entrance. Library researchers should identify themselves at the admissions desk.

Visitors to the Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia must check-in with museum security with a valid photo-ID at the Staff Entrance, accessible from Queen’s Park on the south side of the museum.