The University of Toronto library system has once again been ranked as one of the top three in North America – after Harvard and Yale – according to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). U of T was the only Canadian university in the top 10.
“We are very proud to again be ranked in the prestigious company of Harvard and Yale,” said Chief Librarian Larry P. Alford. “This ranking reflects the investment made by the University in the Libraries to provide access to outstanding electronic and print collections and to enable expert staff and librarians to support the learning and research needs of our faculty and students with leading edge information services and technology.”
“This year one of our top priorities will be to complete fundraising and begin building a state-of-the-art addition to Robarts Library. The Robarts Common will be a vibrant information hub which will be equipped with the new kinds of tools and services required to prepare the next generation of scholars to excel in the global knowledge economy.
The U of T library system has placed among the ARL’s top five research libraries since 2002 and is comprised of 40 individual libraries that hold more than 12 million volumes in 341 languages, millions of electronic resources in various forms and almost 30,000 linear metres of archival material. More than 150,000 new print volumes are acquired each year and its data centre houses more than 200 servers with a storage capacity of 1.5 petabytes. Through its Personal Librarian program, all first-year Faculty of Arts and Science students are matched with a librarian who provides customized support throughout the year. It is the largest research collection in Canada and the third-largest academic library in North America.
“The University of Toronto community takes pride in the strength of our library system, which continues to be regarded as one of the world’s finest. We thank and congratulate all our librarians and library staff across the three campuses for sustaining such an important resource to our teaching and research,” said Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President and Provost at the University of Toronto.
The ARL annually ranks its members’ investment in libraries based on total expenditures, materials expenditures, salary expenditures and number of staff.
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Wall | Communications Librarian | University of Toronto Libraries | margaret.wall@utoronto.ca | (416) 978-1757
U of T Media Relations Office | media.relations@utoronto.ca | (416) 978-0100