UTL News

This year we’re bringing more first-hand accounts of student life from their own words. Today we focus on wellness tips and tools across the libraries to support study breaks and overall well-being.By Liza Nikolaenko for YourUTLSeptember 9, 2025As students navigate their studies and campus life,… Read more

Dear colleagues, As another academic year begins, our campuses are alive once more with students and faculty returning to their studies, teaching, and research. I want to take this moment to thank you for the energy and commitment you bring to our libraries each fall. The work you do makes our… Read more

Welcome to U of T!  Whether you’re a new or returning student, U of T Libraries (UTL) is thrilled to welcome you to campus during the most exciting time of year. We also know this can be a busy and overwhelming time. We want you to know that we’re here to help – in so many ways. … Read more

Birdseye view of the solar panels atop of University of Toronto Libraries at Downsview (photo by Albert Trinier)  Published: July 30, 2025By: Liza Nikolaenko, Graduate Student Library Assistant For the second year in a row, the University of Toronto has been ranked the world’s most… Read more

Published: July 28, 2025By: Anya Chugh, Co-op Advancement InternAs an international student, I have always wanted to learn about Canadian history and culture to feel connected to the land I now call home. This curiosity led me to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, where I learnt that the past isn… Read more

  From left:  Thanpuying Varaporn Pramoj Na Ayudhaya, President of the World Tipitaka Foundation, H.E. Kallayana Vipattipumiprates, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Canada, Phra Thirayut Jittatheero, Phra Nakonchai Khemchayo, University Chief Librarian Larry Alford and… Read more

The 2025 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson  Undergraduate Research Prize winners, from left: Sasha Adamova, Vivian Zhi, Kimberley Ng, William Kilbride. Not pictured: Bavan Pushpalingam and Constantine Matthaios. The winners are posing with Chief University Librarian Larry Alford and Vice-… Read more

This summer, University of Toronto Libraries invites students, faculty, and staff to take part in an expanded edition of Summer Reading BINGO—a self-directed challenge that encourages leisure reading, exploration, and community connection through books. Running from May 5 to September 1, 2025… Read more

figcaption { margin-right:15px } “An Incidental Smash” Grip, November 1, 1890 Published: April 2, 2025By: Loryl MacDonald, Associate Chief Librarian for Special Collections and Director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book LibraryTariffs have undoubtedly been the biggest news story of the past few… Read more

Photo by Johnny Guatto On behalf of the University of Toronto Libraries, I offer my wholehearted congratulations to Melanie Woodin, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, on being named the 17th president of the University of Toronto.Dean Woodin brings a wealth of experience to this role as… Read more

 Published February 25, 2025by Alison Lang, UTL NewsIn the Southern African country of Botswana, in the town of Serowe, a small museum with a bright red roof holds the stories of a country’s soul.Since 1985, curators and staff at the Khama III Memorial Museum have stewarded several important… Read more

Published February 13th, 2025by: Alison Lang, UTL NewsAmong the many significant and beautiful works of art in the holdings of the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library (EAL), there’s one piece in particular with a very special story. It is a three-panel embroidery artwork in the style of Chinese… Read more

Published: January 30th, 2025by: Alison Lang, UTL NewsEmily Dickinson once wrote that the brain is deeper than the sea - and nowhere is this more evident than in the latest Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library exhibit De cerebro: An exhibition of the human brain, opening January 30th and running to… Read more

  Published: December 11, 2024by: Alison Lang, UTL NewsGrowing up in the 1960s in Delhi, India, Samphe Lhalungpa had always known that his father - the eminent Tibetan scholar, translator, radio broadcaster and former monk-official Lobsang Lhalungpa –  had maintained a significant… Read more

  U of T Nobel laureates: University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton (Physics, 2024) and University Professor Emeritus John Polanyi (Chemistry, 1986)    From December 5-10, 2024, the University of Toronto will celebrate Nobel Week, honouring the extraordinary achievements… Read more

U of T's Accelerator Fest showcases business ventures from across the university community.        Published: November 25, 2024By: Alison Lang, UTL NewsIf you’re looking to start your own business or startup, there are few places better than the University of… Read more

The University of Toronto Libraries has simplified the process of identifying journals covered by existing open access agreements and discounts with the SciFree Journal Search Tool.This tool offers a user-friendly, searchable platform that helps researchers identify journals with waived or… Read more

Published: November 18, 2024By: Alison Lang, UTL NewsOn October 21, the first floor of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book library came alive with the voice of James Joyce, as part of One Little Goat Theatre Company’s live reading of Chapter 5 of Joyce’s magnum opus Finnegans Wake.In front of a rapt crowd… Read more

Published: November 8, 2024By: Alison Lang, UTL News “All well with me.”It’s a single line, written quickly on a sheet of paper, dated June 30, 1916. Its sender signed his name in a hasty scribble – “Harold.”  Contained within its folds is a delicate flower, browned with age, but still… Read more

Published: October 29, 2024By: Alison Lang, UTL NewsIn the world of academia, there is a great deal of emphasis placed upon the importance and sanctity of the written word. And while texts and physical materials are critically important, it is equally essential that students, faculty and librarians… Read more

Published: October 18, 2024By: Alison Lang, UTL NewsA cloth-bound version of the Bhagavad Gita. A water-damaged copy of a Hebrew codex. The final letter of a World War I officer with a pressed flower tucked within its folds.These seemingly disparate materials each have a story that hasn’t been… Read more

Published: September 17, 2024By: Alison Lang, UTL NewsLast September, a student approached Accessibility and Resource Sharing librarian Hujma Chowdhury with a problem. The student had been trying to navigate the then-newly installed access gates at Robarts and Gerstein libraries and due to low… Read more

Published: September 11, 2024By: Alison LangWhat do you think of when you hear the term “travel writing?”  Some of us might envision Jack Kerouac’s laconic beat chronicle On The Road, while others may look to Maya Angelou’s crackling memoir of political and personal self-discovery while living… Read more

Published: September 9, 2024By: Alison LangThe path to the hallowed halls of academia – and specifically, academic libraries – isn’t always straightforward. In Devon Stolz’s case, his journey to the University of Toronto included a brief stopover into the world of TV baking in 2018 when he became a… Read more

This Pride Month we’re spotlighting UTL staff and librarians who help support 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives, programming, and collections at U of T Libraries and beyond. Jesse Carliner, User Services Librarian, SDS Liaison Librarian. Pronouns he/him. Let us introduce you to Jesse Carliner, User… Read more