Learn to formulate research questions, borrow textbooks, and access media production and immersive studios.  It’s all at the Library!

 

Research help

Researching for a project, essay or assignment? Visit the Library.

Librarians can help you understand every step of the research process. Whether you are new to research or a graduate student, it’s important to know the resources, process, services and opportunities available to help you succeed.

Research help is offered in a variety of ways: you can drop-in, request an online appointment, chat in real-time, or sign up for a workshop. 

It’s easy, all you need to do is ask!

Check out these helpful services and resources:

• Learn to formulate effective research questions
• Get research help
• Research help guide
• Take a workshop, sharpen your research skills

 

Access the information you need!

This year TMU Libraries introduced a new academic search tool called Omni that allows you to seamlessly access and search TMU Libraries, as well as 18 other Ontario university libraries–all in one place, at the same time!

Not only do you have access to over hundreds of thousands of ebooks, electronic journals, magazines, professional publications, newspapers, and streaming videos through TMU Libraries, but you can now access over 25 million physical items from 18 other Ontario university libraries, thanks to Omni.

Feeling overwhelmed and wondering where to start?

Subject librarians can help you understand available resources, and how to access and use them. Find your subject librarian

Subject guides are curated by librarians. These are excellent resources that contain access to research and information in specific subject areas.

 

Take advantage of the Media Production and Immersive Studios, and the Digital Media Experience Lab

These spaces and studios are for you! Regardless of what you’re studying you have access to photography, video, sound editing and podcasting equipment. 

If you’re interested in creating an immersive experience for a project you’re working on, the TMU Libraries’ Immersion Studio provides you with the support and resources to make it happen.

At the Digital Media Experience Lab you have access to media stations, 3D modelling software and printers, sewing machines and so much more.

And, the Media Production Studio is a beginner space where you can learn video editing, podcasting or still photography.

Staff are onsite to assist you whether you’re a beginner or an expert!

 

Borrow textbooks, laptops, camera kits and microphones

Of course you can check out print material at the Circulation Desk, but did you know you can also borrow textbooks, laptops, cameras, tripods, GoPros, and microphones?

Check the loan periods, and the equipment borrowing and lending pages for more information.

 

Specialized collections, and spaces

Material ConneXion is an onsite textile and material collection of items to explore, examine and research. This collection provides a tactile understanding of materials, and information about each item, e.g. the type of material, what the make up is, if it’s sustainable. 

While it is available to all students, it is primarily used by interior design, fashion, engineering, architecture and business students.

Geospatial Map and Data Centre (GMDC) provides access to specialised geospatial software, data and statistical resources. There are data, map and GIS librarians, analysts, and a statistical consultant and learning specialist who can assist and provide instruction on how to find, examine and work with statistics, data and GIS information and software. There is also a large print map collection!

Special Collections offers access to rare books and primary source material like Canadian World War II comic books, Late Victorian avant-garde magazines, an original chromolithic edition of the Grammar of Ornament, a thank you note from Winston Churchill and so much more. Explore unique opportunities for research from the history of fashion and graphic design to women artists in the 19th century.

TMU Archives holds the historic record of the university from its days as a polytechnic institute to becoming a university. Explore images of campus life from the first days of nursing studies, activism, journalism, and even the construction of the Library building.

 

Study spaces, computer stations and labs

There are nine floors (2 – 10) available for work and study, each offering different types of spaces and seating options. 

There are computer stations and labs, group study rooms, open group tables, and individual carrols and soft seating. 

Learn more and find your favourite study spot!

 

 

We hope everyone is having a successful exam period. The Spring/Summer term is almost complete!

• Please clear any outstanding fines and return overdue items as soon as possible. Head to the renewals page to see if you have overdue items or fines greater than $25. Students with fines greater than $25 will not be able to view their grades until their accounts are cleared.
• All fines can be paid to TMU Libraries at the Circulation Desk either by VISA, MasterCard, American Express or with your OneCard. TMU Libraries also accepts credit card payment by phone. Please call: 416-979-2149. We do not accept personal cheques.

If you have questions or concerns about fines or overdue items, please contact Libraries Circulation access@torontomu.ca

TMU Libraries is excited to announce the appointment of Lei Jin to the position of Associate Dean of Libraries, Scholarly, Research and Creative Activities.

Jin has been with TMU Libraries since 2003, initially joining as a Serials Librarian. She then moved into the position of Electronic Resources Librarian where she oversaw the management and acquisition of the Libraries’ digital collections and licensing. 

She has served as the Interim Associate Dean of Libraries, SRC since September 2023, has been the Acting Head of Collections, and the co-chair of the Ontario Council of University Libraries’ Information Resources Committee. She is also the co-founder of the Canadian chapter of the Chinese American Library Association (CALA), and was recently elected as CALA’s Incoming Vice President/President Elect. 

In her new role, Jin will provide strategic leadership to the Libraries’ role in SRC at the university, including overseeing a newly formed research support group that will meet growing demands in Research Data Management, Open Access, Institutional Repository and Research Impact Assessment.

“I’m looking forward to making positive changes, whether through process improvements or service enhancements,” says Jin. “Creating an inclusive learning environment where all patrons feel supported in their academic pursuits, is a priority for me.”

Jin will be focusing on relationship building to advance the Libraries’ central role in research and scholarship, as well as working closely with faculty and librarians to ensure excellence in research support. 

“I’m very excited to have Lei as a member of the Library’s senior leadership team.” says Dean of Libraries Mark Robertson. “She is a gifted leader with a wealth of expertise in the support of SRC and in the development of library collections.”

In 1973 the face of nursing education would change in Ontario with the move of hospital schools of nursing into collegiate settings. The Ryerson School of Nursing (now the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing DCSN) would merge with the schools from the Hospital for Sick Children, Women’s College Hospital, and the The Wellesley Hospital. This was the start of a close relationship between the DCSN and the Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association (WHSNAA) that continues today.

In 2011, 13 years after the hospital’s closure, the WHSNAA gifted their expansive archival collection to TMU Archives. Along with the physical collection, the Alumnae association established an endowment to help offset the cost for the preservation and care of the materials.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the amalgamation and in celebration of the continuing relationship, the three groups, the WHSNAA, the DSCN and the University Archives, have partnered to create an anniversary exhibition. The physical display, housed in the DCSN administrative offices, features artifacts and photographs that give you a window into the history of the Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing, the WHSNAA, and the DSCN. The online component of the exhibit, consisting of two blogs, will take an in-depth look at the topics introduced in the physical exhibit.

Read the full post about the opening of the Wellesley Hospital, the birth of a nursing school, early nurse training, the evolution of the uniform, and convocation at the Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing on the Archives and Special Collections site.

 

Embarking on a research project can be overwhelming. Knowing where to start, how to look for information and resources, and when to narrow your search can be daunting.

The good news is you’re not alone on your research journey. We are here to help! TMU Libraries has a number of research help options available to get you started. 

Research help is available in-person, online, in real-time with our chat service Ask Us, and by appointment. 

And, we’re also on YouTube. TMU subject librarians, Cecile Farnum, Fiona Kovacaj and Michelle Schwartz have collaborated to bring you a series of videos to get you started.

Check out these 3 short videos:

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to TMU’s Dean of Libraries Mark Robertson, Interim University Librarian, Thompson Rivers University Tania Gottschalk, and Assessment Librarian, University of Calgary Justine Wheeler on receiving the 2023 Partnership Article Award for their article, The CARL Library Impact Framework: A Logic Model Approach to Impact Assessment For Research Libraries

The paper discusses the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) Library Impact Framework (CLIF), which was released in December 2021. The article provides an overview of the framework, its genesis, intent, structure, and possibilities for its application in research libraries. Read the award-winning article in Partnership

 

As LGBTQ+ organizations across Canada gear up for a Rainbow Week of Action, May 16 and 17, TMU Librarian Michelle Schwartz, University of Ottawa Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities Constance Crompton, and University of Ottawa and TMU Postdoctoral Fellow Pascale Dangoisse, discuss how these events are part of a long history of LGBTQ+ campaigning and protest and the importance of making that history easily accessible online to help contemporary movements learn from previous generations of activists. Their Lesbian and Gay Liberation in Canada project highlights how feminist and queer practices can create meaningful change using digital methods and tools.

 

Read the full article in The Conversation

 

 

TMU Libraries has installed a micro gallery that acts as memorial to all Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Men, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWGM2S). The gallery, located on the main floor of the Main Library, is comprised of books wrapped in materials sourced from Indigenous vendors. Some of the books have been marked with the names of lives lost printed in gold on the spines. The books were wrapped by students, staff and librarians during book wrapping events held in March at the Libraries’ Digital Media Experience Lab. The micro gallery installation is part of The Canadian Library project to respect and honour the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, men and two-spirit people

What is the Canadian Library project (TCL)?

The Canadian Library (TCL) is a grassroots art installation project that acts as a memorial to all Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Men, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWGM2S). 

The project currently consists of micro galleries installed at various locations across Canada. A micro gallery is a temporary art installation, on a smaller scale, where individuals can see books wrapped in Indigenous materials. The names of lives lost, printed in gold letters, are placed on the spines of these books to individually respect and honour the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, men and two-spirit people (MMIWGM2S). Eventually, the 8,000 books from the micro galleries will be brought together into a permanent installation. 

The stories of the people named on the books can be read on the Canadian Library Project website. The books without names represent those MMIWGM2S who have not yet been found. 

 

The Canadian Library was inspired by British-Nigerian artist, Yinka Shonibar.

Learn more about The Canadian Library and micro gallery