For TMU Libraries hours, please check the Library hours page.

 

TMU Libraries provides access to resources and services that support teaching and learning at Toronto Metropolitan University including online research skills instruction for classes, online workshops, individual research and reference help and access to a wide range of electronic resources, including: ebooks, ejournal databases, primary source databases, streaming media and more.

 

Library Instruction 

Subject librarians are providing online specialized research group workshops and research skills instruction to classes. Please contact your subject librarian to discuss and schedule a live virtual session for your students.

 

Subject Librarians

Subject librarians assist faculty with locating online course materials, including, but not limited to: readings, data sets, videos, podcasts and streaming media. 

 

Supplementary Course Materials Guide

The supplementary course materials guide provides information on the Library’s online educational materials (ebooks, videos, OER and more). It also includes a curated list of alternate educational resources available to faculty and students. Access to all online resources is available 24/7.

 

 eReserves and Digital Course Readings 

Ensure students have convenient  (and copyright compliant) access to customized  digital course readings embedded in D2L course Shells. To request eReserve course readings, please email reserve@torontomu.ca.

 

Copyright Guidance 

For information on copyright in instruction, SRC or scholarly publishing please email Copyright and Scholarly Engagement Librarian, Ann Ludbrook: aludbrook@torontomu.ca. To request eReserve course readings, please email reserve@torontomu.ca.

 

OER and Pressbooks

Open Educational Resources (OER) are materials that can be used and reused freely for educational purposes. The Library supports the collection and creation of OER by TMU faculty through the TMU  University Pressbooks platform. For more information, email Web Services Librarian, Sally Wilson swilson@torontomu.ca.

 

Electronic Resources 

The Library offers a vast and growing collection of electronic resources including ebooks, journals and newspapers, data sets, streaming media, databases (search by subject), Open Educational Resources (OER), as well as a curated list of resources temporarily offered for free by publishers.  

 

Textbook Collection

This fall, the Library’s Print Reserve service is providing access to print textbooks. Students can borrow print textbooks on short term loan.

For specific electronic textbooks, please check the TMU Campus Store for available purchasing. While the Library has access to some ebooks, commercial sale is primarily available to students only. Additionally, the Library cannot guarantee every student will have access, at the same time, to an ebook the Library has been able to purchase. This is especially important to note if using an ebook for an open book exam.

Check the Campus Store for access to electronic textbooks for specific courses.

 

Scan and Deliver Service

Scan and Deliver Service is available to students, faculty and staff who require access to portions of printed works (chapters, articles, etc.) that fall within copyright permissible amounts. Requests can be placed through the Library’s online catalogue.

 

Accessibility Services in the Library

For information on accessible formats, media captioning, and shifting to alternate accessible course delivery modes, please visit Library Accessibility Services. 

 

Research Help

Research help is available online to all students and TMU community members. Visit the Library’s Ask a Librarian live chat  service, or email your question to: refdesk@torontomuca

Updated: November 24, 2023

Welcome to TMU Libraries

Learn about Library resources, services, programs and spaces

Visit the homepage

TMU Libraries Hours

Please continue to check the Library hours page for updates on Library opening hours.

All campus building doors, including the Library building, are locked and require an active OneCard to gain access.

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Research and Reference Help

The Research Help area is located on the main floor of the Main Library (near the east entrance).

In-person research help is available:
Mon. to Fri.: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

 

Ask-a-Librarian Chat Service (Virtual Research Help)

September 5 to December 8, 2023

Monday to Thursday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Noon – 6 p.m.
Closed Monday, October 9, 2023

If you have a question while this service is closed, send us an email – refdesk@torontomu.ca

 

Email reference assistance

• General: refdesk@torontomu.ca
• Archives and Special Collections: asc@torontomu.ca
• Geospatial Map and Data Centre: librdata@torontomu.ca
• Library’s Isaac Olowolafe Jr. Digital Media Experience (DME) Lab: dme@torontomu.ca

 

Research Help Appointments

To request a one-on-one online appointment with a Librarian, please submit a research appointment request.

 

Research and Digital Skills Workshops

TMU Libraries hosts a number of virtual and in-person workshops each month. Learn about everything from finding credible resources including electronic articles and books, how to do literature and systematic reviews, or learn Adobe Creative suite applications for projects and for fun!

 

Subject Research Guides

Subject guides assist with finding online articles and books applicable to your topic and courses.

 

Research Help Guide

Research guides get you started on how to plan and carry out your research. Online research tutorials are available to help walk you through each step of the research process.

 

Subject Librarians

Connect with your subject liaison librarian to learn more about resources and materials available specifically for your area of study.

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Where to study

Study Space

Quiet study  space is available on floors 4-7, and 9. Silent study space is on floor 10.

Group Study Room Booking

Group study rooms are now available for booking.

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Borrowing and Lending Services

Laptop Lending

TMU Libraries has laptops available for loan from the Circulation Desk on the main floor.

Laptops may be borrowed for an eight hour period during the hours that the Library is open. The first time you borrow a laptop, you will need to complete and submit an Online Laptop Loan Agreement Form.

TRSM Laptop Lending

Laptop Lending for TRSM is restricted to undergraduate and graduate students, both full-time and part-time and who are currently enrolled in Ted Rogers School of Management programs only. TRSM users will need to complete and submit this TRSM Laptop Lending Request Form to access this program. Students who are experiencing  financial hardship will receive priority.

Online Resources

Access to all online resources including ebooks, ejournals, data, streaming video/media  and more, remains available 24/7.

 

Textbook Collection

Print textbooks are available on short-term loan for the majority of undergraduate courses. Textbooks are available from the reserve collection at the Circulation Desk on the main floor of the Main Library and can be requested by call number.

Electronic Resources

The University Library subscribes to a wide array of electronic resources (articles, ebooks, data, video). To access these resources, you must be a student (full or part time), staff or faculty member with an active my.torontomu account. These are available remotely 24/7.

Interlibrary Loans 

The Interlibrary Loan service enhances the resources of the University Library by making material available from other libraries, organizations and document delivery services. Students, faculty, staff may use this service to request materials from another library provided the University Library does not own a physical copy or the online access is restricted. Please email any questions to interlibloan@torontomu.ca.

Online Articles and Databases

Access electronic multiple articles in databases, search journals, newspapers and magazines, or find specific articles.

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Scan and Deliver Service

Scan and Deliver Service is available to students, faculty and staff who require access to portions of printed works (chapters, articles, etc.) that fall within copyright permissible amounts. Requests can be placed through the Library’s online catalogue.

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Digital Course Readings

TMU Libraries provides customized online course readings for many courses. These are prepared based on instructor requests and are typically provided for access at the start of term.

If you have challenges or questions regarding access to these resources, please email: reserve@torontomu.ca

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Citation Guide

The citation guide provides assistance properly citing all material in various citation styles like APA, plus a list of free citation management programs.

In March 2020, four students and one team of students, submitted their extraordinary project ideas for the Library DME Creators Grant, just prior to the university’s closure due to COVID-19. While the world was trying to grapple with a global pandemic and contain the spread of a swift moving virus, these students continued to charge ahead and take hold of projects they felt passionately about.

Join us on July 22 as they present their now completed projects!

Register now!

The Ryerson Library and an MFA Documentary Media student helped create an experience based on remembrance project

If you walk down certain cobblestone streets in Europe, you might come across a Stolperstein (stumbling stone) at your feet.

The Stolpersteine are commemorative cobblestones that are placed in front of houses that were the last freely chosen homes of people who were victims of the Holocaust – imprisoned, displaced or murdered. German artist Gunter Demnig started the project in 1996 and has so far installed more than 70,000 brass plaques in 21 European countries.

In May 2020, the German Consulate Toronto approached Ryerson Library with the idea to jointly create   a virtual experience based on the Stolpersteine memorials and a year later this creative partnership produced “Stolpersteine: Stories Through Generations.” The project brings the stories of four Canadian families alive through the narrative of audio interviews and private family images.

Read full story in Ryerson Today

Last year, shortly after the province-wide lockdown, the Library put out a call to Ryerson community members asking for contributions to a digital archive.

The COVID-19 Community Archives project was born as a way to help the Ryerson community collectively record lived experiences during a global pandemic that swiftly altered the way we studied, attended class, worked, bought groceries and visited with family and friends.

One year later, we are now living through a third wave that has continued to push us to establish new routines. Students and faculty have nearly completed a full year of online, remote learning. Researchers have sought new ways to access materials and conduct research. Events and workshops have brought people together virtually to share discussions and knowledge online. Libraries have set up study space booking systems and ways of delivering print items without contact, while increasing digital collections and research help services. 

Now, as vaccine rollout increases, there is some light but continued concern as variants spread. 

Throughout the pandemic the Library has continued to collect images, photographs, writing and poetry from our community, documenting the ways we have come to experience the world. “We’ve received essays and audio journal entries reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 on student life, as well as our relationship with outdoor space and technology,” says Special Curatorial Specialist, Olivia Wong.

Wong notes that in addition to local experiences, students have also provided their global perspectives. “Some submissions are from international students who documented their journey flying home early in the pandemic and shared their experience attending classes while being in a completely different time zone than Toronto,” says Wong 

The COVID-19 community archives is a growing repository of grassroots primary source documentation which provides access to a collection of first-hand accounts of the pandemic experience for researchers who will investigate and study this time.  “Through this archive, we’re collecting the first-hand experiences of our community, and making these valuable primary sources available to students, researchers, and historians in the future,” says Alison Skyrme, special collections librarian.

“With the majority of our learning and working happening in private, our individual experiences have become invisible, particularly for students,” says Skyme. “Our sense of community has changed dramatically. The way we learn, teach, and socialize is completely different, and it’s still unknown how this experience will change us or alter our “normal” moving forward.” 

For more information on the project and how to submit content, visit the Archives and Special Collections Covid-19 Community Archives

 

Open Education at Ryerson highlights the work that’s being done at Ryerson University in support of open education. This includes the use of open educational practices and open pedagogy in the classroom, and the creation and adoption of open educational resources. 

Learn what support is available, from grants and funding to publishing tools, find about upcoming workshops and events, and connect with other Ryerson community members working on open.

 

Open Education Week events:

 

Open Images for the Digital Classroom and Beyond

Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

This Library-led workshop is an overview of how to find online open images, how to use open images in teaching or projects, and how to advise students on the use of Creative Commons images in social media or web projects.

Register for this workshop

 

 

An Introduction to Open Pedagogy

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Join us to learn more about this learner-driven, experiential, and inclusive pedagogy, and how it can be applied in both the virtual and face-to-face classroom. Bring your course outlines, activities, or assessments so we can discuss how they could be transformed through open teaching principles.

Register for this workshop

 

 

Open Pedagogy Tools: Pressbooks, H5P and Hypothes.is

Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

An overview of Pressbook, an online book publishing platform hosted by the Library, and some of the new interactive features that have been released recently in Pressbooks. We will also look at H5P and how Hypothes.is can be used with Pressbooks and other web content. 

Register for this workshop

 

Toronto Metropolitan University Library has partnered with the Aga Khan Museum in a creative collaboration that harnesses digital technology to create innovative experiences for the Museum’s exciting new Remastered exhibition.

The Aga Khan Museum recently launched it’s vibrant Remastered exhibition—November 7 to March 21, 2021—showcasing 11 classic Islamic manuscript paintings complemented by 40 digital interventions.

The digital interventions are the work of Library Collaboratory team members, Lead Developer Michael Carter-Arlt, Web Developer and Support Technician Jae Duk Seo, with Information Technology Services Head Fangmin Wang and Web Services Librarian Sally Wilson acting as administrative consultants on the project.  

In collaboration with the Museum and exhibition curator Dr. Michael Chagnon, the Library team developed new ways to experience the historic manuscripts, introducing alternative learning opportunities through the exploration of digital technologies.

“The Remastered exhibition has given us the valuable opportunity to reimagine how we interpret classic Islamic artworks using modern technology available at the Ryerson Library,” says Carter-Arlt. “The intention of this project is to tell a story for each artwork, and in doing so provide a greater understanding through interactive digital media.”

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The Library’s partnership with the Aga Khan Museum began in 2019 when the Museum approached the Library about creating unique learning experiences using Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies.  

Following initial meetings, the Library and Museum worked together on an exploratory research project, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, which sought to develop and assess digital and experiential learning resources that would help to increase classroom engagement, and expand access to collections beyond in-person visits to the Museum. 

The Aga Khan Museum supplied the Library with high resolution photographs and descriptions of three objects from their collection, including: an astrolabe (astronomical instrument), an illuminated and illustrated leaf from a manuscript, and a green ceramic bottle. 

The Library team then used digital and emerging technologies to create new experiences that could be tested for their engagement and educational value. 

In total, four experiences for the three objects were developed. They included: an AR animation with translations and audio for the leaf of the manuscript; AR and Looking Glass (holographic) experiences for the green ceramic bottle; and an acrylic replica astrolabe, which could be taken apart and rebuilt. 

 

Library team members, Sally Wilson, E-learning and Accessibility Services Librarian Kelly Dermody, and Operations Specialist Cristina Pietropaolo then conducted focus groups to further understand the engagement impacts and potential of the digital resources for in-class learning, as well as increased access to museum collections.   

“The purpose of this project was to translate select items of the Museum’s collection from their physical confines to digital formats using Augmented Reality (AR) and other technologies,” says Pietropaolo. “The long-term intention of this work is to facilitate accessible and meaningful education around these objects for both educators and their students in the classroom, as well as for members of the public in an effort to transform and enhance access to arts and culture education.”

The work which began in 2019 is ongoing as Library team members continue to investigate opportunities for digital and experiential learning in the context of gallery, library, archives and museum education.

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In April 2020, the Aga Khan Museum once again approached the Library to collaborate on the Remastered exhibit, curated by Dr. Michael Chagnon. 

The task: to develop digital experiences to accompany ancient Islamic manuscripts for the exhibit. To complete the project, the Library was given exclusive access to high resolution folios in order to rework and reimagine them in digital formats. The result was 40 new experiences including: seven animations, five 3D holograms, five digital restorations, and 23 interactive folios. The Library and Museum also received a generous loan from Looking Glass Factory to assist in the display of the holographic images.

 

The digital elements, now part of the Remastered exhibit, enhance the overall learning and storytelling experience for visitors through digital restoration, innovative engagement elements and new digitally enhanced explorations.  

“We are very excited to partner with the Aga Khan Museum. It has been a wonderful opportunity to bring the Library’s role in interdisciplinary research, knowledge sharing and digital information tools to this unique learning environment,” says Chief Librarian Carol Shepstone. “This project is an excellent example of how the GLAM sectors (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) can come together to leverage unique expertise and shared goals.”

These five students submitted their extraordinary project ideas back in March, just prior to the university’s closure due to COVID-19. When the world was trying to grapple with a global pandemic and contain the spread of a swift moving virus, these students continued to charge ahead and take hold of projects they felt passionately about.

All five projects are now well underway, each one bringing to light new ways of addressing current social issues. 

The grant itself highlights experiential learning and digital literacy opportunities available to students through the Library, and provides funding and mentorship to the students throughout the development of their individual projects.

Here’s a peek at the innovative projects this year’s recipients are working on:

 

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Sojourner San Vicente

4th year, Ryerson Midwifery Education Program, Faculty of Community Services

With the Library DME Creators Grant, Sojourner San Vicente—along with fellow Ryerson Midwifery Education Program (MEP) students Tumaini Lyaruu and Hanan Yousuf—is developing a series of educational videos on midwifery care featuring Black midwifery students, midwives and clients. As a group of Black midwifery students, they have anecdotally identified various false assumptions that have prevented Black community members from accessing midwifery care, and understanding their pregnancy care options. The videos aim to: 

• increase awareness about midwifery care in Ontario,
• increase the visibility of Black midwives, midwifery students and clients, and 
• enable Black communities to see themselves reflected in midwifery care. 

Through the videos, Sojourner, Tumaini and Hanan hope more Black families will become interested in considering midwifery care as an option for their pregnancies.

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Takoda Kemp

3rd year, Geographic Analysis, Faculty of Arts

Having grown up on a farm in the Bahamas, Takoda has a deep connection to the natural world. Coupled with interests in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Robotics, his project tackles issues involving food insecurity. Seeing how structural barriers can hinder people without access to arable land, Takoda knows first-hand that quality infrastructure and education can provide opportunities to create a productive and sustainable crop.

With the Library DME Creators Grant, Takoda is investigating the use of drones to provide agricultural analysis and services to farmers in Canada and the Bahamas. With a camera drone, he is creating two and three-dimensional maps that categorize soil and plant types to help facilitate manual aspects of farm labour such as seed sowing, and crop control. Takoda will then retrofit the mapping process to all dwellings and settings, including urban centres, so analysis of surroundings can clarify which crops can be grown where. An additional aspect of the project is to investigate the use of drones to sow crops that can germinate on the soil’s surface, like micro-greens and salad greens.

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Niya Abdullahi

4th year, Business Technology Management and Co-op, Ted Rogers School of Management

Business Technology co-op student Niya Abdullahi is a Tech-Enthusiast and aspiring Filmmaker. Earlier this year she founded Habasooda, a media platform dedicated to sharing the richness of the Muslim experience through a variety of storytelling avenues such as videos and infographics.

With the Library DME Creators Grant, Niya is creating a documentary that explores the stigma of mental illness within the Muslim community. The documentary will explore the differences between mental illness and mental health while showcasing the realities of being a Muslim with a mental illness. “Often when one is dealing with a mental illness they are told that their symptoms may be due to a lack of faith and/or supernatural occurrences,” says Niya. The film will shed light on what a community’s denial could do to someone’s own inner battles and how we as a community can combat stigma.

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Emerson Kafarowski

4th year, Performance Production, Faculty of Communication and Design

Emerson Kafarowski is an emerging lighting designer currently finishing her BFA in Production & Design at Ryerson’s School of Performance.

With the Library DME Creators Grant, Emerson is building a portable lighting console for small-scale live entertainment events, including theatre, dance, and live music. The lighting console will cater to shows and productions produced by independent and emerging artists or companies with limited budgets, as well as non-traditional performing arts spaces without existing technical infrastructure. It will also promote and incentivize industry-level lighting design and operation in a comprehensive and accessible format.

Emerson’s project will be open-sourced and is inspired by Electronic Theatre Control (ETC) Labs #lighthack, a community-driven project designed by ETC users and employees to share and co-develop open-source apps, programs and hardware. It is Emerson’s intention that, once complete, the details of this project including the equipment list, assembly instructions, and code, will be made available to others interested in creating and/or customizing low-cost, portable programming wings and devices of their own.

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Elvina Raharja

2nd year, Creative Industries, Faculty of Communication and Design

Elvina Raharja is a second-year Creative Industries student focusing on the performing art  and film  industries. Growing up in Indonesia, Elvina trained as a dancer and became passionate about learning different dance styles and histories to help cultivate her voice and awareness as an artist. Throughout her training and career in dance, she has also seen first-hand the discrepancy in the representation of women of colour in mainstream media–especially plus-sized women. As an aspiring producer and creative director, Elvina is committed to pushing for safe spaces and inclusivity for everyone, especially within the dance industry.

With the Creators Grant, Elvina is creating a short dance film that highlights curvy and plus-sized women of colour. Her goal for the project is to help dismantle, through dance, pre-existing body standards and to push a body inclusive, positive narrative. 

Twenty years ago, Jennifer Kwan published “Voices from the Trenches” in the student paper, The Eyeopener.

Kwan interviewed students about their relationship to Remembrance Day and their traditions to commemorate the event. The article published provides insight from students who had recently immigrated to Canada and their connections to war and conflict.

Archives and Special Collections has outlined the importance of the article and student perspectives in their recently published post, Remembrance Day: student voices from 2000

The newspaper article included in post is archived in the Toronto Metropolitan University Archives Remembrance Day Clipping File. The Archives preserves students’ experiences and serves as the institutional memory of the Ryerson community. For more student perspectives on Remembrance Day, visit Remembrance Day: student voices from 2000.