The U of T library system is the largest academic library in Canada with 44 libraries spread across our 3 campuses and of those 44, 42 of the libraries are on the St. George campus where you’ll be as an engineering student!
We highly recommend you explore the huge library system to find the resources you need when working on your projects and also many cool study spaces and common areas that fit your personality and study style.
Engineering & Computer Science Library
Located on the second floor of Sandford Fleming, this library serves both Engineering and Computer Science students. There’s a main study area with lots of seating on the main floor, and individual seating and the quiet study area on the second floor. The library has 29 computer workstations, including 4 Design Space stations, and printers available.
This is a great place for quiet study, and it is probably the closest library if you are in any engineering building. If you prefer physical books over PDFs, you can look for Engineering textbooks and reading material here. As Engineering students, you can book study rooms equipped with a monitor, HDMI cable, and whiteboard markers and erasers. You can prepare for finals with your EngSci friends here!
Gerstein Science Information Centre
Gerstein is just East of King’s College Circle, and it is less than a five-minute walk from Sandford Fleming. There are group study rooms available for booking and computer stations for individual use.
Gerstein has an extensive science and engineering collection from textbooks to research papers and more. You can browse the collection on their website, find physical copies on the basement floor, or ask a Librarian for help with research.
Gerstein also has a 3D-printing studio complete with 3D printers and scanners. Located in the Mobile Application Development Lab (MADLab), the service is available for all valid University of Toronto T-Card holders. For instructions on how to submit print jobs, click here.
Robarts Library
Robarts (pronounced ROW-barts) is located at the intersection of St. George Street and Harbord Street. It contains the largest single collection of the University of Toronto Libraries. Here you can find Robarts Commons, which is a study space open to all U of T students 24 hours a day.
Robarts also has dedicated quiet study spaces spanning two floors. These spaces don’t require booking and are first come first served basis. The large study space on the 4th floor has tons of natural light and ergonomic desk chairs, which make it ideal for long study sessions.
Robarts also has an in-building food court, along with restaurants such as Stone Oven Pizzeria, So Sushi, Starbucks, etc. Multiple food trucks are usually parked right at the front entrance as well. However, most of these restaurants are closed on weekends. So, if you are planning on studying here over the weekend, make sure to pack some lunch and/or snacks.
Library Resources Available
The first thing you can do in libraries is borrow books of course! Using your T-Card, you can take out up to 50 items at a time, with a loan period of 14 days. The system will also try to automatically perform a renewal if possible, so you can avoid being fined. You can search for all books, including ebooks, on the library website. You can download many textbooks, research papers, and international standards here.
It’s also common for Praxis I instructors to explain to the class how to properly search online for credible resources and how to properly cite those resources. So make sure you pay attention in that class because those skills will be useful all throughout your degree.
Other than books, you can also borrow chargers, board/video games, laptops, calculators, and more from libraries!
Another thing you can do at libraries is book study spaces. You can study with your friends, work on projects, or have team meetings in these rooms. Many of them have TVs or whiteboards, which is great for collaborative studying!
As a first year engineering student, you will be assigned a Personal Librarian at the end of September. They are an amazingly useful support! You’ll get research advice and tips as well as answer any of your questions about library resources, services, and research.