Consulting Our Special Collections

Requesting an Appointment  

Once you have identified the materials you plan to consult, the next step is to register for an account and request an appointment through Special Collections Access, a library account designated for this purpose.

Before you submit your request, please note that researchers are provided with one file (and not a whole box) at a time.

Please consult our detailed guide if you need assistance with creating an account and requesting an appointment. 

Researchers must provide a minimum of three weekdays’ advance notice to request an appointment for consulting materials from our special collections. Materials are available for consultation only after you receive an email confirming your appointment.

Required Information

Prior to submitting your request through Special Collections Access, you will need:

• a complete list of the items you would like to view in the order of priority (please refer to Requesting Specific Files for complete instructions and the details we require you to provide)
• contact information, including your name, email address, and phone number
• a list of preferred dates and times for your visit, at least three weekdays in advance of your request.

Any requests that do not contain the required information will be considered incomplete and will not be processed. 

Each request is limited to one box from one collection, but researchers are able to request more than one box per each appointment.

If you would like to consult materials from more than one box (or from more than one collection), please submit a separate request for each box (or collection).

The materials in the collections are available for use from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm Monday to Friday in the Special Collections Reading Room on the main floor of the Library. Materials are available for consultation only after you receive an email confirming your appointment.

Preparing for Your Visit &
Wireless Access for Visiting Researchers

Prior to your appointment, please review the procedures and policies associated with registering as a researcher, handling rare books, and conducting your research, which are outlined in Planning Your Visit.

External researchers who are not affiliated with the University of Toronto can access the Internet by connecting to eduroam, a roaming wi-fi service for users in research and higher education. It provides secure network access when visiting a university other than your own, using your login from your home institution.

Researchers are required to set up their credentials at their home institution prior to visiting the Library to access eduroam at the University of Toronto. Alternatively, visiting researchers can request temporary access to eduroam by using their mobile device.