Rare Books: Submitting a Request & Booking an Appointment

Before You Begin

For same-day appointments, please first call the library at 416-585-4470 or visit us in-person to determine if an appointment is available. Researchers must submit their requests for rare books by either 10:30 am or 2:30 pm on the day they want to consult them.

Materials are available for consultation only after you receive an email confirming your appointment. Please visit Consulting Our Rare Book Collections for information that we require for each request.

Submitting a Request to Consult Rare Books

For same-day appointments, please first call the library at 416-585-4470 or visit us in-person to determine if an appointment is available.

1. Navigate to the library catalogue (called LibrarySearch) and locate the title that you would like to request for consultation
2. In the catalogue listing for the title, select Special Collections Access—Victoria:
   
3. This will direct you to your Special Collections Access account:
   1. If you currently don’t have an account, please consult the instructions on registering for first-time users
   2. If you are not already logged in, enter your UTORid and password (or your username and password if you are a visiting researcher)
4. Review the information associated with the book you are requesting to ensure it is complete
5. If you are ready to book your appointment, navigate to Appointment:
   1. Click on Schedule a New Appointment:
   2. Select the date and time of your visit and click on Create Appointment:
      
6. Click on Submit Request to complete it:
   
7. For same-day appointments, please call the library at 416-585-4470 or visit us in-person to modify your appointment time to the same day
8. If you would like to request additional books, repeat the above steps
9. If you aren’t ready to book your appointment, click on Save Request for Later on the bottom of the page:
   

Booking an Appointment to Consult Rare Books

You only need to follow these instructions if you didn’t book your appointment under step 5 above. For same-day appointments, please first call the library at 416-585-4470 or visit us in-person to determine if an appointment is available.

1. Under the main navigation, click on Appointments:
   
2. On the next page that opens, click on New Appointment:
   
3. Under Site, in the dropdown menu, select Victoria University Special Collections to access the list of available time slots:
4. Choose a date and time when you would like to visit the Library (Appointment Name is optional)
5. Click on Create Appointment:
   
6. Under the main navigation, click on Request History and then Outstanding Requests:
   
7. On the next page that opens, click on the title you would like to consult during your appointment:
   1. On top of the page, click on Edit Request:
      
8. On the next page that opens, scroll down to Appointment:
   1. Under Site, in the dropdown menu, select Victoria University Special Collections to access your list of appointments:
      
   2. Under Appointment, in the dropdown menu, select the appointment time you have previously booked
   3. Click on Submit Request to complete your booking: