#toronto reference library

[vinshuka]

So this past weekend my friend and I went to TCAF, we saw a ton of cool stuff but I also convinced them to go to the Arthur Conan Doyle Room with me at the Toronto Reference Library with me as I had been meaning to make the trip.

For any one who doesn't know the Arthur Conan Doyle Room is a massive collection of ACD, Sherlock Holmes, and related books (there are 25000+ books) located on the 5th floor of the library and completely open to the public. You can take items right off the shelf and read them. The library was pretty quiet that day so we had the whole collection to ourselves.

Part of the collection is in this wonderful little room. Themed after Holmes' study.

There's even a piece of the Reichenbach Falls.

Of course we have the "Watson going through it" Sidney Paget print.

When I was first told about the collection I was told to be on the look out for the copy of The Sexual Adventures of Sherlock Holmes they have, which we found on the shelf to the left of the fireplace. My friend was delighted to read a section of it out loud in that very echoey room for our amusement.

I found this Japanese language novel featuring what I can only describe as "Shonen Protagonist Sherlock Holmes" that I just needed to share with everyone.

We spent a good couple of hours looking through things, they have a lot of various editions of the canon in a number of different languages, as well as a ton of parodies, pastiches, and Holmes adjacent items. My friend and I are planning another visit later this summer as we barely scratched the surface of what the collection has.

So if you do find yourself downtown Toronto, I highly recommend stopping by.

Arthur Conan Doyle Collection

Home > eResources & Research > Special Collections & Rare Books Arthur Conan Doyle Collection

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Toronto - 2025

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[positivexpectedvalue]

Museums / Cultural Centers No: 164 Toronto Reference Library Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Year: 1977 Architect: Raymond Moriyama ‌ The Toronto Reference Library (TRL) is the flagship of the world’s busiest urban library system. Occupying over 416,000 sqf, it is a centrally located landmark which opened its doors in 1977. Designed by architect Raymond Moriyama, the robust five-storey building was clad in red brick, its mass scaled back by terracing the façade along the diagonal. Bands of mirrored glass suggested an inner world within. The narrow corner entrance, flanked on two sides by a colonnade, drew patrons into the building’s soaring interior. With escalating demands on the library system, the TRL recently completed an extensive five-year phased revitalization led by Moriyama & Teshima Architects, though its cofounder Raymond has since retired. The building buzzes from top to bottom. It is centred on a vast tiered atrium inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The interiors are bright, airy and uncluttered. A double-height rotunda dedicated to special collections reinterprets the romantic feel of old libraries with a distinctly modern material palette of concrete, titanium and dark wood. The building employs concealed mezzanines to maximize overall storage capability, amplified through the use of space-saving compact shelves. Open-plan layouts were rezoned for easier self-navigation; stacks were reconfigured to facilitate research. The library continues to explore and adopt emerging technological tools to better monitor collections and support learning and discovery.

[pilibdc]

Toronto Reference Library

This public library contains five floors of research materials for students of all ages. Be they attending school or just enjoy researching topics for fun. Unfortunately it does not contain fiction, it’s sole purpose is to aid those diving deep into the non fiction waters

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📍Toronto Reference Library

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12 Months in Toronto

1. May: Part 2

12 Months in Toronto (12MoTO) is a project I started to document my last year studying in Toronto, particularly the places I saw and the events I attended.

9 & 99: I was blessed with a generous offer of free tickets from a classmate who works at the Hockey Hall of Fame to see the Gretzky Howe exhibition, and for a homesick Edmontonian being surrounded by Gretzky was very restorative.

Cherry Blossoms: I always miss the cherry trees in Victoria because they bloom in February during term, so being stuck in Toronto in May certainly had its perks!

TCAF: I went to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival for the first time and it was overwhelming but AMAZING! I had a huge sense of excitement being there and I can’t wait until the renos on Stanley Milner finish back home,.. EdCAF would certainly have an audience, I think!

There’s some bonus tulips to fill up the bottom corner that I saw walking up University Ave from Union Station. 

[libraryjournal]

The Sherlock Holmes room is the Toronto Library's best kept secret

Perhaps the most iconic sleuth of all time (sorry Inspector Gadget), the detective Sherlock Holmes has long fascinated generations of readers with ...