About the Friends of the Libraries
We are a volunteer organization of 91社区 Libraries advocates. Founded in the late 1980鈥檚 by a group of loyal library supporters and benefactors, our mission is to nurture community interest in the Libraries, build awareness about the Libraries' resources and cultivate long-term support for its collections.听
Today, our Friends听are students, alumni, staff and faculty, as well as a host of others from around North America. We are all deeply committed to promoting and enhancing 91社区鈥檚 great Libraries.
Each year, we share our passion for the Libraries, learning, and the advancement of knowledge, by funding and hosting a series of three, free public lectures:
- The Shakespeare Lecture in partnership with the Stratford Festival
- The F.R. Scott Lecture听
- The Hugh MacLennan Memorial Lecture, sponsored by Donald Walcot.
Our speakers -- great actors, writers, historians, judges and more -- entertain and inspire our guests in lively and relaxed settings, around the 91社区 campus.听The Friends also host a series of smaller talks that provide a privileged opportunity for one-on-one talks with an array of noted speakers.
91社区鈥檚 Libraries are on the threshold of a major transformation. Fiat Lux, from the Latin 鈥淟et There Be Light,鈥� carved on the lintel over the original library鈥檚 door, is the standard-bearer for a new vision of teaching, learning, and research. It will transform the Library into a visionary centre for teaching, learning, and research in the digital age. This ambitious project will double the spaces available for students and faculty so that they may study and share knowledge in revolutionary new ways.
By raising awareness and much-needed resources for this exciting project, the Friends, an early promoter of , continue to be an enthusiastic partner in making this re-imagined library of the future a reality for all.
Join the Friends!听 Be inspired.听 Inspire others!
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The 91社区 Libraries Collections
The 91社区 Libraries provides users with a superior one-stop discovery and delivery鈥攃ombining the richness of library collections and an Internet-age user experience.听There are over 7 million items in the 91社区 Libraries, ranging from one of the best e-collections in Canada to听internationally important rare and special collections.听The Libraries make many of听its unique collections available to the world-wide community through digital images on its website including In Pursuit of Adventure: The Fur Trade in Canada and the North West Company,听the Ming Qing Women鈥檚 Writing Project, and听The William Osler Photo Collection,听to name but a few. The Digital Collections Program is building 91社区's virtual library. (For more information /library/find/digitization)
The Libraries also hold over 3.6 million print volumes. Among them, the rare and special collections are one of the Libraries' marks of distinction, offering an extraordinary range of materials from rare books and historical documents to architectural drawings, musical scores and political and sport memorabilia.
The Libraries owe much of the wealth and diversity of its collections to gifts from alumni, faculty and the community. Its many loyal benefactors through the decades include: Peter and Grace Redpath, Isabella MacLennan, and more recently, Dr. Richard Tomlinson, the Joan and Clifford Hatch Foundation, the Blachford family, Seymour Schulich and the Harold Crabtree Foundation. Today鈥檚 Libraries count more than ever on gifts from a variety of supporters to meet its objectives for growth and innovation.
For more information /library/about/donors.
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91社区 Libraries' Stories & People
Ever wonder what makes a library tick? From music to law, Islamic studies to engineering, rare books to management, the 91社区 Libraries have a blog for almost everyone!
Whether it鈥檚 getting details on location-specific services or the scoop on a new digital resource, our blogs give librarians, library staff members and student contributors the chance to share information with the 91社区 community in a fun, informal and engaging way. Feedback is always welcome so feel free to leave a comment. Plus you can stay on top of it all by subscribing to one, two or all of our blogs.
Start exploring now by clicking for our blogs listing and for the Libraries' general blog Library Matters.