Library – The Building(s) of UTSC

A Tale of Many Libraries

Collaboration with Scarborough Public Library

Due to construction delays, a collection of 2,500 books from the Scarborough College library was held at the Bendale library branch, located at 1515 Danforth Rd, from September to December of 1965 (source: “Library, College Co-operate,” The Scarborough Mirror, October 27, 1965). This collection was made available to roughly 500 college extension students, prior to the establishment of the Scarborough College Library (source: “Library, College Co-operate,” The Scarborough Mirror, October 27, 1965).

*A timeline tracking the various library facilities available to Scarborough College/University of Toronto Scarborough students from 1968 to the present day.*

Scarborough College Library

Originally intended as office space, a portion of the fifth and sixth floors of the Science Wing in 1966 became the Scarborough College Library to accommodate the research needs of the first students of Scarborough College (source: UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Library Subseries, File 6-65). A provincial freeze on capital spending halted plans for the library that was originally planned to be added in 1972.

This library featured a circulatory area, reference room, periodical room, and a total of 137 study carrels dispersed on the fifth and sixth floor (source: “Introductory Lecture” transcript, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Library Subseries, File 6-65).

This photograph depicts students in the temporary Scarborough College Library during the 1971-1972 academic year.

Scarborough College quickly outgrew its makeshift library (source: Beverley Smith. “Library Cramped, Students Plan $400,000 Fund.” The Globe and Mail, February 5, 1980). Two local houses were converted for book storage in 1968 and 1970, and tunnels, portables, and a barn were also appropriated as book storage areas (source: John Ball, The First Twenty-Five Years). Such storage methods soiled many of the books, with 2,000 books having to be cleaned and sprayed, according to John Ball (source: Smith, “Library Cramped.”). Additionally, the 150 seats available in the Scarborough College Library were not enough to accommodate the 2000 students who attended the college during the early 70s (source: John Ball, The First Twenty-Five Years).

This photograph, depicting students in the temporary library, was used as a part of a proposal for a new library.

Students Pledge for a New Library

A referendum was passed in 1978, with a 90% approval rate, in which students agreed to contribute $10 per student for the next 10 years towards the construction of a new library space, with this fund totaling $400,000. Student Council members also approached the Ministry of Colleges and Universities concerning the possibility and cost of a new library (source: John Ball, The First Twenty-Five Years).

Head Librarian, John Ball, is photographed accepting a $400,000 cheque from Scarborough College students to be used towards the new Bladen Library, dated to 1979.

John Ball, the head librarian, described the referendum and student initiative as the “catalyst” for the construction of the Bladen Library (source: John Ball, The First Twenty-Five Years).

Vincent W. Bladen Library

Pictured on the left is the inside entrance of the V.W. Bladen Library.

Construction for the new library began in 1981, following nine years of fundraising and efforts to gain approval for construction. The Vincent W. Bladen Library opened in 1982, housed in an addition to the east side of the R-Wing (source: “Historical Timeline” University of Toronto Scarborough About Us, accessed on February 24, 2022 at https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aboutus/historical-timeline). The library’s namesake, Vincent W. Bladen, was the Dean of Arts and Science and an honorary lecturer at Scarborough College before his death in 1981 (source: John Ball, The First Twenty-Five Years).

The photographs above display the Bladen Library while under construction (left) and the study spaces and stacks of the Bladen Library on March 15, 1982 (right).

UTSC Library

By 1999, it was recognized that academic resources, such as the Bladen Library, Teaching and Learning Services, and Computing and Networking Services, needed more space (source: UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Library Subseries, File 6-65).

“UTSC Library” by timtom.ch is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Plans for a new facility housed in the Academic Resource Centre began to form in 1999 (UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Library Subseries, File 6-65).

The Bladen Library was demolished to make way for the Academic Resource Centre, which housed a new library. The UTSC Library opened in 2003.

Pictured right: The entrance of the UTSC Library as of 2022, taken by Maria Bacchus.

Page Bibliography

Ball, John. The First Twenty-Five Years 1965-1989: Scarborough College, University of Toronto. Scarborough, Ontario: Scarborough College, University of Toronto, 1989.

No author listed. “Historical Timeline.” University of Toronto Scarborough About Us. Accessed on February 24, 2022 at https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aboutus/historical-timeline.

No author listed. “Introductory Lecture.” Found in UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Library Subseries, Library miscellaneous, File 6-65.

No author listed. “Library, College Co-operate,” The Scarborough Mirror, October 27, 1965.

Smith, Beverly. “Library Cramped, Students Plan $400,000 Fund.” The Globe and Mail, February 5, 1980.

Images

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, identifier: o2011002F1-1-3_91. This image is available at https://collections.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/islandora/object/utsc%3A175.

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Box 4 – File 7. This image is available at https://collections.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/islandora/object/utsc%3A677.

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Box MD8–File 15. This image is available at https://collections.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/islandora/object/utsc%3A690.

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Box 2– File 11. This image is available at https://collections.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/islandora/object/utsc%3A290.

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Box 1 – File 3. This image is available at https://collections.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/islandora/object/utsc%3A85.

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, UTSC Archives Legacy Collection, Box 1 – File 4. This image is available at https://collections.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/islandora/object/utsc%3A112.

“UTSC Library” by timtom.ch is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. This image is available at https://wordpress.org/openverse/image/caff5bff-a57a-4073-a91c-6316200e2424/.