Skip to Content

[COVID-19] Curbside Pickup Service and Technology Access Service

To: Principals, Deans, Academic Directors, and Chairs   
From: Larry Alford, Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries    
Date: June 16, 2020 
Re: [COVID-19] Curbside Pickup Service and Technology Access Service  


Beginning June 22, Robarts Library will offer a Curbside Pickup Service for print books not available through the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service. Online requests will begin June 18. Students, faculty and staff are eligible to use this service. Initially, the service will only provide access to books housed in the Robarts Library building stacks and storage locations, and the East Asian Library. Requests for retrievals can be made through the library catalogue, and an email notification will be sent with instructions for pickup.The service has been designed with the health and safety of staff and users as a key priority. It will be assessed carefully for effectiveness and safety before it is expanded to other campus libraries.  

To meet the needs of current University of Toronto students who require computer and Wi-Fi access for academic work, the Libraries will be providing a Technology Access Service at the Gerstein Science Information Centre starting June 18. Up to twenty students will be able to book a seat each day, during dedicated three-hour windows. The service will be by appointment only and will operate within current public health requirements for physical distancing and other COVID-19 guidelines. The system will be available to make advance bookings starting June 17. 

Full details on these services can be found on this webpage. Please contact your faculty liaison librarian or email libraryhelp@utoronto.ca if you have questions.