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TD Gallery and Special Collections Department

Visit Toronto Reference Library- Cheap Vacation Ideas for Ontario

Jan 20, 2009 Allison Anthony

Visiting Toronto can be an expensive vacation destination. Save some money, and go see the TD Gallery and Special Collections at the Toronto Reference Library for free.

Saving money while on vacation is important to travellers and while many cities have free attractions available, sometimes it takes a little creativity to discover them.

Sure a trip to the library is probably not the first choice for most visitors, but the Toronto Reference Library is not a typical library.

Art, Antique Maps and Rare Books

The Toronto Reference Library has been located at Yonge and Bloor Street since 1977, but the Special Collections department began more than one hundred years ago. A cultural inheritance to the city, the artifacts, paintings and ephemera maintained by the library are available to everyone during library hours.

The Special Collections (4th floor) is divided into five separate departments, each with its own niche.

The Art Room holds rare and valuable items including paintings, collections from the theatrical arts and old photographs.
The Baldwin Room houses original material relating to the history of Canada, especially anything pertaining to the country pre-confederation.
The Genealogy and Local History Collection is the primary source for material from Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and The United States. It also includes histories of churches and local directories for Canada.
The Map Collection has contemporary maps from all over the world, as well as historical maps for most regions.
The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection is filled with rare books, manuscripts and anything to do with Sherlock Holmes and A.C. Doyle. Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2-4 pm.

Rotating Gallery Exhibitions

Another reason to visit the library is the TD Gallery. Located on the first floor, this small gallery (on the right hand side) is often overlooked. The discrete sign and the 220 computers beside the gallery entrance can make finding it a little confusing.

Yes, that nondescript door that’s kind of hard to open IS the right place, and yes it’s free!

The displays change often inside the TD Gallery and the upcoming exhibition “Capturing Canada on Paper and Canvas” opens January 31 and runs until March 1, 2009. The exhibit will feature paintings and drawings of Canada by Canadian artists from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century.

Past shows in the TD Gallery include The Circus Comes to Town, Collected Works: A Public Legacy and the recent Local Flavour: Eating in Toronto, 1830-1955. All of which are available as virtual tours online.

Travelling to Toronto, Ontario can be expensive but a great cheap vacation idea is to visit the TD Gallery and Special Collections for free at the Toronto Reference Library.

Sources

Toronto Reference Library- 789 Yonge Street- 416-395-5577

Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection

The copyright of the article TD Gallery and Special Collections Department in E Canada Travel is owned by Allison Anthony. Permission to republish TD Gallery and Special Collections Department in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Toronto Reference Library