Citadel Louisbourg, Toronto Reference Library In 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht stripped France of most of the coastal lands it had claimed in North America. To help secure what remained, the French built the fortified settlement of Louisbourg on Île Royale (now Cape Breton Island). It became a thriving fortified settlement and centre for […]
Extreme weather is something Canadians have always been familiar with. Now in the heat of summer, let's remember the temperature that really defines us. There's a cool read for every taste. Four Degrees Celsius, a desperate rescue in the 1929 arctic (get it in e-book too) and True North, a memoir by Bernie Finkelstein, […]
70 years ago, on April 19, 1943, the Nazi occupiers of Warsaw, Poland, planned to liquidate the remaining inhabitants of the Jewish ghetto they had created in that city. But those inhabitants rose up in organized resistance, and despite the far superior German numbers and weaponry, held out for almost a month, until May 16. […]
History is not so fashionable in this time of the next i- or e-thing, and yet the only way to the present and future is through the past. War can be exciting, the politics of peace less so, but our country and our city were both shaped by two long ago April events. April 11, […]
Getting Started International Courts and Tribunals are generally established by the United Nations to investigate and try war crimes and crimes against humanity. Examples include the Nuremberg Military Tribunal to try Nazi war crimes, and the International Criminal Court. Truth and Reconciliation Commissions are established by governments to investigate wrongdoings by past governments. The commissions […]
Getting Started Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Studies (LGBTQ) is a large and often interdisciplinary field that is well-represented in the Toronto Public Library’s collections. Research collections are housed at the Toronto Reference Library in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, and at the North York Central Library in the Society and Recreation Department. […]
Friday December 21, 2012 (that's tomorrow) marks the end of the current “Great Cycle’ of the Long Count Mayan Calendar. For some prognosticators, this signifies the end of the world—figuratively, and perhaps even literally. So, how to spend that last night? Why not… read:) With that in mind, here are personal recommendations from each member […]
One of the main signs of back to school in our society is the endless series of ads for clothing and accessories. For girls and young women in particular, what to wear for school is a passion and obsession that spills out onto Youtube, blogs, the media, and leads to endless hours at the mall. […]
The smell of cotton candy, Tiny Tom donuts fresh off the conveyor, the roar of the Snowbirds overhead, the city and the lake spreading out below you from the top of the ferris wheel—you can get it at the Ex, the CNE, the Canadian National Exhibition. This year’s fair starts on August 17—the 134th annual […]
More than renovations are happening at the Toronto Reference Library–books, magazines and whole departments are moving and changing. In May 2012, the new Humanities and Social Sciences Department (or HSS, or Aitch Es Es) was formed on the second floor. So what will you find there? Religion, Myth, Philosophy Psychology, Sociology, […]