Subject Librarian: Lisa Sloniowski
Description of Current Collection and Programmes Supported
The Libraries support the university's programme in English language and literature to the doctoral level. Areas of concentration are nineteenth and twentieth century American, British, postcolonial, gay/lesbian, and gender studies. Other periods are covered as extensively as funds allow. Afro-American literature and literary theory are of especial interest and study.
A representative teaching collection of popular literature has been built up and maintained at a level that can support courses given by the Division of Humanities, the Atkinson English Department, and the colleges for their tutorials. It is now an important resource for studies in the sociology of literature, and for work on mass culture. Popular literature includes the mystery/crime novel, fantasy and science fiction, as well as the general and mass-market novel.
Creative writing is another area where the demands of other divisions, departments, and a faculty, have to be taken into consideration. Both Fine Arts and English conduct creative writing workshops, as does the Humanities Division. Material on the art of writing and getting into print are bought primarily for them.
Usually, only studies on children's literature are bought. The exceptions are such works as those of Lewis Carroll, or Edward Lear, and the anthologies of nursery and other children's rhymes such as the productions of the Opies. The general and special collections of the Toronto area public libraries are relied on for the children's books themselves.
Related Collections at York
Reference purchases and maintains a number of non-circulating style, and essay writing manuals.
Drama scr ipts are purchased not only for the English Department, but also for the Fine Arts Theatre Programme. Film scripts are purchased by the Film Librarian.
Materials on the English language, including English as a Second Language instruction material at the university level, and its history.
Books on the teaching of English at the primary and high school levels, are bought by the Education Bibliographer.
Languages
Works in the English language make up the bulk of the purchases. French language materials are bought selectively; materials in other languages more rarely and on an even more selective basis.
Geographical Coverage
Primarily the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East, Australasia, the Caribbean, and North America.
Chronological Coverage
The collection covers all periods, with emphases on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Date of Publications
The greater part of the book funds is spent on materials selected from among the current production. The buying of retrospective materials is generally limited to out-of-print titles for the collections in the open stacks.
Duplication
An attempt is made to purchase duplicates of material much in demand or constantly in need of replacement. Books put on Reserve are duplicated if demand or its importance warrants, and there is money available.
Relegation and Weeding
Rare editions, and fragile material in the open stacks is transferred to Archives and Special Collections when found. Weeding is limited to discarding of perished books and unused duplicates.
- Books -- Paperbacks are generally preferred unless a book is only available in hard cover.
- Journals -- An attempt is made to subscribe to the important publications. The Libraries generally rely on the holdings of other institutions in Metro Toronto and Ontario for foreign language materials.
- Microforms -- Microforms are used to supplement or replace the first the books and journals, such as those printed on acidic and deteriorating paper for which an archival reprint is not available.
- Theses and Dissertations -- Theses and dissertations are bought when required for courses or graduate studies, and with few exceptions, limited to doctoral work.
- Ephemera -- Published public lectures, and pamphlets, are acquired or solicited selectively.
- Electronic Data Files, CD-ROM, Microcomputer Software -- These formats have become increasingly important purchasing considerations.
- MSS and Archives -- Normally solicited and received as donations, though catalogues of other archival and manuscript repositories are collected through solicitation or purchase.
- Rare Books -- Acquired both through donations and purchase. At present, selection is limited to strengthening the teaching collections already in place in selected nineteenth and twentieth century authors, such as the Victorian popular writers, the Sitwells and Somerset Maugham. Canadian church history is actively collected as well. Other areas of the collections have for some time relied on donations, and transfers from the open stacks.
- Films and Videos -- Funds are sometimes contributed to the Sound and Moving Image Library to enable it to purchase a title on a cost sharing basis.
- Recordings -- Recordings of the spoken word (such as plays, poetry readings, author readings) and tapes are acquired to supplement the print holdings of the works of major writers and dramatists.
Resources Elsewhere in the Toronto Region
The University of Toronto, and such of its affiliated institutions as the Centre for Renaissance and Reformat ion Studies (mostly for titles in other languages, microform sets, and journals); the public libraries to supplement the fiction holdings, as well as their special collections, such as the Merril Collection of the Toronto Public Libraries for science-fiction and fantasy titles.
Last updated 1994