Ontario Textbook Collection

The Ontario Textbook Collection is available to scholars, students, publishers, editors, illustrators and other individuals interested in the history of curriculum and textbook publishing. The Collection includes elementary and secondary school texts authorized or approved for use in Ontario circa 1846 to 1970, as well as some materials used in nineteenth-century schools but not approved by the Ontario Department of Education.

Supporting this Collection are other holdings of textbooks, including post-1970 texts deleted from the approval lists.

Access to the Collection is by appointment. All items in the collection are searchable in the University of Toronto Libraries' online catalogue. Reference staff can assist you in finding these materials in the catalogue.

Only the most recent material from this collection can be photocopied. A decision will be made by staff members as whether the condition of the material allows for photocopying. Items to be photocopied must be left with staff and will be copied at a cost of 15c per page. It is not possible to guarantee immediate photocopying.

For further information, and to book an appointment to use the Collection, please contact Kathy Imrie at 416-978-1918 or mail to: kathleen.imrie@utoronto.ca.