EJ Pratt Libary

This place is my jam. Well, not really, considering it’s a library with a quiet zone, but I love it here for all of my studying needs. It’s pretty empty in the morning and there are three floors of studying space, which means you don’t even have to be close to other human beings as you’re studying! Fabulous!
The computers boot up really quickly and there is an abundance of them. On the first floor, you have individual cubicles that fit two people, as well as long, coffee shop style tables behind glass doors. I like the second floor the best, because there are a lot more cubicles that you can sprawl out on. The basement gets super noisy at times because they have soft leather couches that faces towards the beautiful waterfall in Victoria College.
You don’t have to be a student at U of T to walk in, but if you want to print things you need a T-​Card in order to do that, so come by purely for the atmosphere if needed.

I really wish they had plugs in the main study area!
Apart from that, this is a nice clean library located in a convenient part of campus. It never tends to be as busy as Robarts or Gerstein — which I appreciate. Plus they have longer hours.
If you’re looking to charge your laptop, you’ll have to head to one of the private study desks (but I find those dark and unfriendly).

The library for BA students, also for the Vic/St.Mikes students that are secluded up in their corner of UofT and too lazy to travel to the bigger libraries. Any time someone walks up the stairs to the 2^nd level, everyone in the entire library hears it. You will almost always find a couple making out on the 2^nd floor in the study cubbies. I’ve never gotten anything done at this library.

One of my favourite spots on campus to study or chill out between classes. It’s always well lit, quiet, and has a perfect atmosphere for whatever you need. The lower level is more lounge-​ish, so you can eat! This library specializes in books for humanities studies, just as a heads up for my fellow UofT humanities kids. Love love love beautiful Pratt.

Honestly, not the worst place to work on campus, but Pratt’s fickle hours make it difficult to get your text of choice. Summer hours are only 9 am to 4:45 pm Monday through Friday, and closed weekends!!! It’s a little confusing to find books but all of the staff are quite lovely. As for study spaces, it can get a little noisy for me on the lower level, and the upper level feels a little dungeon-​esque at night, but if you can find a space in the reference section, you’re golden.

My new study cave of choice on the U of T campus! It’s everything Robarts isn’t: clean, well-​lit, keeps later hours (without relegating you to a «24 hour area» ghetto), and close to my apartment. And, best yet, the bathrooms aren’t a complete sty on the weekends — which leads me to believe that either this library gets janitorial service on the weekends, and/​or VicU students are much cleaner than those that visit Robarts. However, the cleanliness of the VicU students is a little bit of a pain — they’re self-​policing and will snitch if you’ve got food at your study carrel (no food or drinks allowed here). It’s not happened to me, but I have seen students give strangers stern warnings for not following the rules — so be forewarned! If you do get peckish and don’t want to surreptitiously eat at your desk, there are open lounges on the ground floor with decently comfy couches where food is allowed. But other than that, it’s a quiet, and a nice place to perch when you really need to hunker down and get some work done. Larger group study rooms are available here as well, if you need. WiFi is decently zippy, too. U of T ID cards aren’t required for entry to the library or the book stacks/​study areas, but you will need to be a student/​faculty to access the WiFi.

This is my go to library. Where one of my final papers came blazing out of my brain onto paper 2 days before it was due (getting a B+ on it) and I believe it was the spirit of this library that got my creative brain going.
This library is much less intimidating, has great views of Queens Park and saved my ass from being arrested for no reason at the G20. If they don’t have your book at Robarts they probably have it here because it’s the library no one goes to.
Love ya Pratt. See you soon when I am scrambling around to finish my term papers!

Completing my trilogy of U of T libraries is the E.J. Pratt library located on Queen’s Park Crescent or a stone’s throw from the ROM nearby.
Q: Gawd, another library review?
A: Yes, it’s prime studying season for many students and the Pratt library is another fine building to burn some brains cells away in. I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time in these centers of information lately and thus, feel the need to pay homage to the gaw-​jus libraries of U of T.
Q: Yes I get that but how is this library different from Gerstein and Trinity (John Graham), two other gaw-​jus libraries?
A: True, U of T is really blessed with a few beautiful architectural delights (save for brutalist Robarts) and massive collections which serve as their academic libraries. However, Pratt differs slightly from the other two counterparts in that it is more minimalist looking. Renovated earlier this decade, the building looks like a massive stone square box from the outside but inside it’s a different story. On the main floor you’ll find the Kathleen Coburn reading room on the right enclosed in glass walls and ikea styled tables. Quite photogenic. It’s an elegant, bright and roomy space with separate carrels hidden along the far right wall inside for added quiet and privacy. Most study carrels at Pratt are equipped with internet sockets and individual reading lamps-​a nice touch. Green, plastic moulded chairs provide the seating in the carrels. There’s a staircase with a vibrant, illuminated wall leading up to the second floor. The second floor features the periodicals section, stacks, more individual carrels and a column of plush, black leather arm-​chairs-​perfect for digging into Pratt’s luminous collection of poetry, history and philosophy texts. Way, way downstairs on the ground or if you prefer basement level, there’s a lounge for eating, washrooms, enclosed study rooms and yes, even more study carrels. The study carrels line the perimeter of the basement floor and depending on where you sit, the large floor-​to-​ceiling windows open up to splendid views of Queen’s Park or the tranquil, sunken garden and pond on the east side. Lots of natural sunlight flowing through on this level.
Q: Wow, that sounds nice. But so do the libraries at Gerstein and Trinity. What sets Pratt apart?
A: That’s hard to answer, I suppose that Gerstein, Graham and Pratt are magnificent and stylish places for studying in their own right, they just have different personalities. Kind of like the male celebrities we know and love. So if we were to engage in analogies this is how I’d see the three playing out:
Gerstein is brainy and modern with a gothic twist. Hmmm, this is tougher than I thought… I’ll take David Duchovny’s cerebralness paired with Twilight’s Robert Pattinson.
John Graham or Trinity library is warm, charming and strikes me as quintessentially British in its design-​definitely Colin Firth!
Pratt library seems to have an urbane, polished feel, almost too good looking but still functional. It’s definitely not it’s celebutard’s namesake but I have in mind Rodrigo Santoro or David Beckham. Heh.
On another note, Pratt is smaller in size than Gerstein and tends to fill up quickly compared to the other two.
Q: Errr, that’s rather interesting! What if I find your taste in men questionable? Does that mean I can trust your judgment of libraries and places of study?
A: Just check them out for yourself if you’re downtown, the most you’re likely to lose is an hour’s worth of time in commute. Humour aside, they are truly fantastic and more importantly quiet places to get work done.
So there you have it my take on three of U of T’s most pleasing libraries. IMO.