Space

After two decades of frequent moves, the faculty settled into 230 College Street (then numbered 240) in 1909, where the library occupied a “small portion of the main floor” of the building (2).

In 1959, the faculty’s current building at 124 Edward Street was officially opened, with the library housed in the south-west wing of the second floor where it remains to this day (2).

In the mid 1980s, an extension to the Dentistry Faculty building was added, closing off windows in what was then the library’s reading room and adding two new rooms. These new rooms were initially an AV room (now a computer lab) and an alumni/staff reading room (now a bookable presentation room). During this time, the library had its asbestos removed, had an electronic security system installed, and got new air conditioning, a new circulation desk, carpeting in the Reading Room and graduate study carrels, new vinyl on the chairs and new blinds (5, 6).

In November 1985, a stained-glass window of Saint Apollonia, patron saint of toothache-sufferers, was unveiled by Dr. Marjorie Jackson. The window was funded by women in dental professions or associated with dentistry and was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the admission of women to the University of Toronto (5).

The late 2010s saw significant renovations to the library’s facilities, culminating in the modern space that current students, staff, and faculty enjoy. The space was updated to adhere to modern design sensibilities and contemporary library usage. New individual study carrels were installed, and the stacks space was scaled down, moved and replaced by a bright, open group study space (4, 7). Today, the library offers group and individual study areas, two computer labs, a bookable presentation room and a prayer/mindfulness room for our patrons’ use (4).

Dentistry Library through the years

Photo of the Dentistry Library at 230 College Street facing the windows. A room with wooden tables in the middle and bookshelves lining the walls. Photo from the Dentistry Museum files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 230 College Street facing the bookshelves. A room with wooden tables in the foreground and shelves full of books in the background. Photo from the Dentistry Museum files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 124 Edward Street circa 2010, before the renovation in the late 2010s. A room filled with metal shelves full of books. Photo from Dentistry Library files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 124 Edward Street circa 2010, before the renovation in the late 2010s. A room full of wooden cubicle desks and chairs. Photo from Dentistry Library files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 124 Edward Street circa 2017, before the renovation in the late 2010s. A room with metal shelves full of books in the background and library gates and a corner of a circulation desk in the foreground. Photo from Dentistry Library files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 124 Edward street circa 2019, after the renovation in the late 2010s. A spacious room with long desks with office chairs in the background and couches with a coffee table in the foreground. Photo from Dentistry Library files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 124 Edward Street circa 2019, after the renovation in the late 2010s. A spacious room with wooden shelves full of books, armchairs, and a desk. Photo from Dentistry Library files.
Photo of the Dentistry Library at 124 Edward Street circa 2019, after the renovation in the late 2010s. A room full of cubicle desks with frosted glass dividers and office chairs. Photo from the Dentistry Library files.

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