The Gerstein Science Information Centre is the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

's flagship library supporting the sciences and health sciences. The largest science and health science academic library in Canada, Gerstein has a collection of over 945,000 print volumes of journals and books, and also provides access to over 100,000 online journals and books. The Gerstein Science Information Centre's collection consists primarily of material on the sciences, including the

health sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences are those sciences which focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple acad ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and their subfields, with the exception of mathematical journals and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

materials. The Library provides varying degrees of access to students, faculty, external researchers, and members of the public.

History

The Gerstein Science Information Centre is located at 9 Kings College Circle on the

campus. The library originally existed as the main

library, and maintained this status from 1892 to 1973. In 1973 the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

and

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

materials were moved to the then newly built

Robarts Library The John P. Robarts Research Library, commonly referred to as Robarts Library, is the main humanities and social sciences library of the University of Toronto Libraries and the largest individual library in the university. Opened in 1973 and named ...

, and the remaining collection was divided between the undergraduate Sigmund Samuel Library and the Science and Medicine Library. In 1997, the Science and Medicine Library was renamed the Gerstein Science Information Centre after a significant donation from a benefactor, the Frank Gerstein Charitable Foundation.

Renovation work

The most recent renovations at Gerstein were similarly funded by the Frank Gerstein Charitable Foundation and the Bertrand Gerstein Family Foundation, and were completed in the fall of 2008. The Gerstein Reading Room, a spacious study area for students restored to its 1892 original state, was the end product of the renovations. The stunning ceiling architecture revealed by the renovation came as a surprise to

Diamond and Schmitt Architects Diamond Schmitt Architects is a Canadian architectural firm founded in 1975. It is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The firm was founded by architects Jack Diamond and Donald Schmitt.Robinson, John. "Architecture for the People." ''Toront ...

, who made their discovery while renewing the heritage wing of the Centre. The renovation also included the addition of group study rooms for students. The previous expansion of 2003, the Morrison Pavilion, provides students with modern study carrels equipped with power outlets and wired Ethernet connections and was possible due to a donation by University of Toronto alumni Russell and Katherine Morrison.

References

External links

Gerstein Science Information Centre
{{coord, 43.661814, N, 79.39365, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark, display=title University of Toronto libraries University of Toronto buildings

History

Renovation work

See also

References

External links