Canada's largest public reference library is also one of Toronto's most beautiful buildings. The Moriyama-designed atrium — five stories of books under a skylighted roof — is a space that makes visitors feel smarter just by existing in it. Free to visit, free exhibitions, and free Wi-Fi.
Neighbourhood: Yorkville · Address: 789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Sat 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Sun 12:00 – 5:00 PM · Phone: (416) 395-5577
Why Visit
The Reference Library’s soaring five-story atrium feels like stepping into a real-life book cathedral, with endless shelves to browse and comfy corners for reading or work. It’s one of the few places in downtown Toronto where you can hang out for hours, for free.
What Makes It Unique
Unlike other Toronto libraries, the Reference Library’s architecture is unreal—think spiral staircases, indoor trees, and skylit study balconies. It’s also a hub for rotating exhibitions, author talks, and rare special collections you won’t see elsewhere without a research appointment.
The Toronto Reference Library on Yonge Street at Asquith Avenue is one of the great public buildings in the city — a 1977 design by Raymond Moriyama that organizes five levels of open-plan reading areas around a central atrium of remarkable spatial generosity, creating an environment where the simple act of reading or working in a public space feels architecturally supported rather than merely tolerated. The building is free to enter, open to everyone, and provides something increasingly rare in modern cities: a large, warm, genuinely public interior space that asks nothing of you except that you be there.
The library's collections span 1.5 million items with particular strengths in Canadian literature, genealogy, maps, local history, and business and science reference. The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection is one of the most significant Sherlock Holmes archives outside the UK, drawing researchers from around the world. The map collection includes historical cartographic materials that document Toronto and Ontario's development over centuries. The genealogy and local history sections have the depth required for serious family history research.
Beyond the collections, the Reference Library functions as a genuine community centre for Yonge-Bloor Toronto. Free public programming — author readings, film screenings, lectures, and workshops — runs continuously through the year and represents a cultural offering that competes with paid programming at nearby institutions. The popular mind the [gap] programme brings readers together with authors in an accessible format. The children's programming downstairs serves the families of Yorkville and Rosedale.
The physical experience of the building deserves appreciation beyond its utility. The central atrium with its open balconies on each floor, the natural light from the clerestory windows, and the sense of spatial generosity created by Moriyama's decision to use the full floor-to-ceiling height rather than subdivide it into institutional offices and closed stacks — all of this makes the Toronto Reference Library one of the rare public buildings that improves rather than diminishes the experience of spending time in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Toronto Reference Library free to visit?
Yes — the Toronto Reference Library is a public library and free to enter. A Toronto Public Library card (free for Toronto residents) provides full borrowing access. Visitors without a card can use the in-library collections and spaces, attend public programming, and access many digital resources on site.
What is special about the Toronto Reference Library's architecture?
The 1977 building by Raymond Moriyama is organized around a five-storey central atrium with open-plan balconies on each level. The spatial generosity, natural light, and public warmth of the building are genuinely unusual in institutional design. It's worth visiting as a building experience independent of the library's collections.
What are the Toronto Reference Library's special collections?
The Reference Library has significant collections in Canadian literature, genealogy, local history, maps, and the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection (one of the world's most comprehensive Sherlock Holmes archives). The historical map collection documents Toronto and Ontario from settlement through the 20th century.
Where is the Toronto Reference Library?
The Reference Library is at 789 Yonge Street, at the Yonge and Asquith intersection. Bloor-Yonge station on Lines 1 and 2 is steps away — one of Toronto's busiest transit intersections.