Photograph by Louis Taylor

Welcome to the Thomas J. Bata Library.

Construction of the library began in 1967 and it was opened by Thomas Bata in October, 1969. This beautiful building is the centrepiece of the university campus and reflects in large measure the vision and philosophy of its architect, Ron Thom (1923-1986). While the campus was to be decentralized and comprised of a number of discrete colleges, the library was situated so as to form the focal point, the intellectual heart of the university. Members of the architect's planning team visited libraries at Brandeis, Yale, Harvard and M.I.T. before designing this beautiful Modernist building. The walls of Bata are exposed-aggregate rubble and concrete which Thom saw as matching closely the stone outcroppings of the area.

A good book on this is Trent: The Making of a University by A.O.C. Cole (Trent University, 1992). We have several copies of this book in the library.

Our Collection

The online Library catalogue (TOPCAT) provides access to most of the collection. The Library’s collection includes

• more than 593,300 printed volumes,
• 500,000 e-books,
• 371,436 microforms,
• 1,460 current print serials subscriptions,
• 30,000 electronic serials (e-journals),
• access to numerous online databases,
• 87,000 maps,
• 24,500 air photos,
• 243,273 government publications, and
• a wide range of data resouces.

Most print material is available in open stacks. Online resources are organized by subject, by type, and by title.

The Library houses a number of special collections to support the University’s interest in Canadian Studies. These include the G. M. Douglas Arctic Collection, the Floyd Chalmers Collection of Canadian Explorations and the A. J. M. Smith Collection of Canadian poetry and literature. Transcripts of the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada (MacDonald Commission) and those of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry are also available.

Trent University Archives holds non-current records of the University and also functions as a regional archive preserving private historical records of Peterborough County and the surrounding area. Holdings comprise over 1,100 metres of textual records – family, business, association and institutional papers – as well as 38,000 photographs, maps and other graphic items. In addition, a number of special collections of published materials have been acquired which focus on rare Canadiana. The Archives Web site (trentu.ca/library/archives) provides an overview of the department and policies as well as in-depth guides to the holdings.

The Maps, Data & Government Information Centre (MaDGIC) is a major resource for all students. The department serves as a regional depository for several governments including the federal Government of Canada and provincial Government of Ontario. Collections include:

• Canadian parliamentary and legislative papers,
• statutes and regulations and other Canadian legal tools,
• Statistics Canada collections,
• royal commissions and task force reports,
• technical reports and studies
• as well as a range of cartographic resources including Canadian and international gazetteers and atlases, topographic maps, theme maps, Ontario Base Maps, and aerial statistical digital information as well as related technical support.

Introductory and specialized workshops to general resources, research techniques, and MaDGIC collections are offered by qualified librarians.

Look Around

Through the photographs which follow, we'd like to show you around our building. But keep in mind that the library is more than a building. The majority of our resources are available online, 24/7, from anywhere you have access to the internet. All research begins at the library website..

Main Entrance on the 2nd (Main) Floor

As you enter the Library, you can see past the Circulation Desk on your right. This is where you can always find assistance.

There are 4 floors to the Bata Library; the main entrance is on the 2nd floor.

Across the open atrium area, under the enormous skylight, are large windows overlooking the Otonabee River and the Trent Canal. 

The furnishings for the library were chosen by the architects and much of it, from the rift-cut red oak tables to the atlas stands, were custom designed and built for the library.

On the Main Floor you will find the Reference, Curriculum, and Science Fiction Collections, as well as large Folios.

The Circulation Desk is where Library items are signed out and returned.  Books can be signed out for 2 weeks, with one renewal.  Journals go out for only 2 days, with no renewals. 

Reserve items are also kept behind the Circulation Desk. Reserves are items your course instructors have put aside for you.  They may be photocopies of articles, class notes, or books.  They usually have loan periods of 3 hours.  Items are shelved here in call number order, so find out the call number from the Library Catalogue before coming to this desk.

The Atrium

The skylight in the main foyer is 12 meters in diameter, suspended 16 meters above the atrium.

A wide, open staircase leads up to the 3rd and 4th floor, where most of our stacks (shelves of books) are found.  Another staircase leads down to the first floor, where the University Archives and a computer lab are located.  An elevator, behind the stone wall on the left, also provides access to other floors.

In this view, we are looking from across the library to the entrance.

Research Assistance and Instruction

The Learning & Liaison Unit of the Bata Library provides a program of instruction for all students. There are general classes for anyone to attend at the beginning of the year, online courses and tutorials, classroom visits, and plenty of help on the library website.

Specialized instruction can be requested from the Archives or the MaDGIC Unit.

Individual help can be found in person, by phone, or via email.

Computer Labs

The Information Commons of the Library includes over 120 PC's (with Internet access and network connections to software applications), 4 pay printers, 2 computer classrooms, and scanners, located on the main floor and first floor. This makes the Library a popular place to work, with a quiet, beautiful atmosphere. Help close at hand from the 1st floor IT HelpDesk. Information on the computing facilities is available on the IT website. Wireless internet (AirTrent) is also available to the Trent community.

Multimedia Room - Current Periodicals, Microforms, Photocopiers, A-V Viewing Station

The Multimedia Room on the Main Floor houses the Current Periodicals collection, as well as our historical collection of microforms and the microform reader/printers used in conjunction with these materials. Equipment is available for reading, printing, or downloading microform content.

The Library's VHS collection and audio-visual viewing station are in the Multimedia Room. The equipment can be used by obtaining a key from the Circulation Desk.

Photocopiers are located in the Multimedia Room. Most machines accept pre-paid photocopy cards and one is coin-operated. Copies cost $.10 per page. You can purchase copy cards from the machine across from the elevator on the 2nd (Main) Floor near the Circulation Desk, or at the Circulation Desk.

Trent University Archives

The University Archives is on the lower (1st) Floor of the Library.  It is a repository for archival materials relating to the Trent Valley area in general and to Trent University in particular. The holdings include 2,500 feet (750 metres) of textual material, 18,000 photographs, microformat materials, maps, newspapers, drawings and audio-visual records.

Here you see the Archives' public Reading Room.