OISE Library

A photo of Emmanuel Rutayisire and screenshot from the National Black Graduate Network website. A quote by Sahra Mohamud & Emmanuel Rutayisire "We as a Black community are not a monolith. We come from different backgrounds, cultures. But we can come together and share insights, share wisdoms...be the representation that we didn’t have as students. We want people to know we exist, and we want people to come join our growing community.."

A photo of Susanne Nyaga and quote: "I point my work towards organizers and activists– what is bringing you to this fight? Is it a hate for the system or is it a love for the community? Building community is as important as resisting the systems outside of us."

Photo of Titilola Omotosho and quote: "For Black mothers...the perinatal period is shaped by lack of proper education, lack of perinatal mental health screening, medical neglect, inaccessibility of culturally humble mental health support, and anti-Black racism. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t see adaptability, agency, and resilience in these women...they still saw babies as blessings, not burdens. Black motherhood is good, despite how the medical system impacts their mental health."

Photo of Tieasha Walker-Campbell and quote: "My research is a love letter to Blackness"

This post highlights Sahra Mohamud & Emmanuel Rutayisire, Susanne Nyaga, Titilola Omotosho, and Tieasha Walker-Campbell. To read more about their work, check out our blog! blogs.library.utoronto.ca/blog/black-h... (4/4)

Photo of Jordan Lentinello and quote: "I want people to understand that ‘capital K’ knowledge is one important form of knowing, and that it can be strengthened when it is in conversation with community, cultural, and experiential knowledge. As a community-based researcher, I want to make visible the diverse pathways of knowledge production across communities and academic spaces, and why sustained investment in these pathways matters."

Photo of Angela Marova and quote: "Integrating internationally trained health care professionals into the health care sector could improve the human resource concern and improve patient outcomes, while simultaneously benefiting the well-being of internationally trained health care professionals in Toronto."

Photo of Leila Mkuhamamba and quote: "Through positivity, working as a community, and providing support, guidance and mentorship for children, we can create a better change for the future. I think this is the way to attaining equity, justice, and liberation, especially for the Black community and for generations to come."

This post highlights Jordan Lentinello, Angela Marova, and Leila Mkuhamamba. To read more about their work, check out our blog! blogs.library.utoronto.ca/blog/black-h... (3/4)

Photo of Chloe Dugied and quote: "...the process of bridging the gap between policy and practice is just as important as the fact that policy exists and matters just as much as the policy language itself... My research...highlights the need for sustained professional learning, shared language, and collective spaces for sense making so that educators can move from commitment to meaningful action."

This post highlights Chloé Dugied, Patrice Fyffe, and Andre Laylor. To read more about their work, check out our blog! blogs.library.utoronto.ca/blog/black-h... (2/4)

Decorative image with title: "BLACK HISTORY MONTH STUDENT SHOWCASE - February 2026"

Photo of Norty Antoine and quote: "Bob Marley said it best, ‘In this great future you can't forget your past.’ This paper is a reminder that if we do not understand what happened to us before, we are bound to allow a repeat of the same atrocities. I firmly believe that HBCUs can unite and operate as niche institutions to embrace the things they do well while still educating and training students for the world beyond themselves, but they are trapped trying to compete with historically white institutions (HWIs) by attempting to be more like them when HWIs' own history has already positioned them to be far ahead in the current neoliberal marketplace. HBCUSs are also losing their identities through the homogenization of the sector.

Quote by Kimone Brown: "The same dual codification that operated in colonial Jamaica, where Black people were simultaneously property and intimate subjects, operates today when Black Jamaican bodies, labor, and culture are commodified for consumption while most Black Jamaicans remain economically marginalized. ..this research honors the humanity and constrained agency of enslaved Blacks, especially women, whose voices are largely absent from traditional archives."

Quote by Ashana Dublin: "Educational inequality within the Canadian system is deliberate. It is systematically intertwined with colonial history and persists through policies, data management, governance, and institutional structures that frequently resist substantive reforms aimed at Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB)...I emphasize the necessity of prioritizing equity for all students—not merely as a nominal gesture but as an essential component in ensuring equal opportunities for success."

For #blackhistorymonth 2026, OISE Librarians conducted interviews with 14 Black OISE students to learn about their research.

This post highlights Norty Antoine, Kimone Brown, and Ashana Dublin. To read more about their work, check out our blog! blogs.library.utoronto.ca/blog/black-h... (1/4)

Image showing snowflakes and the text: The OISE Library is closed all day, January 26th

The OISE Library is closed on January 26th due to the snow storm and campus-wide closure. Please refer to the Campus Status page for more information about the campus closure: utoronto.ca/campus-status

Photo of podcast guest Kamadchi Karunanandan

Happy New Year! Episode S02E04 of Your Paper Sucked podcast is now live! Host Dr. Grace Karram talks to Kamadchi Karunanandan about the challenges that face first-generation students and how we can make a difference for these students at Canadian universities. Listen here: linktr.ee/yourpapersucked

Drawing of logo for podcast that reads: Your Paper Sucked but it will Change the University!

Podcast host Dr. Grace Karram (right) and podcast guest in the process of recording.

Episode S02E03 of Your Paper Sucked podcast is now live!Listen to host Dr. Grace Karram talk to Stefan Thomas talk about the Black struggle of paying for higher education. Listen on Apple, Buzzsprout, Spotify. Links here: linktr.ee/yourpapersucked

NEW blog post sharing library materials on Land-Based Learning and Treaty Education featured at the OISE Library blogs.library.utoronto.ca/blog/land-ba...

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!

The School of the Environment, OISE Library, and OISE Sustainability & Climate Action Network invite students across UofT to submit art works to the 2026 Sustainability Thinking Exhibition. Submissions due Monday, January 19th, 2026: www.environment.utoronto.ca/news/sustain...

How To Increase Integrity and Trust in Research Journals: The Publication Facts Label The Scholarly Communications & Copyright Office at the University of Toronto Libraries is pleased to welcome John Willinksy, Khosla Family Professor Emeritus, Stanford University,...

Are you in Toronto? You are invited to "How To Increase Integrity and Trust in #Research #Journals: The Publication Facts Label" (in person) with PKP Founder John Willinsky this Friday November 7th, 1 PM ET, U of T

13 seats left!

libcal.library.utoronto.ca/event/3948000

#ScholCommCanada

Science Literacy Week 2025 is underway at the University of Toronto Libraries. At the OISE Library with a focus on science education! library.utoronto.ca/project/sea-... #SciLit #UofT

A colourful poster that provides contextual information about Zines. The poster text reads: “What are Zines? First bullet point: Independent publications (think “mini magazines”) that can include anything from writing, to artwork, to photography, to collage and more! Second bullet point: A tool for expression and activism, made to share stories, ideas, and identities, as a way to connect, resist, and celebrate. Third bullet point: Spaces to spotlight marginalized voices, with deep roots in Punk, Feminist, and Queer and Trans communities (and many more!). Bottom text: Learn more about zines and their history within the Queer and Trans community! Zines 101 (Cornell University). QR Code - https://guides.library.cornell.edu/zines101/home. Zines Archives (The ArQuives). QR Code - https://arquives.ca/whats-archives-zines/.”

Interested in learning more about Zines and their history in the 2SLGBTQIA community? Scan the QR codes on the informational poster!

A close-up on the cover of an example hand-made Zine. The text reads “OISE Library Pride”

An example handmade Zine opened on a two-page spread. The Zine includes Pride stickers, cut-out pieces of paper, and text. Below music notes, the text reads “Lil Nas X, Radical Face, My Chemical Romance”. On the other page, the text reads “My fave proudly Transgender book at OISE: When the Moon was Ours, Anna-Marie McLemore, Juv Fic M1643 W”.

A collection of art supplies on a table, including colourful paper, balls of yarn, pencil crayons, and Pride stickers. There is a sign with text that reads “Make a Zine!” and invites patrons to use the supplies.

We’ve got lots of supplies, a selection of prompts, and example Zines from the OISE Librarian team!

A poster in the colours of the Progress Pride Flag. The text reads: “OISE Library Pride. Zine Making. Stop by the Ground Floor Unstudy Spot during the month of June!”

Four objects on a table. A sign in the colours of the Progress Pride Flag, with text reading: “OISE Library Pride”. Two hand-made zines. A bowl with slips of paper, labelled: “Zine Prompts”.

A photo of the OISE Library Unstudy Spot. A long table with various art supplies and a sign that reads “Make a Zine!” Colourful loops and papercraft books are strung above the table

Happy Pride from OISE Library! This June, stop by the Unstudy Spot on the Ground floor to create a handmade Zine! #PrideMonth

Join us at the OISE Library for free snacks and a screening of the documentary The True Cost! The film takes a look behind the curtain to learn about the fashion industry and the potential to improve its labour and environmental practices. Register here: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

Images of three editions of the newspaper 'Our Lives: Canada's First Black Women's Newspaper' arranged on a white and orange background.

As 2025's Black History Month comes to a close, we at OISE Library want to shine a spotlight onto a piece of local culture and activism. Head to our blog to learn more about 'Our Lives: Canada’s First Black Women’s Newspaper' and its publisher, the Toronto-based Black Women’s Collective!
uoft.me/blR

Not sure what each political party is promising? Make sure to check out the websites of the running political parties for their up-to-date platforms!

Have a great weekend!

Don’t forget, even if a polling station close to campus is more convenient, you have to vote within your electoral district (the area where you live) for in-person voting.

Head over to the Elections Ontario website www.elections.on.ca/en.html where you can:

-Check if you’re eligible to vote

-Check what ID you can use to register to vote in-person

-Identify your electoral district

-Find your local polling stations

-Find locations for advance voting

Hey OISE! The Ontario provincial election on February 27th is fast approaching, and guess what? Advance polls are open until February 22nd! Remember - it's okay if you didn’t register to vote online. You can register in-person when you go to vote. Just bring a piece of ID with you!

Shows a drawing of two children making a snowman. Wording reads: The OISE Library will be closed on Monday February 17th for Family Day. We will re-open at 8:45 am on Tuesday, February 18th.

The OISE Library will be closed on Monday February 17th for Family Day. We will re-open at 8:45 am on Tuesday, February 18th. We wish you a wonderful weekend!

DataLumos logo

We continue to monitor and act on developments relating to federal data accessibility, collection, & reporting. Our partners at ICPSR have an archive tool for crowdsourcing government data. We encourage AERA members to utilize it. Learn more: www.aera.net/Research-Pol...

Image reading: "OISE Library is running a series of four workshops designed for graduate students who want to level up their literature searching skills."

OISE Library is running a series of four in-person workshops designed for graduate students in the social sciences who want to level up their literature searching skills. Read more and sign up here: oise.library.utoronto.ca/oise-library...

Poster inviting members of the OISE community to make upcycled Valentine's Day card between February 11th - 14th as supplies last!

Hi OISE community! Join us at the OISE Library's Unstudy Spot next week (Feb. 11 - 14) to make an upcycled Valentine's Day card for a loved one ❤️

Hi Blue Sky! Happy to be here ❤️