Institute Services and Facilities

ACCOMMODATION

The Institute does not provide accommodation for visiting fellows. Like any major city, Toronto’s occupancy rates for rental housing vary considerably from year to year. It is best to plan well in advance of arrival on campus.

The Institute is located on the campus of the University of St Michael's College. Visiting fellows interested in living in residence at the college should contact the Office of the Dean of Students to inquire about availability as soon as possible (telephone 416 926 7127). They should mention their affiliation with PIMS, as fellows will be given priority over outside residents.

Useful information on residential accommodation may be found at the University of Toronto’s Off-Campus Housing site. Visiting fellows should also find useful the nonprofit site devoted to Ontario Tenants Rights, which provides information on tenants' legal rights, finding affordable housing, discrimination, and apartment security. In addition, the classified ads in local editions of The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail can provide further assistance.

BENEFITS AND SERVICES

Please refer all questions relating to financial matters to the Treasurer, and enquiries regarding visas to the Registrar; contact information can be found on the Directory page of this website. General information about many issues of concern to non-Canadian residents, such as visas, UHIP (University Health Insurance Plan), child care, cost-of-living, income tax, etc may be found at the International Student Centre website.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

The Institute’s academic programmes, including its post-doctoral Licence programme and the various fellowships offered, are described in detail in the Academics section of this site. Please refer all enquiries regarding admission, requirements, academic meetings (including the Interdisciplinary Research Seminar), and issues of policy to the Registrar.

OFFICES AND FACILITIES

As far as possible, visiting scholars are assigned offices in the Institute building or in the Library for the duration of the academic term. Please refer all questions regarding offices and facilities to the Treasurer. Offices are sparely furnished, but are not equipped with computers. High-speed internet access, however, is available (see below). Telephone service is provided by the University of St Michael’s College. For further information, please consult the Institute Directory. Detailed instructions about voice mail are available from the Institute Secretary.

INSTITUTE EVENTS

Over the academic term, the Institute hosts a variety of endowed and guest lectures and other meetings of interest to research fellows. The Centre for Medieval Studies in the University of Toronto also holds several events in the Laurence K. Shook Common Room at the Institute. In the autumn and spring, the Institute holds its open meetings of Council, when all visiting fellows and their guests are encouraged to attend, and each March brings a distinguished medievalist to deliver the Gilson Lecture. For a comprehensive and up-to-date listing, please consult the Calendar.

LIBRARIES

The Institute library is housed on the fourth floor of the John M. Kelly Library at St Michael’s College. Its collections of printed books, manuscripts, and microfilms is non-circulating; admittance is by pass only. For additional information about hours, access, and a guide to the collections, see the Library section on this site.

All visiting fellows have access to the University of Toronto library system, a network of over forty libraries that together make up the largest academic library in Canada. The Robarts Library, across Queen’s Park, houses the social sciences and humanities research resources; the Gerstein Science Information Centre serves the science and health science disciplines. The Institute’s collections in reference works, manuscripts, and early printed books are complemented by the resources of The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, the Fine Art Library, as well as the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies. College libraries on the St George campus are rich in several related disciplines: philosophy and religion are especially well served by the collections at St Michael’s, Emmanuel, and Trinity colleges; classics, literature, and art by the E.J. Pratt Library at Victoria College. Registered users of the library system also have access to an impressive and growing range of electronic resources, from reference works and full-text e-journals to online databases. Surveys of electronic resources are provided in “Terra cognita,” elsewhere on this site.

Access to the Robarts stacks and borrowing privileges at all libraries are restricted to card holders. To obtain a photo library card (also known as a TCard), take a copy of the letter of appointment issued by the Registrar to the Reader Registration desk on the main floor of the Robarts Library. The TCard may also be used to purchase photocopies and computer printing at libraries across campus.

E–MAIL AND INTERNET ACCESS

Visiting fellows may find that it is more convenient to retain their existing institutional or generic e–mail accounts. However, e–mail is also provided by UTORMail, the University of Toronto’s institutional e–mail service. Off-campus access to restricted online resources is available through a service called my.access.

All offices in the Institute and the PIMS Library are wired for internet access via the UofT computer network (NOTE: dial-up access via modem is not available). Any standard ethernet card may be installed on your computer; network cards may be purchased at the Campus Computer Shop. The IP address and other network settings required may be obtained from the Treasurer. Access to the network is controlled by Computing and Networking Services. Questions regarding network settings and computer configuration may be referred to the staff at Workgroup Technology Support (telephone help line 416 946 4009). Advanced users can find helpful information at World of Windows Networking.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The Scotiabank Information Commons, located on the first floor of Robarts Library, provides a range of technical resources and services such as software licensing and distribution, as well as video and multimedia services. The Information Commons Help Desk provides telephone, e–mail, and walk-in technical support on licensed software. The barcode on a valid TCard (see above) may be required to verify university association.The Resource Centre for Academic Technology supports the use of emerging technologies in teaching, learning, and research. The Classroom Technology Support Group maintains an inventory of audiovisual equipment for teaching.

The University of Toronto

Various colleges, libraries, and services within the University of Toronto have already been mentioned above. New fellows are urged to consult the university’s many web pages for further information. Two navigational aids, in particular, may be worth keeping in mind: the constantly expanding list of campus websites and the very helpful campus maps including those of the St George Campus, as well as special maps of the St Michael's College campus.