Fun Facts – Page 3 – Know How, the blog of the Great Library

Library Hand(s)

Many people are surprised (and delighted) to learn that the library has held on to our old card catalogue and cabinets (unmaintained, of course). While some of our library regulars will be familiar with the cabinet kept in the Reference Office of the library, a better kept secret is the second cabinet housed in closed stacks. I’m particularly partial to the latter because, unlike the cards held in the Reference Office cabinet, its cards are hand-written.

Rifling through the many cards in this cabinet of mysteries, I begin to notice the differences in the handwriting, which, of course, makes sense for a library in existence since 1827; we’ve had quite a few staff members come and go in our almost 200 years. I also begin to wonder if I would see any evidence of “library hand”…

The Music of Osgoode Hall

This weekend, Osgoode Hall hosts Doors Open for the first time in three years. The theme for Doors Open this year is “City of Sound” and while music might be the last thing on your mind when you think of Osgoode Hall and the Great Library, we do have some musical connections.

“Fondly I love thee, mine own Valentine”: Love Poetry at the Great Library

As Valentine’s Day has come upon us again, the Great Library’s collection is probably the last place you’d consider for romantic inspiration. Luckily for you, our biggest donor, William Renwick Riddell, collected books from many different genres, including poetry. Scouring through the collection, we found five collections of poetry that were composed on the topic of love.