About the Library

Beyond its circulating collections, the John M. Kelly Library preserves significant archival, manuscript, and rare book holdings, including the papers of prominent figures such as Marshall McLuhan, Sheila Watson, and G.K. Chesterton within its Special Collections [link to Special Collections overview]. The library is also home to the archives of several Canadian religious communities, among them the Scarboro Foreign Missions Society, the Sisters of Service, and the Loretto Sisters. 

Following the federation of Regis College with the University of St. Michael’s College Faculty of Theology, the John M. Kelly Library assumed custodianship of the collections of the Regis St. Michael’s (RSM) Faculty of Theology [link to theological collection]. The addition of these holdings has significantly strengthened the library’s resources in St. Ignatius studies, Ignatian theology, and Jesuitica.  

An evolution from small book collections in 1852 to a major academic resource by 1969. The library merged collections from St. Michael’s College, St. Basil’s Seminary and the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. Learn more about our history.  

As part of the University of Toronto Libraries system, the John M. Kelly Library provides users with seamless access to the university’s extensive network of physical and digital collections. All of the library’s books, journals, and other materials are discoverable through LibrarySearch, the University of Toronto Libraries’ shared catalogue. 

St. Mike’s sponsors undergraduate programs and offers graduate education in the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology. Accordingly, the Kelly Library collects materials that support a broad spectrum of courses taught by faculty, and research conducted by faculty and librarians, students and external researchers. 

The John M. Kelly Library firmly defends freedom of speech, thought, and enquiry, a commitment upheld by the Canadian Library Association (CLA) and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL).