09/25/2026
Did you know that the Graham Library has the earliest books to be given to UofT?
In a sense, the Trinity Library is older than both Trinity College and the University of Toronto. The library's story begins in 1827 when John Strachan, the first Bishop of Toronto, wrote to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) requesting assistance in creating a divinity library for the university he was founding in Upper Canada. The Society agreed, and the books were presented to the University of King’s College in 1828. When Kings College became the non-sectarian University of Toronto, Strachan founded the Anglican University of Trinity College in 1851. In keeping with the SPCK agreement, U of T Senate authorized the transfer of the theological SPCK collection to Trinity College. The SPCK books span a range of theological disciplines and were part of the library’s working collection for years before being incorporated into the rare book collection. Bishop Strachan also made two personal gifts to the library. Strachan’s collection reflects his interest in a broad liberal education, with texts in science, classics, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, and theology.
Find out more in our current exhibit “Of Making Many Books: Celebrating 175 Years of the Trinity Library" on the lower level of the library until December.
