Nestled in the heart of Innis College’s brick-red building, on the second floor of the East wing, sits the humble yet mighty Innis College Library. Consisting of four levels—though spanning only two floors—and organized around a metal staircase leading up to a luminous skylight, this spaceship-like area welcomes students, faculty, and visitors from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. With a collection focused on Cinema Studies and Writing & Rhetoric, the library supports the needs of Innis-affiliated programs and provides a quiet study space for members of the Innis community and other Robarts-adverse individuals.

When first entering the building, most visitors likely struggled, like I did, to navigate it. But for those lucky enough to figure out how to access the second floor, their efforts were no doubt rewarded by meeting the generous and insightful Innis Librarian, Kate Johnson. With a background in art history and experience at various other libraries, Kate joined Innis almost nine years ago, back in 2017. Over the years, she has become a beloved and essential part of the Innis community, and her enthusiasm and willingness to help are cherished by all. It is therefore with both joy and sadness that we at the Herald received the news of her temporary departure. As some readers may be aware, Kate has just gone on research leave until March 2026. For the majority of the remainder of this academic year, the library will operate under the guidance of its new librarian, Kathryn (Katie) Middleton.

Who is Katie?

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Katie at the end of her first day, with the goal of getting to know her and introducing her to the Innis and wider U of T community. Despite what must have been a long and busy day, I immediately felt the kindness and excitement radiating from her as we began our conversation. I can only hope that this article encourages Innissians to take her up on her invitation to drop in for a quick chat—and to visit the library if they haven’t yet had the chance!

Katie completed her undergraduate degree at King’s College in Halifax, majoring in Classics and Early Modern Studies. At the time, she had a sense she would continue her foray into academia, before realizing the diminishing appeal of constant publication and discovering, instead, “a love for teaching.”

“Even though I worked at libraries throughout my undergrad, I never thought of it as a career for myself,” she tells me. The field only revealed itself as a professional path while she was applying for grad school. She ended up joining the Master of Information program at UofT’s Faculty of Information—commonly known as the iSchool—with a concentration in Library and Information Science (LIS) and Archives and Records Management (ARM), and a specialization in Book History and Print Culture. This degree combination allowed her to explore her passion for rare books and gave her the opportunity to learn about the concept of the book as a material object.

She was able to apply this knowledge in her previous role at Massey College, a non-circulating, solo-librarian space, where her duties included managing access to the collection, overseeing donations and acquisitions, helping students with coursework, as well as teaching—not just for library instruction sessions, but also classes on the history of the book. In addition, she organized a few exhibits, helping to curate display cases on treasures from the collection, and for special occasions such as the 60th anniversary of the institution.

Given her academic and professional background, it comes as no surprise that many of her interests revolve around books—in particular, their materiality and production, as well as the art and craft involved in making them. One of her hobbies is letterpress printing, which connects her directly to the physical side of bookmaking. In her free time, she also plays Dungeons & Dragons, enjoys cross-stitching, and (of course) reads widely. Though only a casual film viewer, she holds a soft spot for costume design in cinema. (I am happy to report to our CSI readers that she did attend TIFF, and also happens to be a Lord of the Rings fan.)

A New Challenge

In this role, Katie is looking forward to immersing herself in a new space and contributing to cataloguing, outreach, and community programming. The Innis Library, she says, represents “a challenge, but an exciting one.”

Unlike at Massey, Innis relies on a team of student workers who take care of circulation tasks, act as the first point of contact, and contribute to various research and outreach projects. Learning how to work with a team will be a shift; another will be managing a larger, more diverse user base. One of the big tasks coming up is collection weeding, in preparation for the library’s eventual move after the completion of Innis College’s renovation. Katie will be helping to assess materials and work with the team on what stays, what goes, and what gets relocated. These efforts are part of the broader, ongoing work of ensuring that the library remains a relevant and welcoming space for years to come.

Though we will miss Kate dearly, we are so excited to welcome Katie. A defining feature of the Innis community is its warmth and openness—something that did not go unnoticed by Katie throughout the hiring process. “It made me want the job all the more,” she says with a smile. After having met her, I am more than certain that she will fit right in!

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Quick Facts with an Innis library assistant (aka me)

– Innis Library can be accessed on the second floor of Innis College (2 Sussex Avenue) through the staircase at the south-east side of the building (the one within the building in the lobby area) and the elevator.

– The collection includes a wide range of material on Cinema (including textbooks available as course reserves), a section dedicated to the Writing and Rhetoric program with books on academic, business, and creative writing, a PhD collection available to CSI PhD candidates, and a selection of journals and reference books. We also overview the Innis printing service, available to students for 4 cents per printed page (a real bargain).

– The library offers a quiet, cozy study environment. Patrons are welcomed to chat and do group work as long as they keep a low volume. Feel free to come in for a visit, browse, ask questions, or chat with Katie about rare books or your Halloween costume!

– The fourth floor study carrels are prioritized for CSI graduate students, but can be used if unoccupied. I personally recommend taking advantage of the skylight before the winter settles… – Although the library specializes mainly in Cinema Studies, all students regardless of their program are welcomed to book a research consultation with the librarian—simply send an email to library.innis@utoronto.ca, or call us at 416-978-4497.