MDL Blog

Digital storytelling is transforming how students engage with research, place, and narrative. In the Map & Data Library (MDL), we are increasingly supporting course projects that move beyond traditional essays and inviting students to tell… Read more ...

Ken Lui is a data curation specialist at Map & Data Library (MDL). He graduated from the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. He has a strong interest in research data management, research reproducibility, and open source tools. He is… Read more ...

Is the image above some kind of Cubist cartographic experiment?* Did we lose all professional decorum and create collages from our maps? No, that's actually a behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of our most popular map genres: Fire Insurance Plans!… Read more ...

We have just received the latest (2025) datasets from Data Axle:

Canadian Historical Business Data, 2009-2025*
United States Historical Business Data, 1997-2025
United States Residential Data, 2006-2025

These resources are available to all current… Read more ...

An additional dataset has recently been added to the U of T's Revelio Labs data license. 
New: Sentiment Scores
This dataset contains employee sentiment scores that were generated using a sentiment model, which uses Natural Language Processing… Read more ...

As many of you know, the Map & Data Library has been under renovation since May 1, 2024. Nearly two years later, we are finally preparing to move into our new space on the 5th floor of Robarts Library soon! There will be a soft reopening in… Read more ...

Megan Belisle (she/her) is a Graduate Student Library Assistant (GSLA) at the Map & Data Library. At MDL, she works with fellow GSLAs and staff to support patron requests relating to software, data and GIS discovery, access, and interpretation.… Read more ...

We are pleased to inform you that 2025 data from DMTI Spatial is now available! The DMTI CanMap Content Suite contains over 100 geospatial data layers depicting features of the natural and built environment as well as administrative boundaries.… Read more ...

Cole White is the Map and Data Library’s GIS Analyst. A graduate of the Centre for Geographic Sciences, they’ve worked in municipal government, ecological consulting, and volunteered on humanitarian and environmental GIS projects. Their cartography… Read more ...

Bird’s‑eye view maps (also called panoramic maps, perspective maps, or aero views) are non‑photographic depictions of towns and cities drawn as if seen from an elevated oblique vantage point. They flourished in North America from the post‑Civil War… Read more ...

Curious about computer programming? Interested in learning how to code in Python? Or just looking to make programming less mysterious and more practical? 
Come join our online workshops offered by the Map & Data Library:

An Introduction… Read more ...

Ryan Siu (he/him) is a Graduate Student Library Assistant (GSLA) at the Map & Data Library. He works with the other GSLAs and staff to support patron requests, particularly with GIS analysis and data requests. He completed his undergraduate… Read more ...

“He unrolled his map at a board meeting and it was a revelation to see so much fabulous work. It was a great manuscript. The Surveyor-General saw it and said: ‘My God, we’ve got to publish it.‘”- Michael Smart, formerly of the Ontario Geographical… Read more ...

Registration and scholarship applications for the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) 2026 Summer Program in Quantitative Methods are now open!
With 90+ in-person or online classes in statistics, quantitative… Read more ...

We have received the latest datasets from Gallup.
Newest datasets

World Poll, to January 2026
COVID-19 and Wellbeing, to Q4 2025
Gallup Poll Social Series:

August: Work and Education (2001-2025)
September: Governance (2001-2025)
October: Crime (… Read more ...

We have a new scanner (a ROWE Scan 850i), ready for you to come use! We've stress-tested it and are happy with the results.
Key features:

Scans items up to 60" wide and up to approximately 3 cm tall
Scans up to 1200 DPI - or even higher with… Read more ...

The Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize is awarded to current undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Toronto during each academic year. The purpose of the prize is to recognize students who use information… Read more ...

AI is affecting many aspects of research and education, and qualitative research is no exception. There is a growing interest in the appropriateness and effectiveness of using AI tools in various aspects of qualitative research from transcription to… Read more ...

We are very pleased to welcome Neil Aitken to the MDL Team as of February 1, 2026. Neil is a Data Librarian who will work with the MDL team to support a range of services, with a focus on support for programmatic data analysis methods including TDM… Read more ...

Every February, International Love Data Week invites researchers, librarians, students, and data professionals to reflect on the role data plays in our work and our world. The 2026 theme, “Where’s the Data?”, is deceptively simple. At first glance,… Read more ...

One of the services that the Map & Data Library provides is statistical analysis support. We are pleased to announce that Nadia Muhe, Statistical Support Specialist, has returned from leave and is once again available for consultations. Nadia… Read more ...

We are delighted to share a guest blog post by Jeff Allen, Senior Research Associate; Lead, Maps & Data Visualization, School of Cities, University of Toronto.
By looking at places from above, we can uncover the layered history of our… Read more ...

Who owns your data? What does it tell them about you? How do you identify online disinformation? Most importantly, how do you take back control?
In celebration of Data Privacy Week (January 26-30), librarians and staff from the Gerstein Science… Read more ...

Leanne Trimble is Head of the Map & Data Library. She has a BA in urban geography & architectural history (U of T), a Master of Information Studies (U of T), and a certificate in Applied Digital Geography and GIS (TMU). She has worked at U… Read more ...

Ready to learn some new data skills for 2026! Now's the time to sign up for a Map & Data Library Workshop!
We are offering a variety of online and in-person workshops (in Robarts Library 4th floor computer lab).
Topics include:

Geographic… Read more ...