Special Collections of rare and valuable materials are collected and preserved for current and future research. Among the library's Special Collections, you'll find:
- The Baldwin Collection of Canadiana
- Books, manuscripts and memorabilia about Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes
- The Merril Collection for Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy
- Children's materials from the Osborne Collection
- Performing arts collections of rare music, costume designs and more
- Picture collections of historical and modern works
- Rare books & archives of interest to historians and art enthusiasts
Special Collections can be found at the Toronto Reference Library in the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Special Collections Centre. The Osborne and Merril Collections are located in the Lillian H. Smith branch.