Very large books that don’t fit on the regular shelves have been brought together as the Oversize Collection and have their own location at Graham Library. Since big books require big chairs, the Saunders Room, affectionately known as the 3^rd Floor Fireplace Room, is the perfect place to take a browsing break.

Call them coffee-table books, art books, or just unwieldy tomes, they’re definitely fun to browse. Most are non-fiction and loaded with photographs, illustrations, pictures, plans, maps and plates.

Big on browsing?         

Images are captioned, providing you with just the right amount of information when you’re merely looking for a distraction, but still want to learn something.

If you’re searching for specific information, you may want to go straight to the index before hefting through pages and plates.

Big Books circulate

Although most titles can be checked out and renewed like regular books, library users may find they’re simply too cumbersome to lug home. They don’t fit easily into a book bag or on a streetcar at rush hour.

Helpful to know…

This mighty collection is divided into 3 levels: Big, Bigger, and Biggest.  Look for the bright yellow band on the spine labels marked “Oversize” (big), “Folio” (bigger) and “Folio Large” (biggest).  This 3^rd group you’ll spot by its prone position on the shelves – they are ridiculously big.

Big Book-of-the-Week

Watch for Graham Library’s Facebook page and its Big Book-of-the-Week feature, in which an intriguing title from the Oversize Collection is highlighted.

If you’ve got a bit of leisure time, Graham Library staff invite you to browse the Oversize Collection. As always, Circulation staff will be happy to help you find that elusive title.

Laurel Coo, Cataloguing Technician, John W. Graham Library