The Toronto Antipsychiatry Lending Library (TALL) was established by the Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault (CAPA) under the auspices of the late Professor Bonnie Burstow (1945-2020) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. TALL was created as a critical collection, and accessible meeting space, for scholars, students, and activists in antipsychiatry, mad studies, and critical psychiatry.

Established in 2020, TALL is the first such library of its kind in the world. 

TALL includes rare and one-of-a-kind archival materials on antipsychiatry from the estates of Bonnie Burstow, Don Weitz, and Tooker Gomberg. Since its inception, TALL has been a safe meeting space for critical dialogue for scholars, students and activists, and is under threat of losing its space at OISE 7th floor. 

Prof. Burstow received approval for the space for CAPA’s TALL library before she passed away. The previous Dept. of Leadership Higher Adult Education (LHAE) Chair, Dr. Nina Bascia, subsequently assured CAPA that TALL would continue to be housed at its current location in LHAE room 7-165 after Burstow’s death. 

Your support is needed to save the library space on the 7th floor at OISE / LHAE. 

On August 24th, 2022, LHAE administration affirmed that the library would remain in place, only to renege on that promise later that same evening - giving CAPA a September 2022 deadline, for evacuating the library’s resources. 

The LHAE administration did not even wait until their own deadline to remove the books.

The TALL materials need to be returned to OISE 7th Floor, Rm 7-165!!!

This is deeply disturbing, given Prof. Burstow’s contribution to OISE and generous donation(s) towards scholarships in Antipsychiatry and other scholarships at OISE / UofT. 

There has been an outpouring of letters of support from community, students, and faculty for the TALL Antipsychiatry Library to stay at OISE on the 7th floor. 

The Faculty of the Adult Education and Community Development Program (AECD) state: 

The faculty of the [AECD] strongly disagree with the proposed removal of the Antipsychiatry Library on the 7th floor that was the last project of our deceased colleague, Dr. Bonnie Burstow. … After Bonnie’s death, Nina [Bascia, then Chair of LHAE] approved the continued use of the space and the collection grew, with books from Bonnie’s estate, plus two other estates. (AECD Letter, Sept 7, 2022) 

When a meeting was requested with the current Chair of LHAE, Dr. Creso Sa, he initially agreed. However, while still in the process of setting it up, he emailed people that the matter had been referred to the University’s Legal Counsel and the Executor of Burstow’s estate. This is clearly obfuscation, as Prof. Burstow’s antipsychiatry books and archival materials had already been donated by her estate to CAPA's TALL Library, (this was confirmed by the executor).

TALL should stay at OISE 7th floor, Rm 7-165!

These decisions do not respect due process / procedural fairness for CAPA and are un-collegial towards the Adult Education Faculty who support the decades work Prof Burstow dedicated to OISE and is disrespectful to the scholars and community members who can make use of this unique collection. 

Now, an open call for a community townhall seems more appropriate to ensure public accountability. 

The TALL library is at risk and needs your help. Support TALL’s continued existence in the OISE space. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

• Sign this Petition  
• Send a letter to Dr. Creso Sa, Chair of LHAE, demanding his assurances that the Antipsychiatry library is returned to, and remains at, OISE, 7th floor, Rm 7-165. You can send your letters to: 

Dr. Creso Sa, Chair LHAE/OISE, c.sa@utoronto.ca
Diedra Dick, Business Officer, diedra.dick@utoronto.ca
cc. Capacommittee2022@gmail.com

PETITION: 

We The Undersigned,

Find that pushing out the CAPA TALL Antipsychiatry Library out of its space at OISE 7th floor, (Rm 7-165) where the late Dr. Bonnie Burstow dedicated much of her life’s work, is deeply disturbing, especially given her decades of contribution to OISE.

We demand a Community Townhall on this issue and insist that the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education (LHAE) provide:  

(1) A guarantee that CAPA’s Toronto Antipsychiatry Lending Library (TALL) can stay in its current space at OISE / UofT, Rm 7-165.

(2) A commitment by LHAE / OISE to honour Prof. Burstow’s work and support students and academics working in antipsychiatry, mad studies, and critical psychiatry research.

(3) A commitment to re-instate Prof. Burstow’s courses, including:  Working with Survivors of Trauma (LHA 1111 H).

Website: https://coalitionagainstpsychiatricassault.wordpress.com/
Email: CAPAcommittee2022@gmail.com