Policies and Services

Students are expected to use the Learning Resource Centre and Computer Lab facilities in a responsible and cooperative manner.

• Students should be considerate of others working or studying.
• All materials must be signed out by staff on duty.
• Borrowed materials should be returned promptly so that others are not deprived of access to them.

Circulation policies

On-Site Circulation Policies

• All materials must be signed out by an LRC staff person.
• Borrowed items must be returned by the due date.
• Students with overdue materials will not be permitted to sign out any materials until overdue items have been returned.
• Students will be required to pay replacement or repair costs for materials that are lost or damaged.
• Reference materials and periodicals are for use in the LRC only.
• Books from stacks can be signed out for two-week periods, and may be renewed unless previously reserved.
• Reserve materials are for two-hour loan and must be used on-site. These include vertical files, books and A-V materials on reserve.
• A-V materials not on reserve have a two-day loan period.
• Some lab equipment may be signed out for one or two-hour periods.
• Items must be booked during regular hours.
• Students must present their Student ID or LRC card to borrow equipment.
• Items may be returned to the circulation desk or to the Book Return box outside the LRC.
• Overdue charges for Reserve Materials are $1 per hour.

LRC services

• Circulation services include checking out materials, renewing materials and placing holds or recalls on needed items.
• Reference services are available to all students who need help with research. These services are usually available during weekdays from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. See the References Librarian for answers to questions regarding use of reference sources, research techniques, collection holdings, use of the online catalogue. Please see the Computer Lab Librarian for instruction in use of software programs in the lab.
• Access to photocopying facilities – photocopying cards in varying amounts can be purchased at the circulation desk.
• Instruction in the use of computerized reference tools is covered in orientation. Additional instructional sessions are available.
• A-V viewing facilities are available in the LRC. Bookings can be made at the LRC circulation desk. Students need to provide staff with their Student ID card to receive the key to the designated room.
• Access to A-V equipment is available through booking with the LRC. Basic instruction in the use of this equipment will be provided as needed.
• Study rooms are available to students for group use on a limited basis. These can be booked through the LRC for 1 or 2-hour periods.
• Computer lab use for independent work may be booked through the Computer Lab (See Computer Lab Policies for more details).

*Distance students will have access to the first three of the above services. If they are temporarily on-site, they have access to all other LRC services as well.

Library instruction and research help

Orientation sessions take place throughout the month of September each year for all incoming students.

Library orientation includes a tour of the LRC, an introduction to library services, a review of policies, and highlights of how to use library reference tools and materials for maximum effectiveness.

Computer Lab orientation introduces students to the wealth of information and technological resources available to support them in their studies. An overview is provided of programs available on the network, including e-mail, word processing, presentation and educational programs. Instruction in computer literature searching and use of the Internet is also provided. Lab policies are reviewed and users are provided with user accounts and passwords.

Topics covered:

• CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane, etc.
• RefWorks
• Typing a Research Paper
• Evaluating Resources on the Internet
• APA (tutorials offered throughout each semester)
• Literary search tutorials

Individual sessions with LRC staff can be arranged for anyone wanting extra instruction in the use of any reference or computer resources.

Food & drink policy

To make the LRC a more hospitable environment to foster learning, food and drink are allowed at the LRC with the following guidelines:

• Beverages can be consumed in covered containers to reduce the chance of spills;
• Food can be brought in and consumed. It is preferred if it is cold snack food with minimal mess and smell;
• No hot food is permitted to be brought in or delivered.

Please keep in mind the following:

• Please keep the library/computer lab clean by depositing your waste in garbage containers and recycling bins.
• Report any spill immediately to LRC staff.
• Alcohol is not permitted.
• Please use extra caution around computer stations and library books/reserves.

Faculty services

Orientation

Orientation sessions to the Learning Resource Centre and to the Computer Lab are available to all new faculty. Staff will arrange group or individual sessions at any mutually convenient time.

Tutorials

Any faculty who would like to have individual instruction in any LRC computer programs can arrange sessions with LRC staff.

Literature Searches/Interlibrary Loans

LRC staff will perform literature searches for faculty and will provide ILL services.

Course/Curriculum Support

Upon request, LRC reference staff identify new texts in curriculum-related areas, and obtain evaluation copies for faculty. LRC staff will also help to identify materials within the collection which would be appropriate reserve materials for courses.

LRC staff are available as resource/support providers for instructional sessions held by faculty either in the classroom or the computer lab. Approved acquisitions requests for curriculum-related materials will be filled by LRC staff.

Reserve collection

The LRC maintains a Reserve Collection of print, A-V and Lab materials. These are catalogued and placed on reserve at any time throughout the term. Due to space constraints, they are returned to faculty at the end of each term.

Distance services

Reference services are available to all distance students. These services include searches of LRC holdings, online searches, direction to further sources of information, and answers to questions from LRC reference sources.