The Library was built in 2004 and is comprised of five floors. The fourth floor is not yet open to the public. Wireless access is available throughout the building. Internet connections can also be found on all three floors. Ethernet cables are available for loan at the Circulation desk. Washrooms and a public pay phone are located across from the elevators on the first floor.
The Main floor of the Library is designated as a Common Area. This area is usually busy with high traffic levels and conversational noise is to be expected. The area is intended for access to the Library's Web Portal and for patron instruction. It includes the Library Circulation/Reserve and Reference service desks.
The Library provides approximately 500 study spaces available on a first-come first-served basis. These are intended to serve as quiet space for library patrons and only low-level talking is permitted. These facilities consist of a mixture of:
The Silent Study/Special Collections Room, located on the 3rd floor has been designated as silent study space. Sound-generating devices cannot be used in this room. No talking is permitted. This policy is strictly enforced. Those not cooperating will be asked to leave, and risk loss of library privileges.
These rooms, with seating for 2 to 8 persons, are equipped with a whiteboard and wireless/wired internet connections. Dry erase markers are available for loan at the Circulation desk. The rooms cannot be booked for committee meetings or classes, but currently enrolled students can reserve blocks of study time online through the group study rooms page on the library website.
The Library Instruction classrooms and the Technology Training Room on the first floor are used by Library staff for instructing students in research-related skills. The instruction classrooms are open to the public when they are not being used for teaching purposes. The library endeavors to publish when the classrooms are available to the public using signage on the classroom doors. Unfortunately, it may be necessary to close the rooms to the public outside of the scheduled times due to unforeseen circumstances. The Technology training room is available as a regular group study room when not needed for instructional purposes. To verify its availability and/or to book the room, please click on the "Book a Group Study Room" link from the library home page.
The library houses more than 130 computers for public use during library operating hours. More than 50 additional computers, located in the Library Instruction Classrooms, are also available for public use when they are not being used for instructional purposes. All of these computers and some resources and services require authentication to access. IT Services is responsible for issuing and problems with Network logins and passwords. Three KIOSK computers are available on the first floor of the library for library patrons who do not have a Network login and password. Printing is not available from the KIOSK computers.
The library houses five public printers; two are located on the first floor, there is one on each of the second and third floors and one is in the Teacher Resource Centre (TRC), and is accessible during TRC operating hours. Printing is provided by IT Services and only current students can access these printers. Students are provided with a limited number of free prints each academic year. To purchase additional prints students should inquire with IT Services. These printers are accessible from all library computers and Mobile Learning issued laptops. For more information regarding using these printers and troubleshooting printer problems consult the Printing in the Library page or contact staff at the Circulation desk.
There are four self-service photocopiers in the library. They are housed with the public printers; one on each floor of the library. The cost of copying is ten cents per page. The photocopier on the first floor is equipped to accept coins and Student photo ID cards, while the ones on the second and third floor and in the Teacher Resource Centre only accept photo ID cards. To use a Student photo ID card in the photocopier value must be added to it using a cash manager. Basic photocopier usage instructions are located on the wall near the photocopier. Instructions for more advanced photocopy services are located in a duo-tang in a pocket on the left side of each photocopier. Patrons are strongly advised to be aware of the Copyright Policy when copying Library and personal material. Any problems with the photocopiers should be reported to the Circulation desk.
The cash manager is a machine used to add value to Student photo ID cards. It is located in the room housing the printer and photocopier on the first floor. Value added to a card can be used to pay for photocopying at any public photocopier on campus. The photocopier will deduct ten cents from the value on the card for every page copied. The cash manager accepts one and two dollar coins as well as five, ten, and twenty dollar bills. Any problems with the cash manager should be reported to the Circulation desk.
The assisted use carrels, located on the third floor of the Library, are available all week until half an hour before the library closes. Two computers are equipped with the Kurzweil Educational Systems.
A third computer has several pieces of adaptive software installed, such as ReadPlease and TextHelp. A Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) provides magnification of hard copy material.
To book these computer terminals, please contact the Library Circulation desk (905-721-3082) and ask for time and machine availability. Library staff is available to offer general assistance, but patrons should already be familiar with this software. Any students requiring initial instruction may contact the Centre for Students with Disabilities (the REACH office) for assistance.
Material can be checked out of the library by staff at the Circulation desk or patrons can check out material using the self-checkout unit. The unit is located near the main stairway on the first floor. Instructions for use are located on the machine. Any problems with the self-checkout unit should be reported to the Circulation desk.
The library has a small microfilm collection. Pages can be read and copied from this collection or from other microfilm/microfiche sources using the microfilm/fiche reader/printer. Instructions for using the machine are located in a duo-tang beside the machine. The cost of copying is ten cents per page. Patrons are requested to pay for copies at the Circulation desk. Any problems with the microfilm/fiche reader/printer should be reported to the Circulation desk.