Personal Librarian Program
The Personal Librarian Program pairs incoming undergraduate students from all programs with a librarian during their first year. You are automatically paired with a librarian and will receive an email within the first two months of starting your studies.
Throughout the program, you can receive research advice and tips from your personal librarian. This is a great resource to use when you have any questions about library services. If you have a research question, you can consult your personal librarian on possible avenues of research. You can also ask for advice on validating sources, such as through the CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) test.
Your personal librarian will also send information about upcoming events (e.g., a mindfulness contest), fun things to do around the city, and academic resources that may be helpful for your courses throughout the year.
Remember, there are no dumb questions. For many of you, this is the first time you are doing research, and it can be hard to figure stuff out alone. Asking for help saves you a lot of time.
Reference Desk
If you have specific questions regarding research or a project, the Reference Desk has people that can give you advice one-on-one and help you find the resources you are looking for. If you have questions about where to begin your search for a standard or how to use a database, the Reference Desk is located in the Engineering and Computer Science Library and available seven days a week. This is especially helpful for courses like Praxis, where you need to back up your arguments and ideas with research.
In some of your first-year courses, you might also find that a lot of the research or referencing you are doing is different and more advanced than high school. This can be difficult and challenging, so reach out to the people at the Reference Desk for help early in your project.
Online Resources
The Engineering and Computer Science Library has a lot of information and resources on its website. This is often the starting point on your research journey. Here you can find major databases where you can use to access academic journals, standards, handbooks, and more. You can also reserve books, book study rooms, and find upcoming workshops. It may feel overwhelming, but there are supports (like the ones mentioned above!) to help you navigate all the resources.
If the material you need is not available, reach out to a staff member at any library. Often times, they can get it for you from a different library at no cost!
Group Study Spaces
Example of a study room in Gerstein Library [Source]
Study spaces located in the Engineering & Computer Science Library [Source]
Want to study with friends or have a team meeting on campus? You can book a group study room! Most libraries in U of T offer these rooms that can be booked by any student for up to 3 hours up to 2 weeks in advance. If you want to find a space that is immediately available, look for group study spaces or certain rooms (e.g. Gerstein Room 1230) where no reservation is required. In general, you can also use unoccupied rooms, if they are booked but unoccupied after 15 minutes, or if the group has vacated the room for longer than 20 minutes. Check out the group study room policies of the respective library (displayed when you book a room) for more details.
Computers
Did you know that there are over 700 workstations available on campus? If you ever need to use a computer for schoolwork, to print out notes, or to scan documents, you can find available computers at https://go.utlib.ca/computers