Welcome to the University of Waterloo Library! This web site has been designed to serve as a resource for secondary school teachers and librarians wishing to bring a class to the Library. We regret, our limited resources do not allow us to provide personal instructional workshops or tours; however, consultation and assistance is readily available. Please read on to see how we can be of help!
The Library has developed specific guidelines that apply to the scheduling of secondary school class visits and to the referral of individual high school students to the University of Waterloo Library. Please review the guidelines prior to making arrangements for your class visit or referral.
To schedule your visit or for consultation, please contact Judy McTaggart (jmmctagg@uwaterloo.ca) general library liaison for high school teachers. She can also be contacted by phone at 519-888-4567 ext. 32906.
Virtual tours of the libraries and the campus are good places to start getting ready for your visit.
Plan ahead! With enough advance notice we can help you plan your visit. Contact Judy McTaggart (jmmctagg@.uwaterloo.ca) general library liaison for high school teachers. She can suggest specific printed or online guides about general disciplines, topics, or basic research strategies, depending on the needs of your group.
Click here for directions to the University of Waterloo and campus maps.
The University of Waterloo has several lots available for visitors. Details, maps, and rates can be found on UW Parking Services website.
Self-service photocopiers that accept coins or card are available. )Porter - floor 3 and Davis - lower floor). The following charges apply: coin (10 cents) and card (9 cents) per page. Visitors to the University of Waterloo Library can purchase a guest card from the copy centre for $5.00. This charge includes a $1.00 fee and a $4.00 photocopying value. Additional value can be added to the card at the copy centre, as needed. Copy centres are located on the main floor in both Porter and Davis Libraries.
Printing is available from all the computer terminals in the Library. High - quality laser printers, located on the main floor are networked to print from all workstations throughout the building. Visitors can use the same guest card for photocopying. The charge is 9 cents per page and is debited from your guest card. Please note: this is a card only service - coins cannot be used for printing.
High school students from schools within Waterloo Region and Wellington County may borrow from the Library. Students must have a completed "High School Borrower's Application Form" validating their need to use an academic library. Forms can be obtained from the school librarian or by contacting Judy McTaggart at jmmctagg@uwaterloo.ca.
When registered with the University of Waterloo Library, high school students may borrow regularly circulating books from any of the TUG libraryies (University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Guelph) for two weeks and may renew those books indefinitely as long as no one else has recalled them.
Because of the teaching and research needs of our faculty and students, the following services cannot be extended to high school borrowers:
Food and drinks are allowed in the Library; however, students must recognize the need to eat and drink responsibly and dispose of waste appropriately. Please note: all computer areas are food and drink free zones. During your visit you might want to visit Browsers , a coffee shop located on the main floor in the Dana Porter Library, for a relaxing spot to enjoy a drink and snack.
Research for many students is confusing at best even in a small public library. The sheer size of the libraries at the University of Waterloo offers a huge challenge for students attempting to learn the ropes. For many of them this is not an easy or intuitive process - they need help - often lots of it. In addition, there are a number of basic library skills students need to have before they can even begin their research. Prior to your class visit, arrangements should be made with the school librarian to provide an instructional session. The skills chart checklist details the basic skills students need to acquire in order to use the Library and can be used for assessing individual skill attainment.
One of the major differences between a high school or public library and university library is the classification (or call number) scheme used. High schools generally use the Dewey Decimal System, composed of numbers only, while the universities use the Library of Congress Classification Scheme, which is composed of letters and numbers. There are several good sites on the web that provide complete details about the scheme and how to interpret call numbers. The following is one example: http://geography.miningco.com/library/congress/bllc.htm (Geography page on the mining site)
Introduce your students to the Library's home page on the web. Students will find links to the Library's online catalogue and detailed information about the Library and it's services.
The catalogue can be searched from your school or home. Use the discovery tool "PRIMO" to search. Access to PRIMO can be found on the Library's homepage. Before you come to the Library, try to do as much online research as possible. Help students brainstorm for key terms on their topic. Encourage them to list several alternative terms for their research topic before and after they start their research. It will make their searches far more productive. As you may suspect, the subject headings used in the cataloguemay differ drastically from those used in periodical indexes. Flexibility is the key.
Detailed help on how to conduct searches is available simply by clicking on the help button. When searching the catalogue, get the library location and complete call number for the items you want to see.
Please Note: It is not possible for students to search our electronic indexes from your school. Our licensing agreements restrict usage to registered University of Waterloo students, faculty and staff.
Several instructional guides to help you use the resources of the Library are accessible. The publications tend to be general and interdisciplinary in nature and are ideal for the beginning researcher. Topics of the guides include finding and writing book reviews, finding periodical articles and newspaper sources. You will also find guides to help you do research and evaluate your sources. These guides can be downloaded and reviewed with your students.
Tilt@UW is an online library tutorial that explains the basic strategies for identifying, locatin, evaluating and citing information found in the University of Waterloo libraries. The tutorial is also designed to ensure a level of information literacy. The fundamental concepts learned will be useful for any type of research and will contribute to an individual's success in school, in the workplace, or in one's daily life.
The tutorial comprises an introduction and three modules (each followed by a quiz). The modules explain the process of selecting appropriate information sources, the searching process, evaluating the information found and citing the sources. Please note: Students will nto be able to complete the interactive quizzes that follow each module due to licensing restrictions; however, your students will gain extensive knowledge of the research process without completing these segments.
Who should use TILT@UW? Tilt was designed primarily for university undergraduate students; however, it is equally useful for beginning researches and students new to the University library system.
The online tutorial can be used as an independent learning tool or incorporated into specific library assignments. Students can complete the tutorial on their own and achieve a better understanding of the academic research process. A more effective use, however, would be to incorporate the tutorial in a specific, hands-on library assignment. Practical application of the concepts introduced will provide a more sustained learning experience and develop greater information literacy skills. Read on for lesson plans and assignments that you can use with your students.
How can you use TILT@UW? To make the best use of the tutorial, it should be incorportated into a practical, hands-on library assignement.The assignments listed below are two examples designed to teach students a) how to first develop a research strategy; and, b) how to research their topic using a variety of formats:
Need help? If you need any assistance selecting appropriate resources for specific topics, please contact Judy McTaggart (jmmctagg.uwaterloo.ca)
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