What you need to know
2 Using the Library
Finding Books and Other Materials
Use Primo Central to find a variety of materials such as books, journals, articles, e-books, e-journals, conference papers, government documents, and more!
You can search Primo Central without signing in. Alternatively, you can sign in with your WatCard to place requests, save items, and set alerts.
Once you have searched Primo Central and found an item of interest, take a look at the item record for more information:
The tabbed item record provides you with easy access to item details, location information, the ability to place requests and more!
What is a "call number"?
A call number is a unique number assigned to books to help you find their exact locations on the shelf.
Locating Books in the Library
Check the item's call number against the "where is it?" Library floor plan. You can retrieve items yourself. For more information, watch our video on finding books in the library.
Requesting an Item
Requesting items from other TUG locations (Laurier or Guelph or Annex) is easy! You can request items in Primo for delivery to a selection of campus locations.
Once you've found the item you're interested in, click on "Requests" in the item record and then click on the "Sign in to place a Hold or Recall" link and follow the directions. This video teaches you how to request items through TUG.
Recalling Material
You can recall items that are currently checked out. Doing so will generate a recall notice to be sent to the current borrower by email giving them seven days to return the item to the Library.
Once you've found the item you're interested in, click on "Requests" in the item record and then click on the "Sign in to place a Hold or Recall" link and follow the directions.
Borrowing Materials
To sign out materials, use the self-check machines or take items to the Circulation Desk. 
Undergraduate Students can borrow an unlimited number of books for a two-week period. Students with disabilities may be granted term loans if they are registered with the Office for Persons with Disabilities.
Graduate Students have access to term loan for library books as well as many additional services to help you with your research. Please refer to the Services for Graduate Students page for further details.
Faculty have term loan privileges and access to the Library's TUGdocs service. See the Services for Faculty & Staff page for more information.
Renewing Items
You can renew all items except for reserves, provided that another user has not placed a hold or recall on the items.
- Books may be renewed repeatedly
- Periodicals from the stacks may be renewed only once
- Periodicals from storage may be renewed repeatedly
- University Map Library maps may be renewed once
How to renew:
- Online via the “Your Library Account” link on the Library's homepage
- In person at the Library Circulation Desk
- By telephone, extension 84600 or 888-4600 during specified hours
Returning Materials
You can return materials to the following locations:
- Any of the Library's Circulation Desks
- Book return chutes located beside the Dana Porter Library entrance and outside the Davis Centre Library in the Great Hall
- Public Services Desk in the University Map Library
- Book return bins on campus. These include: Carl Pollock Hall / DWE (first floor bank machine entrance opposite stairwell doors); Village 1 and 2; UW Place (outside Eby Hall); SLC. Do not use book return bins for reserve books, interlibrary loan books, micro materials, recalled books, soft-covered periodicals, maps, or any material which appears to be fragile
- To the Circulation Desk at the University of Guelph or at Wilfrid Laurier University
- Reserve and Interlibrary Loan materials must be returned to the desk from which they were borrowed
- Recalled items should be returned to the Circulation Desks
Library Fines
Overdue material is subject to fines as follows:
Reserve Overdues
- Items on loan for 1 or 3 hours - 5 cents per minute to a maximum of $100 per item.
- Items on loan for 1 or 3 days - $20 per day to a maximum of $100 per item.
Recalled Material
$1.00 per day after the recall due date to a maximum of $30 per item.
Interlibrary Loans (RACER)
$1.00 per day.
All Other Materials
$.25 per day to a maximum of $15 per item.
Accessing Reserves
You can access course reserves through the Library's course reserve service.
Course reserves can include lecture notes, journal articles, books, or excerpts from other published sources. Paper reserves are accessible through the Circulation Desk and electronic reserves through UW-ACE or links through the library course reserves web pages. Electronic materials are restricted to students enrolled in a course. Take a look at our video on course reserves to find out more.
Loan Periods for paper reserves are:
1 Hour
3 Hours
1 Day - due by desk closing the following day
3 Days - due by desk closing on the fourth day
Finding Journal Articles and Other Electronic Resources
The Library purchases a wide range of electronic resources (things you would never find for free on Google!), including peer-reviewed articles, e-journals, and e-books.
Not sure where to start? Check out the subjects guides created by liaison librarians or see the “Getting Help” section of the survival guide, or check out our video on finding journal articles online.
To get started quickly, try searching Primo Central to search many of the journal articles included in the Library 's collection.
You may also want to see the Resources for Research page on the Library's site. From here you can find:
- Research Databases: for finding journal articles, conference proceedings, etc.
- E-Journal Titles: a searchable listing of the electronic journals available through the Library
- The Online Reference Shelf: a collection of resources such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and citation guides
- E-Data: a starting point for finding numeric, statistical, and/or geospatial data
- RefWorks: create your own personal database by importing references from text files or online databases. You can automatically format the paper and the bibliography in seconds
Get it @ Waterloo
When searching many of the Library's databases, you'll notice the “Get it @ Waterloo” symbol that appears beside articles' citation information.
This button is a link that checks if the Library has the article in its e-journal collection or in the library catalogue.
Note: The “Get it @ Waterloo” symbol doesn’t mean that Waterloo always has access to the item — it's just your link for checking for access.
Connecting from Home
To access the Library's electronic resources (databases, e-journals, etc.) from home you need to be a registered student, staff, or faculty member.
To authenticate yourself as a Waterloo user, you need to Connect from Home first using your WatCard barcode and last name. By signing in, this makes your off-campus computer appear to be on-campus. You can then use online library resources from home.
For the best results, Connect from Home before attempting to access any online library resources from off-campus. Find out how to sign in by watching our video on how to connect from home.
Note: If you sign onto the proxy from a shared or public computer, be sure to close the web browser after you finish. This will prevent illegitimate use of these resources or services in your name.
Citing Sources
It is important to accurately cite any resources you use in your assignments. There are many different citation styles used in different subject areas, so check with your course instructor to see which style you should use.
A listing of some of the most common citation style guides can be found in the Online Reference Shelf or you can check Primo Central for print versions. You can also watch our short videos on when to cite your sources, APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual Style to get your started.
Using RefWorks
RefWorks is a web-based citation software that allows you to create your own personal database of references from online research databases, text files, and a variety of other sources.
You can compile, organize, and output references in a variety of citation styles and easily access these references when writing papers to format your paper and bibliography in seconds.
If you need help with using RefWorks, consult the RefWorks help page, the Refworks instructional videos, sign up for a library workshop, or contact your liaison librarian.
Academic Integrity
Whether you're a new student or near-grad, learning academic integrity principles is essential for your success at Waterloo.
Check out the online academic integrity tutorial to learn more about academic integrity and what's expected of you as a Waterloo student.
The tutorial examines some of the common pitfalls that students sometimes encounter and highlights the principles of academic integrity as they apply in different scenarios, such as when writing exams, completing assignments, and collaborating with others.
Grad student? Check out the Graduate Students and Academic Integrity tutorial.
Communications and Liaison Librarian
The Library Survival Guide is adapted from York University Libraries' Library Survival Guide.
August 13, 2012
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