This Library houses materials in the humanities, social sciences, and environmental studies, the largest part of the Library's government publications collection, and the Doris Lewis Rare Book Room.
This walking tour will take you through some of the main areas of interest in the Dana Porter Library.
Floors 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 10
Your tour begins at the Information Desk on the second or main floor.
Staff at this desk will assist you in using the library collection and will answer any questions you may have about the Library.
Hours of service can be found in the blue Guide to the Dana Porter Library and Library Hours Card publications. These publications are available on the brochure rack to the left of the elevators. Hours are are also posted at the Information Desk.
In the area behind the Information Desk you will see computers that can link you to TRELLIS.
TRELLIS, the online catalogue, lists all catalogued library materials of the University of Guelph, the University of Waterloo (including the church colleges), and Wilfrid Laurier University. Author, title, subject, call number, and keyword can search these materials. You can place a hold at the Circulation Desk or at one of the computers to request an item from WLU or Guelph.
Patron information can be found on TRELLIS. Here you can view what material has been charged out to you, your fines, holds, or recalls.
Course Reserve information can be found on TRELLIS. Look for your course by instructor or course number and see if there are reading materials on reserve for you.
Feel free to try TRELLIS; it is designed to be user friendly. Help is available online, or Information Desk staff will offer personal assistance.
You can print, save to disk, or e-mail records that you find on TRELLIS.
The computers also provide access to the World Wide Web through the Library Web site. Here you can search other library catalogues and much more.
Behind the portrait wall you will find the print Abstracts and Indexes Collection. These are sources, that identify magazine and periodical articles, technical reports, conference proceedings, etc., on specific topics. Many indexes are also available on CD-ROMs on workstations located behind and to the left of the Information Desk.
Still more indexes can be accessed via the Internet. Help in choosing the appropriate index or abstract for your needs is available from the Information Desk staff. Workshops on using electronic indexes are offered during Orientation.
East of the Abstracts and Indexes is the Reference Collection which includes dictionaries, bibliographies, indexes, encyclopaedias, handbooks, almanacs, etc. Take a few minutes to browse this collection. Reference materials ae available for consultation in the Library only.
To the east of the Information Desk is the Information Alcove. Here you'll find computers that provide access to resources including full-text databases, TRELLIS, and the World Wide Web.
South towards the front doors, to the east, you will find Browsers Coffee Shop. The coffee shop has a comfortable lounge area and cafe tables for patrons to relax and enjoy their snack.
Opposite the coffee shop is the Graphic Services Copy Centre that provides a full range of photocopy services. Although all library photocopiers accept your WatCard for payment, Graphic Services will encode a guest-card for use in library photocopiers as well and can add money to your cards.
Further east of the Copy Centre is the Adaptive Technology Centre. The Centre houses equipment that can be used by patrons with disabilities to access library materials. Janet Wason, Library Assistant/Co-ordinator Library Services for Students with Disabilites is available by appointment for assistance in the Centre.
On the west side of the front doors is the Circulation Desk. At this desk, you can validate your WatCard which enables you to borrow books; report a change of address or lost ID card; check out, renew, or return books; place recalls and holds; pay fines; and obtain change. Note that you can also charge out library materials yourself at the self-charge terminal.
This area also houses reserve material which professors have placed on short-term loan for specific course reading . Check TRELLIS for course reserve materials. Loan periods vary from 1 hour to 3 days. Fines are heavy. All reserve materials must be returned to the Reserve Desk from which they were borrowed. Reserve Desk hours are listed in the blue Dana Porter guide.
To the right of the front entrance is the stairway down to the first floor where you'll find the micro area. It contains library materials that are in micro-format. Included are back issues of newspapers and special collections such as Early English Books. (Current issues of newspapers are available from the service desk on this floor) Assistance in using microform equipment and materials is available from the staff in this area.
To the north, is the Doris Lewis Rare Book Room. This room houses special collections to support research and teaching. Holdings include local history, women's studies collections, private press works, and negatives from the K-W Record. To ensure preservation, the books are kept in an atmospherically controlled environment and must be used in the Rare Book Room. Staff are available to help. Hours are posted at the door and in the blue Dana Porter guide.
East of Rare Book Room entrance are cubicles that you can reserve for laptop use and typewriter rental. Patrons can "rent" electric typewriters (2 available) for $1/hour; 50 cents/half hour. Arrangements are made at the Circulation Desk on the first floor.
This floor also has one photocopier (cash only), washrooms, and telephones (both public and campus). See map for locations.
Note: the stairs on the East and West side of each floor give access to all of Dana Porter Library's 10 floors. The front stair case accesses floors 1, 2, and 3. There are elevators located on the West side of each floor.
Just outside the elevators on the 3rd floor is the Current Periodicals Reading Area, which houses the latest issues of 800 heavily used journals. The lastest issues of all other journals are kept in the Periodicals Collection.
The first two book stacks behind the Current Periodicals shelves contain National Bibliographies from countries including Canada, the United States, Germany, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet and Post-Soviet areas.
The rest of the stacks are devoted to the Periodicals Collection. Back issues and some current issues are arranged in call number order. Browsing the collection, you will find a wide variety of both scholarly and popular journals. The call numbers for journals may be obtained from TRELLIS
Located on the northeast corner of this floor is The Centre for Learning & Teaching Through Technology (LT3). Part of the Centre consists of the LT3/Library Flex Lab, which is used for library instruction sessions, and for research and development associated with learning technologies.
In the northwest corner is the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery (ILL/DD) Office. More information on this service is posted on a bulletin board to the right of the Information Desk on the second floor.
The fourth floor contains the Library's administrative offices and a conference room where some library orientation workshops take place.
This floor houses the Government Publications Collection. This collection includes documents from all levels of government from many countries, as well as international government organizations (e.g., U.N., NATO). Approximately half of the collection is Canadian, the most comprehensive part being the Ontario and federal government collections. Statistics (e.g., Census, Statistics Canada), laws and regulations, court decisions, parliamentary proceedings, and reports form the major part of the collection.
Assistance in using this collection is available from the Information Desk, located on the second floor.
Next to the GP Information Desk are CD-ROM workstations as well as computers which access TRELLIS, the World Wide Web, and LEXIS/NEXIS.
Also in this area are computer terminals where you can access a number of accounting databases through dedicated computers maintained by the UW School of Accountancy.
Next to the elevators is The Electronic Data Service (EDS) office. This service provides retrieval and delivery service of electronic data for University of Waterloo faculty, students, and staff. Check the EDS web page for information on assistance in using this data service.
The book stacks are located on floors six to ten, and the layout of each floor is similar. Check the floor plan and note how the call numbers are arranged. They begin in the northeast corner and end in the southwest corner of each floor. A directory listing the call number ranges is posted beside the elevators on each floor.
Each floor has a computer that can access TRELLIS and the World Wide Web, washroom facilities, water fountains, pencil sharpeners, and individual study carrels for student use.
Group study rooms are available for student use on floors 6, 8, 9, and 10.
For additional information about the Library, ask at one of the Information Desks.
Return to Locations
University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883
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