Frequently Asked Questions

Alumni may request access to some U of G electronic resources. Community borrowers and Alumni have full access to our Open Access resources.

To borrow from our print collection, please drop by the Ask Us Desk and inquire about an alumni borrower card. A piece of government-issued ID is needed. Once you get your card, you can request U of G items through Omni. 

See our Borrowing Policy for details about alumni borrowing privileges.

Yes. U of G students, faculty, and staff can access library resources via Omni (and other databases) from anywhere at any time. Sign in to get full access.

• Community borrowers cannot login to Omni due to licensing restrictions imposed by online publishers
• Alumni have online access to a subset of our electronic resources
• Registered distance education students, see Distance Education
• For users affiliated with the university, please see Sponsored Users and the Service Summary Table; please note the sponsoring department or unit on campus is responsible for requesting sponsored accounts - this is not done by the Library

• Most seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
• U of G students, faculty, and staff can book study rooms.
• Graduate students can book a closed study room. 

• Service dogs are welcome in the library
• Pets are not permitted

Not at this time. See our Building Use policy

Yes, you can. You may bring your laptop to attend your online courses. You can also find library computers in the basement and on the second floor.

In accordance with the University’s copyright guidelines, current U of G students, faculty, and staff may request that a portion of a physical item in our collection be digitized. Search in Omni to get started.

Yes. Current U of G students, staff and faculty can request physical items from Omni partner libraries. 

• Request items through Omni.
• Select your pickup location. You can choose pickup locations at other Omni partner libraries as well.
• You will receive an email notification when the item is ready. (Note: the email comes from the library you requested the item from).

Check out one of our topic-specific FAQs:

• E-book FAQ
• Copyright FAQ
• Researcher Identifiers (ORCID) FAQ

Still can't find what you're looking for? Contact us.

Yes, the lost and found is located on the first floor by the emergency exit near Starbucks. You can also inquire at the Ask Us Desk.

You can pay your fines in one of two ways:

1. Call or visit the Ask Us desk and pay using a credit or debit card.
   • Note: Debit payments are only available in-person
2. Pay online with a credit card through Omni

Follow these steps to configure Google Scholar to work with U of G library resources. 

Want an easy way to access millions of journals and eBooks from the library’s collection in just one click? Learn more about the library-supported LibKey Nomad browser extension. It simplifies the process of accessing scholarly research from across the web including popular websites like Google Scholar, Wikipedia, PubMed, and more.

• Students, faculty and staff can connect to the uog-wifi network using a compatible device and their University of Guelph central login account.
• Students, staff, and faculty from other Canadian educational institutions can connect to the eduroam network using their credentials from their home institution
• Other visitors can get temporary access to the uog-guest network by requesting access at the Ask Us Desk.

Learn more about how you can access the wireless network or visit the IT Help Desk in the library

• Students: Learn how to access course reserve materials via ARES
• Instructors: Learn how to use ARES to place materials on reserve for your course

To print or photocopy you must load money onto your printing account online via Papercut. We do not accept cash onsite. Scanning to a USB is free.

• Printers/Photocopiers can be found on the first floor
• Find instructions on using the printers including how to load money onto your account

• Contact us via phone, email, or chat about any issue related to the library.
• Approach our staff in person at the Ask Us Desk.

Omni is where you can discover millions of quality academic resources including books, full text articles, unique special collections, videos, and much more from our own library plus a consortium of Ontario university libraries.

Learn how to search, access materials, troubleshoot, and make the most of Omni.

Most users can borrow:

• Books for 120 days
• DVDs for 21 days

For more details, see our Borrowing Policy page.

Requests for items from an Omni partner library take approximately 3-5 business days to arrive. You will be notified by email when it's available for pickup. Requests for items outside the Omni consortium may take longer, depending on the lending library.

Most users can borrow up to 500 items, including 2 DVDs at a time.

See our Borrowing Policy for more information.

If you found a broken link to an electronic resource that includes the word "subzero" in the URL, you'll need to update it using our OpenAthens Link Generator tool.

Otherwise, contact us.

Visitors can request temporary login credentials to access library computers at the Ask Us Desk.

Yes, food and drink are both permitted in the library.

If you are a new student and have not been issued your U of G ID card, you may not yet have been entered into our library system. Library staff will need to create a temporary library account for you before you can get your books. Please contact us at library@uoguelph.ca

There is a book return inside the main entrance.

Books can also be returned to any Omni partner library.

Please contact us at library@uoguelph.ca