Frequently Asked Questions

Alumni please register with us to access:

• Open Access resources
• Our print collection
• Other Omni libraries print collections
• A subset of our licensed electronic resources
• Our full suite of electronic resources while on campus

Community borrowers please visit the Ask Us Desk to get a library card and access to:

• Open Access resources
• Our print collection
• Our full suite of electronic resources while on campus

Alumni and community members please bring a government-issued ID to access resources on campus.  

Use Omni to browse our collections.

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.

• 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 use library computers located on the lower level and 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).

 A U of G ID card is required to check out books.  

New students who have not been issued a U of G ID card yet, may not have been entered into the library system. Library staff will create a temporary account for you so you can borrow materials. 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.

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

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
2. Pay online with a credit card through Omni

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 or come to the Ask Us Desk to discuss any issue related to the library.

Omni is where you can discover millions of academic resources including books, 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 you have an item 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.

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.

There is a book return inside the main entrance.

Books can also be returned to any Omni partner library.