Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In-person pickup and home delivery of items in U of G Library's physical collection is available. 

• Once you have found the item you'd like to request, sign in and then click "Request". Under "Pickup Location" select either "McLaughlin Library" or "Home Delivery". You will receive an email with more information once the item has been processed.
• For McLaughlin Library pickups, visit the Ask Us desk during operating hours to pickup your holds.

You will receive an email when your books are available for pickup usually within 24 to 48 hours. Please note that same-day pickups will not be available at this time in order to allow a 24-hour quarantine period after staff handle your items. 

We will make every effort to provide access to library items as quickly as possible while ensuring the health and safety of both you and our staff. 

• Course Reserves - Physical Course Reserve books are on 1-day or 3-day loan periods with a 72-hour quarantine period when they get returned by another patron. You will see an item is available within Course Reserves (ARES) when it has come out of quarantine. 
• Hold requests for U of G books - Holds will be fulfilled within 24 to 48 hours. If we cannot find the item within 48 hours, we will seek an alternate copy (e.g. purchase on demand). 
• Recalled books - Patrons are given 7 days to return their book to the library. If a patron cannot return their book in time, library staff will seek an alternate copy (e.g. purchase on demand). 
• Returned books - All books that are returned to the library must undergo a 72-hour quarantine period. Items in quarantine will not appear as available in Omni until they are released from quarantine at which time any requests for these items will be fulfilled within 24-48 hours.  

The book return bins are located at the library's loading dock. Access to the loading dock is off Gordon Street at the rear of the library.

Unfortunately, no. For safety reasons, there is no group study even if you are roommates or are a part of the same social bubble. Once you are on campus, your social bubble doesn’t apply. There will only be one-person per table or in a study room at a time. For this reason, Group Study Rooms are also not available for use.

Right now, we are operating on a first-come, first-served model with no appointments (unless you’re a grad student who can book a study room). We are starting off this way as we aren’t totally sure what to expect in terms of library use in the fall. We are remaining open and fluid, and if we need to adjust part way through the semester, we will. 

We do not intend to ask people to leave once they are in the library. That said, we want to make sure we are providing students with what they need in terms of study space and computer access on campus. As such, we plan to actively monitor library traffic and will adjust our plans, if it’s safe for us to do so. 

Please only visit the library if you need in-person services or the facilities. As you know, we are living in unprecedented times, and it’s challenging to estimate the potential use of our building, but we are encouraging you to only use it if you need to. Come September we will have a better idea of how quickly we’re reaching capacity and if there is too much demand for our limited capacity. That said, as of right now, we do think that we’ll have sufficient capacity to meet your needs with minimal delays upon entry.

No. You may enter the building to pick up your book(s) even if we are at capacity, but you do need to leave immediately afterwards.

You can place a hold request on any item housed on any floor of the library through Omni and we’ll collect the materials for you. Items can be picked up at the Ask Us Desk during building hours usually within 48 hours of the request being placed. Did you know you can browse the stacks virtually in Omni? For physical items at U of G, Virtual Browse is located at the bottom of the record. Scroll through to discover books located nearby on the shelves.

If you are a new student and have not been issued your UG ID card, you will need to log into WebAdvisor and show staff your student ID number at the Ask Us Desk. If you have not yet been entered into our library system, library staff will need to create a temporary library account for you before you can get your books.

Contact us via phone, email or chat.

Library fines can only be paid over the phone using VISA or Mastercard. Call the Ask Us Desk at (519) 824 - 4120 x53618.

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

Borrowing is currently suspended for Alumni and Community Borrowers.

See our Borrowing Policy for more information.

Most users can borrow:

• Books for 120 days
• DVDs for 14 days

Borrowing is currently suspended for Alumni and Community Borrowers.

See Borrowing Policy for more information.

Yes. Registered 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

Alumni and Community borrower cards cannot be issued at this time. Due to the health and safety guidelines in places this semester, access to the library and the print collection is restricted to current UG students, faculty and staff.

Alumni may request electronic access to some U of G e-resources. 

Community borrowers and Alumni can explore our Open Access resources.

A new procedure for accessing physical course reserve materials is in place for the fall 2020 semester. Physical course reserve materials are available in LIB Room 109 on a first come, first served basis. Returned items are quarantined for 72 hours.

Students: Learn how to access course reserve materials via ARES

Instructors: Learn how to use ARES to place materials on reserve for your course

For citation help see Citations and Bibliography Resources.

At this time, no food or drink (except for water bottles) is allowed in the library.

You may drop-in to the library to print and scan. No appointment is required. Please note we will not be accepting cash, credit, or debit onsite. You must load money onto your printing account online via Papercut.  

• Printers can be found on the first floor, near the public computers
• Find instructions on using the printers including how to load money onto your account