SFU Library Services - International Students

Welcome to the Simon Fraser University Library.

Location / Maps: Home page for SFU Library website : http://www.lib.sfu.ca

• W.A.C. Bennett Library (map/floor plans) - located at the heart of the Burnaby campus, right across from the Maggie Benston Student Services Centre (campus map).
• Belzberg Library (in downtown Vancouver - floorplan),
• Surrey Library (in Surrey - maps and directions)

Contact Us
The most important thing that you should know about us is that there are Reference Librarians to assist you with your research. It is our job to help you learn how to do research, and you can contact us in a number of ways (Ask Us):

• in person and by appointment.
  
  • at the Reference Desk (on the 3rd Floor, at entrance level of the Library)- map
  • Librarians have different subject responsibilities, and if you are a graduate student, contact Liaison Librarians for your discipline.
• by telephone (778.782.5735 - phone for Bennett Reference)
• by email (libask@sfu.ca)
• by web (chat reference)
• FAQ's - search our frequently asked questions link. (photocopiers, printers, library cards, and much more)
• Library Hours, building hours, and reference services hours
• Student Learning Commons - for assistance with academic writing, learning, and study strategies.

We can help you with:

• how to get your library card
• how to use the library (tutorials) ,
• how to find information on your research assignments (books, journal articles, theses, government reports, how to locate journals, what is a peer-reviewed / scholarly article, etc)
• how to use a software such as RefWorks which helps you to manage your bibliographies and cite (give credit to the sources that you consult)
• how to borrow materials that we don't own at SFU Library, through a service called Inter-Library Loans (ILL) - mostly free of charge
• how to borrow directly by going to UBC and some other libraries since SFU Library has agreements with them.
• thesis writing guidelines, regulations for submitting your own thesis
• view your own library record / renew books online,etc.
• you may want to set up email notification by filling a form so that Library contacts you by email.
• consult the staff at Student Learning Commons, Bennett Library, for help with Study and Writing Skills - (instruction in time/stress management, note taking, reading, quantitative problem solving, exam preparation, writing research papers, and giving presentations)
  • English conversation groups
  • Online writing resources (academic writing), ESL/EFL Resources Online (listening, pronunciation, etc.)
• Media Players - Media Resource Centre, Room 3100 on the 3rd floor of Bennett Library, has a multi-zone DVD player, so you can play DVDs from home
• find lecture tapes in the Reserves section - online MP3 files/ wma files, print materials on Reserves

Guides to services:

• Services for Undergraduate Students - where to get a library card, study in the library, borrow a laptop, where are items placed on "Reserves" by your professor, etc.
• Services for Graduate Students - learn about thesis writing, inter-library loans, article alert services, study and computing space, tips for teaching assistants, etc.

Guides to doing research:

• Research and Writing Guides - by discipline - important databases, websites, encyclopedias, associations, statistics, etc. Consult the liaison librarian listed on the web page.E.g.
  • Start Your Research Here. A step by step guide to the library research process
  • Library Research Tutorials. Animated tutorials on search techniques for finding books and journal articles.
• Guides on how to write academic papers - annotated bibliographies, book reviews, etc.
  • Academic writing : writing and reading in the disciplines / Janet Giltrow. PE 1408 G54 2002 
• Guides on how to cite (give credit to sources used) in different styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, scientific style, etc)
• Interactive Tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism (using someone else's words and ideas and giving them credit)
• Research Checklist - a general list on the process of research and a list of different types of materials you could use.
• Library Skills Drop-in Classes - classes on how to use the library catalogue to find books, and how to find journal aricles... you don't have to register, just come to the class.
• Library Terminology - American Library Association's Glossary of Library terms, and in several languages (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish)

Online Foreign Language Resources

The reference section and in the regular stacks (shelves) there are many foreign language dictionaries. In the Library Catalogue, do "keyword" search for the "name of your language" AND the word "dictionaries",
E.g. chinese language* AND dictionaries --> gives you 55 dictionaries. You will find that most English language dictionaries are in "PE 1628" classification range on the 5th floor.

• Your Dictionary - dictionaries for more than 300 languages
• Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary - includes an audio pronunciation guide - just type in your word and watch for the red logo besides the word.
• Dictionary.com - information on English Grammar and usage, and translations
• Roget's Thesaurus II - for synonyms and other terms for your word

SFU's Electronic Collections - IDs and Passwords for Authentication

To use the electronic recources (databases, electronic journals and electronic books), people must go through a process called "authentication" since the electronic resources are restricted by license to only the "current" SFU students, faculty and staff. If you need to activate your SFU Computing Account, you can do so from my.sfu.ca.

To gain access to library's electronic resources, when the box appears prompting you for id and password:

• use your SFU Computing Account: enter the same ID and password that you use to gain access to your SFU email and other SFU computing services (for example, if your SFU email address is bubber@sfu.ca, enter 'bubber' in the username field and your matching password in the password field).

Cross-cultural Issues and Other Resources

• Library: Moninder Bubber is the Liaison Librarian for intercultural communication and diversity issues. You can contact her at bubber@sfu.ca, or consult the research guide on Intercultural Communications, which lists some useful books and websites on the topic.
• SFU International guide for international students.
• SFU - Human Resources - student employment at SFU campus
• Also check out links under "Students" on the employment page.
• SFU English Language and Culture Program
• Continuing Studies - SFU International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Seminar
• Vancouver Homestay - accomodations off-campus / SFU's Offcampus housing guide

Technical Assistance

If you encounter technical problems while using our website, email assistance with technical problems is available at libhelp@sfu.ca. You may also want to consult our Frequently Asked Questions under the library computing category.

Remember, the library staff is here to help you, so don't be shy about asking us questions.