Services for Graduate Students at Fraser Library (Surrey)

Table of Contents

Did you know...

• You can access library resources from home or your office via the SFU Library Web site at http://www.lib.sfu.ca
• Use lib-surrey@sfu.ca for any Surrey Campus Library inquiries
• Surrey librarians Natalie, Nicole, Shane and Holly support SFU Surrey students. They can address your research questions by phone, email, or face-to-face
• You can make an online request to have books and copies of journal articles sent to Surrey Campus Library from the Bennett Library (Burnaby campus) or Belzberg Library (Harbour Centre)
• If we don't own what you need, we can usually get it for you through our Interlibrary Loan services, at no cost to you
• As a graduate student, you can get a free library card for UBC and other selected university libraries. See the page on Reciprocal Borrowing Privileges for details
• Graduate students automatically get semester-long loans on most books (subject to recalls)
• You can set up current awareness profiles to get the table of contents for selected journals emailed to you
• We provide free citation management software (RefWorks), allowing you to capture citations from our databases, save them in your own web-accessible database, and export them into Word documents
• We have Guidelines for preparing and submitting your thesis and a list of the Top Ten Things You Need to Know Early
• Frequently Asked Questions about the SFU Library are answered in our FAQ database linked from the top bar on each page of our website

SFU Library Branches

The Library at SFU Surrey is named after the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board in honour of their generous donation to SFU Surrey campus. We are located on Podium 3 of the campus. The main SFU Library, called the W.A.C. Bennett Library, is at the Burnaby campus. There is a third branch--Belzberg Library--at the Harbour Centre Campus in downtown Vancouver.

Library Cards

Your SFU Surrey id card is also your library card. Your library barcode is on the card. This library card is for all SFU libraries.

Contact Information

Whether you're here for two years or ten, get to know your Liaison Librarian. Liaison Librarians serve as information specialists for each academic department at SFU.  Your liaison librarian:

• knows the information sources relevant to the subjects taught in the department
• is available by appointment for research consultations
• provides library instruction on request for courses offered by the department
• creates print or web-based information guides on request for courses offered by the department
• assists instructors with the design of student assignments
• selects books for the department
• investigates availability of and access to e-journals and other web resources

The Liaison Librarians for SFU Surrey are:

Loans Desk 778-782-7411
Reference Desk 778-782-7414
General email lib-surrey@sfu.ca

Library Collections

SFU Surrey faculty and students have access to all SFU Library materials. SFU Library has more than 2.5 million volumes, over 60,000 E-books, 6000 print and 35,000 electronic journals, 500,000 online images, 9,000 sound recordings, over 48,000 slides, 5000 documentary, art and feature films, as well as a huge variety of other information. Search the Library catalogue, article indexes, and Electronic Journals Database in the library or from your home or office computer via the Library web site at http://www.lib.sfu.ca.

To access many of the web-based information resources on campus and to access Library databases from home, you need to identify yourself as an SFU user. You can do this using your computing account user name & password.

If we don't own it, we'll get it for you via our Interlibrary Loan services.  You can you order articles from your desktop computer and pick them up at the SFU Surrey Campus Library. In most cases, there is no charge for this service.

If you want to suggest a book for SFU Library to acquire, contact a librarian directly or email lib-surrey@sfu.ca.

Research Support

Reference services are provided at all three SFU Campus Libraries: Surrey at 778.782.7414, Burnaby at 778.782.5735, and Harbour Centre at 778.782.5051. Research assistance can also be accessed via our AskAway interactive chat Reference service and via email. Reference Desk service hours vary depending on time of semester.

SIAT Media Equipment

SIAT graduate students can sign out media equipment, such as digital cameras, at the Library's Loans desk. Equipment is usually due back at noon the following day.

It is best to return equipment on time, as the fines are $3 per hour. The equipment is very fragile and needs to be handled carefully. You will be charged repair or replacement costs for damaged or lost equipment.

Current Awareness

The SFU Library is constantly acquiring new material. See our list of Recently arrived books.

You can set up a personal profile in Ingenta Gateway to get table of contents for selected journals emailed to you. Many electronic journals also provide an email current awareness service.  Search the SFU Library catalogue or our Electronic Journals Database to find e-journals or ask Holly or Nicole for assistance.

Liaison Librarians are also good contacts to learn about useful websites and other publication developments in your discipline.

Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting your Thesis

SFU Library's Guidelines for preparing and submitting your thesis will help you find Library and campus resources for the preparation and submission of your thesis, extended essay or project. For tips on formatting, referencing and preparing your thesis, review the guide Top Ten Things You Need to Know Early.

For assistance and workshops on thesis formatting, and for submission questions, contact Penny Simpson, the Assistant for Theses (thesis_assistant@sfu.ca) / 778.782.4747.

Bibliographic Management Software

• RefWorks - A web-based bibliography and database manager that stores references and formats bibliographies instantly. Free for all current students, faculty and staff.
• EndNote - Proprietary software used to search online bibliographic databases, organize references and images, and create bibliographies and figure lists instantly. An academic license is available for purchase from the MicroComputer Store - users are responsible for all costs.

Contact your Liaison Librarian for details, or Nina Saklikar, Systems Librarian (778.782.5861 / nsaklika@sfu.ca), if you have any questions or concerns.

Tips for Teaching Assistants

Your experience of using the library will have a major impact on your students.  Due to your proximity and your example as a successful scholar who has completed an undergraduate degree, students will be influenced by the behaviour and attitudes you model.

When students do their first library research assignment, remember that their awareness of resources and knowledge of research skills will differ greatly from yours.  You may know which sources provide coverage of a topic, but undergraduates usually need assistance finding the right articles for their assignments. If you think your students would benefit from instruction on how to use the library effectively, and the course instructor agrees, contact your liaison librarian to discuss the format, content, and timing of the lesson.

If library instruction doesn't fit in the syllabus, you can still direct students to the Reference Desk for research assistance.  Providing your liaison librarian with a copy of the assignment will enable him/her to devise a plan for assisting your students and share it with other librarians, so everyone at the reference desk can provide assistance.