Update March 2023: Requesting and borrowing materials from the 5th floor
Learn more about steps we are taking to provide access to 5th floor collections.
All Library collections and services on the 5th floor are currently unavailable
The 5th floor of the WAC Bennett Library remains closed until hazardous material remediation and repairs have been completed. Once this work gets underway it will take approximately one year to complete, during which time the floor will remain closed. We do not have a specific timeline for when the floor will reopen but expect mid-2024; please check back for updates.
We understand that this will be very inconvenient for members of the SFU community. Our priority has been, and always will be, the safety of everyone on campus.
Accessing 5th floor collections during the closure
Access to the collections on the 5th floor is a top priority for the Library. We recognize the importance of access to collections for research, scholarship, course planning, student assignments, and other purposes.
Here's what we are doing to provide access to researchers:
- April 1 to 30, 2023: You will be able to request 5th floor items to borrow during this period
- May 2023: We will move high-demand items to open shelves on the 6th floor and fulfill requests
- Already underway: We are:
- Adding online access to as many 5th floor books as possible
- Providing interlibrary loans
- Purchasing additional copies of titles (whether ebook or print)
For more details see: Access to collections during closure of 5th floor of Bennett Library
Physical materials, including books
The physical collection on the 5th floor is unavailable. This includes books, journals, media, reports, proceedings, government and legal materials.
Until further notice:
- Bennett Stacks materials with call numbers in the range HV - QA are not available, unless they were checked out prior to the floor's closure, or are new books that arrived after the closure.
- All movement and delivery of materials (e.g. holds, requests) from the 5th floor items in the Bennett Library is on hold
- We cannot process scan requests for Bennett materials from the 5th floor.
Finding alternative copies: To borrow titles that are not currently available, ask at the Main floor service desk and staff will help you to request an interlibrary loan of the item from another Library.
Note that New books that would usually go to the 5th floor ARE available.
Study rooms
While the 5th floor is closed, three Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) study rooms have been made available for booking by CAL students on the 2nd and 3rd floor. (For more information, see Library study room bookings for students registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL).)
Graduate Student on the 5th floor are not available.
Other Group study rooms on the 2nd floor remain available to all students.
Equipment
5th floor computers and printers are not available. Computers and printers are available on the 3rd, 4th and 6th floors.
Adaptive technology is available on the 3rd floor.
Library services on other floors of the Bennett Library, online, and at Vancouver and Surrey are available
Physical materials such as books
All collections not stored on the 5th floor of Bennett are accessible.
Access books and journals online
Our digital collections are available online 24/7. Go to the Library home page to find ebooks, ejournals and other online resources via Library search, article databases, and Course Reserves.
Vancouver and Surrey Libraries remain open
Library services and spaces are available at both Belzberg (Vancouver) and Fraser (Surrey) locations.
- You can access all Belzberg (Vancouver) and Fraser (Surrey) Library materials in person.
- Unfortunately we cannot deliver materials from the Bennett's 5th floor to Belzberg or Fraser.
Background
In November 2022, the Bennett Library on SFU’s Burnaby campus was closed due to the potential discovery of asbestos-containing debris in the Library. While the majority of the Library has since been safely re-opened, the fifth floor of the building, where the largest concentration of debris was found, remains closed.
SFU has been exploring options for addressing this issue, and experts have informed the University that the best option is to undergo a remediation process that involves abatement, or total removal of the asbestos-containing texture coat. Once this work gets underway, it will take approximately one year to complete, during which time the fifth floor will remain closed.
See the Campus Notice for background information on the closure.
Questions?
Returning books, renewing books, and overdue fines
The Library has fined me for not returning books from the 5th floor. What do I do about the fine?
I borrowed a book or other material from Bennett library’s 5th floor before it was closed on Monday, November 14, 2022. Can I renew the items I have checked out?
Requesting and borrowing books that would usually be on the 5th floor (including new books)
May I recall or put on hold books and other items normally housed on the 5th floor that were checked out to someone else at the time of the closure or have been returned?
What is happening to new books that would usually go to the 5th floor? Can I borrow them?
Contact and further questions
You can reach us at library@sfu.ca (monitored weekdays 9 - 5).