Public libraries are a great resource for conducting genealogical research:
Burnaby Public Library, Genealogy, selected sites
Library and Archives Canada, Genealogy and Family History
Surrey Public Library, Genealogy, an online guide
Vancouver Public Library, Genealogy
There are a number of possibilities.
Online versions of many of our theses and dissertations are available from the SFU Institutional Repository. Printing is not available but you can view the item. If you are able to come to our library in Burnaby, copies of SFU theses are in our book collection. Search the library catalogue by author or title to verify that the item you want is here before you come. If you have an SFU library card, you will be able to borrow a copy. If you are not in the Lower Mainland, there are a number of other options.
Try Dissertations and Theses Abstracts and Index. All SFU dissertations (PhD) from 1989 on, and Masters theses (MA, MASc, MSc, MPM, etc) from 1998 on, are available. If you don't have access to Dissertations and Theses Abstracts and Index, you could also try Dissertations Express. If the item is available, it can be ordered.
If you are a Canadian or US Library, we will lend library copies of SFU theses and dissertations on interlibrary loan. North American libraries can request directly from us through the usual ILL channels.
If you are an international library, the Library and Archives Canada will accept ILL requests for Canadian theses and dissertations from international libraries. All SFU theses and dissertations should be available from them. If they cannot supply, they will refer the request to us.
If you are an individual, rather than a library, you should place an interlibrary loan request with your local library.
For institutions, SFU Library will produce and sell a copy of an SFU thesis unavailable by any of the above means, on request. Inquiries should be directed to the SFU Library Thesis Assistant (thesis_assistant@sfu.ca). A photocopy will be produced and mailed to you. You will be invoiced up to CDN$1 per page. The partial copyright release signed by authors does not permit us to make copies for individuals, only for educational institutions, such as other libraries.
For further suggestions, refer to the Theses guide by clicking on the "Research and writing guides" link on the library homepage. Then click on the link "Publication types" and select "Theses".
If the book is from the general circulating collection and not a book from Reserves, you may return it at any SFU campus. Reserves books MUST be returned to the campus from which they were checked out.
Connect to the Start Your Research Here guide to get an overview of the research process, with links to other useful guides.
You can also find subject guides for each department at SFU. These guides list journal indexes, web sites and research strategies recommended by subject specialist librarians to get you started.
Unfortunately, you cannot import citations from text files into Zotero directly.
However, there are third party tools that seem to extract the data fairly successfully and allow you to then import the data from the text files into Zotero. You can find a list of these third party tools on the Zotero site.
There is no way to accurately predict exactly when an interlibrary loan will arrive, but here are some guidelines.
If your request went directly to a library that owns the book or journal article, through our direct interlibrary loan request function or the Where can I get this? link in databases, there is a good chance it will be here within a week. However, if it is not available at the first library we try, it could take significantly longer.
See Check Your Interlibrary Loan Record to check the progress of your ILL requests. (Temporarily unavailable)
At SFU Library, we shelve our journals alphabetically by the title of the journal. If you need help locating journal articles, Ask Us in person, by phone, email or chat.
Most images you find on the Internet, in books and elsewhere are protected by copyright. The act of creating something automatically gives it copyright protection. For example, you own the copyright in the photographs you take with your smart phone.
The use of copyright protected images in student assignments and presentations for university courses is covered by Copyright Act exceptions for fair dealing and educational institution users. The fair dealing exception allows you to use excerpts of copyright protected material in certain circumstances without asking permission. The educational institution exceptions permit specific uses of copyright protected material by instructors in the classroom. See the FAQ "Is there a limit to how much I can copy?" for a simple break down of how much you can copy under SFU's Fair Dealing Policy, which is the University's guidelines for working under fair dealing. See the Copyright Infographic describing both fair dealing and the educational institution exceptions for instructors, to find out what you can do when presenting to your class, handing things out to your classmates, or otherwise acting like an "instructor" in your course.
In general in your course assignments you can, under fair dealing for purposes of research, private study and education, use one entire image from a compilation of images (e.g. a gallery of images on the Web, a coffee table book), or up to 10% of a stand alone image (an image that is not part of a larger compilation but is on its own such as a photograph pinned up on your wall). The educational institution exceptions will allow you to display an entire work (even a whole stand alone image) in the classroom (e.g. in your PowerPoint slides), but not to hand out copies.
In certain circumstances you may be able to use more than a "short excerpt" (e.g. 10%) of a work under fair dealing. SFU's Fair Dealing Policy sets out "safe harbour" limits for working under fair dealing at SFU, but the Copyright Act does not impose specific limits. See the FAQ "What is fair dealing and how does it relate to copyright?" for more information. If you want to use more than is outlined in the policy, and your use doesn't fall under the educational exceptions, contact the Copyright Office to ask for a fair dealing assessment to be performed.
It is also an excellent idea to look for images that come with re-use rights, which you can freely use within the limits of any license terms. Examples are materials posted to the Web under a Creative Commons license, or materials that are out of copyright and now in the public domain. You can search for such material using the Creative Commons search engine.
Please contact the Copyright Officer at copy@sfu.ca if you have questions.
Your SFU Library privileges depend on which TRU-OL course you are taking. If you are taking a TRU-OL course that is being delivered by SFU's Centre for Online and Distance Education you are entitled to use SFU Library's Telebook Service for delivery of SFU items. This information is contained in your TRU-OL letter of registration. Contact the Telebook office (tele@sfu.ca) if you would like to get your library barcode sent to you so you can access the Library's wide range of electronic resources. Alternatively, if you wish to use the SFU Library in person rather than through Telebook, you can get an SFU Library card at no charge by contacting the Telebook office.
If you are taking a regular TRU-OL course, you can access services through TRU Distance, Regional & Open Learning (DROL) Library Services.
If you are taking a TRU-OL course delivered through UBC or the University of Victoria, library services are through UBC Distance Education Students or UVic's Infoline Service.
If you are not taking a TRU-OL delivered by SFU but would like to borrow materials in person from the SFU Library, contact TRU Distance, Regional & Open Learning (DROL) Library Services to obtain a COPPUL (Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries) reciprocal borrowing card. This card, when presented at the SFU Circulation/Loans desk along with proof of registration at TRU, will allow you to get an SFU Library card for the semester, with privileges equivalent to external borrowers. You will need to present a new COPPUL card each semester during which you wish to use the SFU Library.
Independent scholars or researchers without a university affiliation have several options:
Check our website for library hours, locations and access to Special Collections and Rare Books.