U of T Scarborough Library provides a variety of benefits to students, but navigating the resources available can seem a little daunting at first. However, help is at hand! Here to tell us about what the library can do for you is our librarian Elizabeth O’Brien.
“The library is the third largest University Library in North America after Harvard and Yale,” says Elizabeth. “That's great because we have lots of amazing resources, but the negative side of that is that it can be overwhelming.”
Elizabeth is the Liaison Librarian for the Departments of Anthropology, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, and Entrepreneurship. Elizabeth has an MBA, a Masters in Education and an MA in History, and has worked at the library for 17 years. As Liaison Librarian, her role is to connect students with the resources in the library.
Her favourite part of her job is connecting with students. Students can book 30-minute research consultation sessions with Elizabeth. “I’m very happy to meet with students to discuss current assignments they have or give an overview on how to search library documents, or help with citation management,” she says.
“I love working with undergrads,” adds Elizabeth. “However, often I don’t meet students until they’re in their third or fourth year, and after we have a consultation, they often say they wished they had known about these resources earlier in their academic career, because this could have helped them in a lot of their classes.”
You can find more than books and journals at the library, notes Elizabeth. “Extracurricular activities are a growing focus area in our library. We just opened up our podcast audio recording lab to help students to start podcasts. We have a growing list of audiobooks as well as a whole collection of board games and videos. You can even borrow a sewing machine. There's lots of things to take out and explore for recreational purposes.”
Elizabeth highlights just a few of the resources available to students.
- Assignment Planner – A tool that breaks down your project/assignment into manageable steps and suggested deadlines.
- Research guides – These handy guides provide research advice, useful tools, and the best resources for your needs curated by U of T librarians. Simply type in your course code to see what’s available.
- Library tutorials – These tutorial videos give a step by step guide to using various library resources.
- Mindfulness Space – Offers a space for rest and relaxation with yoga mats and comfortable seating.
- Makerspace – Offers space and services to the U of T Scarborough Library community that fosters knowledge creation through access to emerging technologies focused on making.
- Workshops – Regular workshop events on a variety of topics from
- Podcasting Studio - The space features an audio mixer, microphones and headphones to help you create your own podcast, voice-over project or even live-streaming event.
- One Button Studio – Coming in September, the space features easy-to-use recording equipment designed to create high-quality videos.
- Ask a Librarian Chat service – Use the library’s online chat service to find sources on a topic, find out about a book or article, and how to use library resources.
The library also offers an opportunity for students to be volunteer library ambassadors. If you'd like to get more involved in programming at the library, check out this link.
“It’s important for students to connect to early on with a librarian and get early exposure to all that we have, because it's going to help your academic career throughout,” says Elizabeth. “For those who are later in their career it’s never too late to come and connect with me or connect with one of our research guides.”