COVID-19: Updates on library services and operations

• A limited number of study carrel bookings at Davis Centre Library are available for Waterloo students, faculty and staff members
• Special Collections & Archives is offering limited in-person appointments for current Waterloo students, faculty, and postdoctoral fellows
• The Book Pickup @ Porter service is now available for the University’s faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows who require access to materials in the Dana Porter Library, Davis Centre Library, and Witer Learning Resource Centre print collections to support critical research activities

• Print pick up at the Musagetes Architecture Library is now available. At this time, the service is limited to School of Architecture graduate students and faculty members who require access to the Musagetes Library print collections. Please note, that the Musagetes Library rare books and periodicals collection is excluded from this service

• Course reserves will be online only. Requests for the fall term are now being accepted
• For official updates from the University please see the Coronavirus Information website

Library materials can now be returned to any book return bin on campus.

• Dana Porter, Davis Centre, and Musagetes libraries are closed; reach us virtually using Ask us
• A limited number of study carrels at Davis Centre Library are available by appointment only
• Witer Learning Resource Centre is closed; email reference is available
• Pharmacy Learning Resource Centre is closed; online reference help is available through the Pharmacy research guide
• St. Jerome's University Library is closed; email reference is available
• Renison Lusi Wong Library is closed; virtual reference is available

• Conrad Grebel Milton Good Library is providing remote and limited onsite services.

• Special Collections & Archives (SCA) is offering limited in-person appointments to current Waterloo students, faculty and postdoctoral fellows. Otherwise the reading room is closed; contact SCA staff for online reference help
• Virtual reference hours September 6 - December 7
  • Chat with us: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; weekend, noon to 9 p.m.
  • Email us: monitored Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; weekend, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

• All research and instruction questions and consultations are virtual; reach us virtually using Ask us or contact your subject librarian
• A limited number of study carrel bookings at Davis Centre Library are available for Waterloo students, faculty and staff members
• We have suspended access and circulation to all print resources, including print course reserves and archival materials, with the exception of materials required for research activities. Book Pickup @ Porter is now available to the University’s faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows who require access to materials in the print collections of Dana Porter Library, Davis Centre Library, and Witer Learning Resource Centre

• Print pick up at the Musagetes Architecture Library is now available. At this time, the service is limited to School of Architecture graduate students and faculty members who require access to the Musagetes Library print collections. Please note, that the Musagetes Library rare books and periodicals collection is excluded from this service

• In response to COVID-19, HathiTrust Digital Library has made over 830,000 in-copyright items from the Library's print collection available online for all Waterloo students, faculty, and staff. Please note you need to log in with your Waterloo credentials to access ETAS. For more information about this service visit our ETAS information page.
• Interlibrary loans are available for e-delivery only. This can mean:
  • Materials that publishers are now making available digitally, as a pandemic-related service
  • Portions of an ebook that are owned by another library, up to the amount allowable by their license
  • Articles that are in online journals owned by other libraries, where their license allows for InterLibrary loans
  • Scanned portions of print items, if these can be located at one of the libraries that are still providing this service
• Drop-in services from our partners are being offered virtually

• Access to digital collections via Omni, Research databases, UWSpace, and Waterloo Digital Library
  • Temporary access to online collections
  • Vendors and publishers open up electronic resources in light of COVID-19: View the dynamic list of offerings provided by information service providers (maintained by the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC), university intellectual property officers)

Library resources available

• Ask us service
  Self-service frequently asked questions module to answer common questions about using the Library. Email service for questions and comments
• Consultations by phone or email with librarians:
  • To identify e-resources to meet teaching and learning needs (subject specific and interdisciplinary eBooks, journals and articles, handbooks, data, etc.)
  • Questions about permitted use of these materials in an online learning environment
• Open Educational Resources catalogue for freely available teaching materials, sorted by content type and faculty
• Purchase request forms for eBooks for use as eReserves, etc.
• Course Reserves:
  • For fall 2020 courses: Course reserves will be online only. Requests for the fall term are now being accepted. Staff will try where possible to replace print resources with content that is already digitally available, as well as ensure that posted material is copyright compliant and accessible. Requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For material that requires copyright clearance, several weeks may be needed to obtain permission and/or licensing. Questions about course reserves can be directed to libreser@uwaterloo.ca. Please reach out to your subject librarian to find or identify digital resources for your courses
• Course and research support in research guides
• Online, self-service options for identifying appropriate resources. For example, research databases can be selected by title, by subject, by content type or browse 
• Online Learning Object Repository for materials created by the University of Waterloo Library Instructional Design Team

Copyright resources and services available

• Review the guide for instructors
• See online-teaching related FAQs on the copyright website
• If you have any copyright questions, please don’t hesitate to email copyright@uwaterloo.ca
• Online workshops are available, and current listings are provided on the Copyright website's events page
• Consultations are available. Fill out the Copyright Consultation Form to set up a consultation for yourself or your group

Library resources available

• Ask us
• Assignment Planner
• Citation guides
• Course Reserves
• My library account
• Online Learning Object Repository
• Research guides
• UWSpace
  Has anything changed about the way I submit my thesis?
  There have been no changes to the way you submit your thesis through UWSpace. If you have any questions about submitting your thesis, use the UWSpace questions and contact form