Tag Archives: libraries

The Bound Paper Thingy Affair

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BOOK

Mental note to self, this is called a BOOK!

Empress Irene was playing hard to get.

I had been trying in vain to research this stealthy 8th century ruler of the Byzantine Empire for five days and I was coming up empty handed. Last year I had gone on a tour of the monolith that one of my professors affectionately refers to as “Fort Book”. The Robarts tour was informative and it had included a 45 minute workshop in e-resource search engines. So as I began my research, I purposefully typed Irene’s name into the scholars portal search engine. I employed all the steps that I had been taught. But, Irene was not materializing in cyber space.

Sometimes when I’m craving a sweet, I will look into my fridge over and over again in the vain hope that a tasty treat will become visible. I keep looking even though I have already looked in the fridge ten times. I think I’m hoping that a chocolate cake, will magically appear behine the mayo. After spending four hours late one night typing the same keywords into the search fields over and over again, I realized Empress Irene was no more likley to appear on my laptop screen than a cake was to appear in my fridge. I have been told the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Empress Irene was driving me crazy. I knew I needed professional help.
I recalled being told about a service that is offered through the libraries, to help students do research for papers. I found the site to book a research consultation on the library’s main site,
It was two days later when I met with Dave Hagelaar at Kelly Library. Dave was great! I didn’t even have to explain to him who Empress Irene was. He was already well aware of her historical significance and the fact that she was a very cheeky Empress to research.

The Research Consultation Room at Kelly Library

The Research Consultation Room at Kelly Library

In my week of searching I had found one article about Irene. Dave found eighteen in a matter of minutes. I was unable to find any e-resources. Dave found five.

Dave is my new hero. He not only showed me that the articles existed, he also taught me how to find them. Did you know that if you leave the search field blank and press go, the search engine pulls from a much wider group of databases? I didn’t. Did you know that if you put an asterisk at the end of a word in a search field that the engine will pull up that word and every conceivable ending for that word that occurs within the database? I didn’t.

At one point, in trying to explain to him that my search had yielded only books, so excited was I that I couldn’t recall the word book. It came out something like this “all I can find are those bound paper thingies”! I’m not usually this dense…but in the dark, scary pit of researching an elusive historical figure, the blinding light of rescue is just that, blinding. The overwhelming relief I felt, coupled with the mental processing of new search methods left me short for words.

I am happy to say that I have now found Irene. She’s in my binder. It’s okay if she executes a successful escape because I now know where to find her.

Kelly Library’s research consultation service is brand new this year, so it’s not hard to get an appointment. But do it now…before word gets out about how great this resource is. Research consultations are available by appointment at most of the main libraries on campus. According to Dave, Kelly Library receives a mix of appointment requests from undergrad and grad students. So this resource is really for everybody.

Happy Researching!

-Lori

Feeling ROMantic about the library

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Ah, spring. Season of love. Season of infatuation. Season of fluttering hearts and wistful glances. True to the time of year, I’ve been scribbling love notes everywhere. All over my binder, throughout my notes, on the inside of my palm:

I ❤ the ROM.

ROMance, be mine.

The  R♡M Library.

Regardless of how you feel about the crystal, it’s hard not to love the ROM. Whether stepping tentatively into the depths of the Bat Cave; gazing awe-struck into the gnashing jaws of a Tyrannosaurus rex; or contemplating the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, the Royal Ontario Museum is a treasure trove full of the wildest curiosities.

And as of this morning, there is now another item I have added to my list of Reasons to ♡ the ROM: the ROM Libraries.

It’s only natural as a student at U of T – a school with so many disparate libraries that borrowing a book can be a city-wide adventure – to feel a little frustrated when searching the library catalogue. Even if you’re at Gerstein or Robarts, the one book you really want invariably happens to be at another library, usually located halfway across campus. Frustration was precisely what I felt yesterday when searching for books on aquatic insects: the five books I needed were scattered somewhere over 71.2 hectares of academic institution.

Fortunately, three of these books were clustered in one place – the ROM Library. Hence this morning, I found myself wandering through the Chinese collection on the first floor, past a large bronze Buddha.

Main Library & Archives.

Main Library & Archives.

There actually two libraries inside the ROM, the Main Library & Archives and the HH Mu Far Eastern Library.

The Main Library houses an international collection of works on archaeology, art, natural history, palaeontology, textiles, and earth and life sciences. The library is particularly well-endowed with an ornithology collection and with works on museology, Egyptology and ethnology. The Archives include manuscripts and photos pertaining to the museum, some of which have been listed online.

While materials can only be borrowed by ROM staff and faculty of U of T, the library is provisioned with the Sackler Reading Room where you are invited to spread out and read. The library is also home to a photocopier (15¢ per copy) and a scanner, which you can use for free to send yourself copies via email.

The HH Mu Library includes a miscellany of books on the history, culture, numismatics and geography of Central, Eastern, Southeast and South Asia. This library opened in 1933 and was the first library on Asian art and archaeology in Canada. These books are also for reference only, so retrieval requests must be made by staff as the stacks are not open to the public.

The hours of both libraries are:

Monday: 12-4:30 pm
Tuesday: 12-5:30 pm
Wednesday to Friday: 12-4:30 pm

Directions:

Everyone can access the ROM Libraries for free, but a pass is needed to get into either one. For the Main Library, a clothing tag is available from Admissions at the building’s front door, and a meander through the museum’s first floor inadvertently brings you to the library entrance.
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The HH Mu Far Eastern Library is a little harder to find. Instead of entering through the main doors, go to the ROM’s southern entrance, where you sign in at a security desk before heading up to the sixth floor of the Louise Hawley Stone Curatorial Centre.
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So why love the ROM Libraries so much? I think I can sum it up in one simple sentence: Where else would anyone ever get the chance to read Freshwater Fishes by Herbert R. Axelrod while sitting amongst the time-beaten remains of the Cretaceous and Jurrassic, surrounded by books on tropical amphibians, and stuck inside what must quite conclusively be the world’s largest crystal?
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- Mary
PS I ♡ the ROM.

The best quiet spots on campus – Part 1

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Have you ever walked around campus with all its bustling and hustling, and wondered where on St. George can you find a quiet spot to study, relax, or eat? I wondered too, and I polled the students who were interviewed for this coming year’s intUiT: Student Guide to Life at U of T (here’s a link to last year’s) about their favourite locations to study or chill.

Guess what? I didn’t know half the places they mentioned! So along with Mr. Spock, we headed out to document all these secret gems on campus. There were so many that I’m going to spread out my findings over three days, so stay tuned for parts two and three tomorrow and Friday! For a sneak peak, click to see the map above full size. Today, I’ll show you all the spots I know on the west side of campus.

This is my co-conspirator, Mr. Spock:

1. Shore + Moffat Architecture Landscape & Design Library in the Architecture Building (AR)

The Shore + Moffat Library is hidden on the second floor of the Architecture Building. It’s an industrial-looking building with a small, always-changing gallery on the first floor. The library is intimate and has a fabulous big window with great natural lighting.

2. Earth Sciences Library – Noranda (ES)

The Earth Sciences Library is also tucked away on the second floor. Situated in the Earth Sciences Building, it is a two-storied space with a spiral staircase leading to individual study carrels on the second floor.

3. Meditation Room in the Multifaith Centre (KP)

The Multifaith Centre is in Koffler House (previously known as Koffler Institute) and the meditation room is truly a hidden gem. You step in and the entire front wall is literally green. It’s beautiful, and the trickling of water is very soothing.

4. Wilson Hall New College (WI)

I heard this space being renovated last year during my NEW209 class. It’s an open and spacious space with very comfortable seating. Very cushy, too.

5. Grad Room (GD)

I’ve never been to the Grad Room before, and it’s a great space! It’s a café, information desk and a patio all rolled into one. Thanks to Rory from the info desk for the following pictures! (Getting release forms for all the people that would have been in my photograph would’ve been a NiGhTmArE – yes, the level of nightmare-ness is equivalent to that of sticky caps).

Rory also showed me its basement, which is a great space for presentations or small parties. It has two LCD TVs and a projector and screen with all the furniture on wheels so the space’s layout is truly customizable. Email gradroom(@)utoronto.ca to book this space!

6. Innis College (IN)

I’m in love with Innis College. Apart from the fresh orange juice from the Innis Cafe and the snarky askastudents, Innis has a cute little student lounge open to all students with a microwave and sink.

7. Robarts Library (RL)

Oh Robarts Library. It’s so big and there are students absolutely everywhere. It’s such an amazing building, and there is more than just one space that’s fabulous.

a) 4th Floor, Periodical Stacks

Okay. I will totally study here next year. You walk past the stacks and this space is hidden, but if you walk in, you’ll emerge into a warmly coloured, high ceiling space with computer booths. This space is so high and open that I didn’t feel any of the stuffyness I usually find in other spaces and it has huge windows and natural lighting. It’s perfect.

b) 9th Floor, North Apex

I’m told this space is newly renovated and it certainly feels new. I love the amount of lights each table gets.

c) 13th Floor

This floor was quoted as “creepily quiet”. True to its name, the 13th floor is eerie. It’s still and silent, and the automatic lights are strangely slower than the other floors to flicker on. I walked halfway through a stack before the lights turned on. It’s also strangely unpopulated. I didn’t see anybody there even though the other floors were filled.

Stay tuned for more quiet spots in different sections of campus tomorrow! If you have any favourite spots, comment below and I’ll see if I can go there before this Friday!

How to lose friends and alienate people, U of T style

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Move over Toby Young, and let U of T students demonstrate how it’s actually done. As proud members of the self-proclaimed “Harvard of the North”, we take the concept and practice of “survival of the fittest” to a whole new level.

Disclaimer: the situations below are purely hypothetical. Should you have actually displayed such pernicious behaviour, we know your student number*.
  • BE the urban legend: as soon as a class assignment is received, race to the library during the break between your two-hour long lecture, and grab the reference book of the highest relevance. Tear out the most important page, frame it and hang it up on your wall. The rest of the class? Pwned. Mission accomplished.
  • Miraculously discover a stack of notes/old books that are not actually yours, take them and place them all over those highly coveted study spots in libraries, for you and your imaginary friends. Even if you end up losing them (because you’ve been away from your “saved spot” for so long that you’ve forgotten their existence completely), it’s okay, because they weren’t yours anyway. Meanwhile, gleefully watch new-comers walking around looking defeated, being starved of study space. Mutter the word “Commuters” the Draco Malfoy way.
  • While in the library, sit across a visibly identifiable Keener, and chew on your homemade sandwich loudly. With your mouth open. (This works best in Gerstein.)
  • While in the library, accidentally forget to turn your cell phone to silent/vibrate mode. When someone calls, take your time to answer it and initiate a 30-minute chat sitting in your seat. Whisper loudly and laugh a lot.
  • When studying in the library, say “SHHH!” with a vengeance every ten minutes or so. Even when the room is dead silent.

:)

  • Bring a bag of chips to lectures, sit behind that really smart kid with his/her precious voice recorder, and happily munch away. Sneeze and cough a few times in between and loudly excuse yourself. Tell the person next to you that you actually have pneumonia but you can’t force yourself to stay home because you just love learning so much.
  • Grab a pre-med’s lecture notes when he/she is not looking, and scribble in big red letters across the page: “I KNOW WHAT YOUR GPA WAS LAST SEMESTER”. Then watch them turn pale.
  • In lectures, never stop asking questions. Always start with: “I find it interesting that…” then bring up an obscure fact you can probably only find in xkcd.
  • On professor-accessible student/course forums, openly criticize the incompetency of the teaching staff and other students, and sincerely express the great injustice you feel that, due to a badly written test, your average has just dropped from a 99% to a 98%.
  • Take a stroll down St. George St. at 6:05pm while listening to Emmy Rossum on your mp3: “JUST SLOW ME DOWNNN”.
  • When writing a test, tap your pen incessantly against the desk to reduce your anxiety level. Repetitive movements usually aid concentration–when you don’t realize you are making it.
  • Go earlier than usual to the place of your midterm, bring a question from a past test that wasn’t even covered in this year’s lectures, and run around asking random people with dilated pupils about how to do this difficult question, while completely freaking out in their faces, shouting “OUR AVERAGE ON THE LAST ONE WAS TOO HIGH! THEY ARE GONNA OWN US ON THIS ONE!! Oh my god we are so screwed!!” That should do the job of effectively lowering the class average, in which case an upward bell-curve is imminent.

For some things in life, a love/hate relationship is unavoidable. Like, my attitude towards U of T, for instance. I love it for the exact same reason that I sometimes loathe it so: the ridiculous amount of competition that I just can’t seem to avoid. At its worst, it’s oppressive, discouraging, and just really, really scary. In fact, sometimes I honestly wonder if the word “chill” means anything to anyone around here. At its best, though, it very accurately depicts the “sink or swim” world out there, and thankfully, since we’ve been trained so hard to deal with it since day one, by the time we graduate we would (hopefully) not only become more aggressive but also self-sufficient. And I think that deep down, we all realize that “only necessity is heavy, and only what is heavy has value”. This is why, despite all the complaining, we still splurge unnecessarily on anything that carries the U of T logo–because we are actually proud to be here.

It’s true that the above scenarios borderline extreme, and, to be honest, they are rather underhanded tactics if you are serious about winning. Yet most of us have probably experienced some milder forms of these situations at one point or another in our undergraduate careers. However, since we’ve all made the choice to be here, and have thus welcomed the competition, we might as well as play by some rules: be as hardcore as you want to be, but be fair, be considerate, and don’t cheat. It’s one thing to be speaking softly, and another to be carrying a big stick. Dale Carnegie’s got it down a long time ago: who doesn’t want to win friends and influence people?

–Lucy

a

*Just kidding, how the hell would we know who you are? But what goes around comes around. And JT is never wrong.

Act One: The Magic of Rare Books

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Before I had gone there, this is how I pictured the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library:

The student walks onto the stage, through the revolving doors of the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library. In front of her is a grand atrium, made of white marble. There are about fifty floors rising above the atrium, each with a gallery, and with walls lined in brown, leather-bound books, their spines embossed with the gold lettering of their titles. Magic book dust© catches the light and sprinkles continuously to the ground. Each footstep the student takes echoes resonantly. There is a female librarian nearby, behind a counter. She wears pince-nez glasses, capped oxford shoes, and a ladies’ tweed double-breasted two-piece tailor-made suit.

LIBRARIAN

Can I help you, miss?

 

STUDENT

Oh, yes please. I’m here to look at old books.

 

LIBRARIAN

Ah, very good. Did you bring white gloves?

 

STUDENT

I’m afraid I didn’t. I don’t have any.

 

LIBRARIAN

Not to worry, you can sign some out here.

 

The student walks to the desk, flashes her U of T card, and signs a piece of paper. Over the countertop, the librarian hands her a pair of white gloves. The student walks off-stage and reappears on one of the balconies, wearing the gloves. As she makes her way from one end of the balcony to the other, angelic harp music starts, as if from nowhere. The student carefully pulls a book from off the shelf. The spotlight focuses on her, the rest of the stage gets dark, and the voice of Linnaeus is heard, omnipresent, through the digital sound-system.

LINNAEUS

I wondered when you would come to say hello. I’ve been sitting here years.

 

STUDENT

I can’t believe I’m holding you! I feel smarter already.

 

LINNAEUS

Melius tarde quam numquam.¹ I feel particularly sanguine today.

 

The student turns a page or two, looking reverently through the Hortus Cliffortianus, printed in Amsterdam, 1737. The scene then fades to black.

Unlike my daydream, which was nice while it lasted, here’s what really (just about) happened today:

The student walks into the library, through the revolving doors of the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library. She has never been to the Rare Books Library before, and is sure that someone will stop her before she touches anything printed before 1979. She is an undergraduate, you see, and therefore feels like an impostor. “First edition books,” she thinks, “are for Ph.D. candidates.” She walks two steps and reaches a reception desk. She feels being positive is her best bet for getting in.

STUDENT

Hi there! I’m here to see old books!

 

DOOR STAFF

Coat and purse, here’s your vestibule ticket. The elevator is broken, you can take the stairs.

 

STUDENT

Do I go up or down?

 

DOOR STAFF

Go down, around the corner, there you’ll see reception, where they’ll make you a Rare Books Library Card. You can’t go into stacks.

 

STUDENT

Do I need to wear gloves?

 

DOOR STAFF

Gloves?

 

STUDENT

Gloves… So as not to contamintate the books.

 

DOOR STAFF

[Looking sidelong at the students hands]

Contaminate the books with what?

 

STUDENT

Oh, oops. Haha. To protect the books. Haha. Okay! Downstairs, around the corner. Haha. Ahem. Goodbye.

 

The student walks down the cement stairs. Fluorescent lights line the way. She comes to the reception desk. There is a man sitting behind the counter. When he looks up to greet the student, he gives her a shockingly warm smile for a U of T librarian. He also gives her colourful forms to fill out.

 

RECEPTION

Your new card is good for two years. Enjoy!

 

The student walks through one last set of doors into a very quiet room. There are a number of dark oak desks scattered about the room. Looking up, the student sees several stories’ worth of walls lined with books, about five floors high. The room has a special smell. This is too much to be true: it’s the old book smell.² A few people are seated at random desks. Behind a counter there is a wonderful-looking man with glasses and a white beard.  He is wearing a wool sweater.

STUDENT

Hello, good day. I signed out some books online last night?

 

LIBRARIAN

Ah! Have you got the library card that reception just made you? Excellent. One moment, please.

 

He walks over to a small wooden shelf lining the wall behind him and carries back a collossal, behemoth book the size of fifteen textbooks. He has also brought four small taupe volumes.

LIBRARIAN

So… Hortus Cliffortianus, by Linnaeus. And Pamela, by Richardson. Hoho. Isn’t Pamela the book in which the maid marries the master because he offers her chocolate but she doesn’t even like chocolate? Hoho.

 

STUDENT

[The student's jaw drops to the ground.]³

 

LIBRARIAN

Okay: can you initial these two forms, please? You can take three volumes at a time to any desk. You can’t photograph them unless you sign up to do so on special dates but otherwise, feel free to make yourself at home. Don’t be scared of the Rare Books Library. After all, I am one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet at U of T.

 

STUDENT

It’s true! You are so nice! I need to come here more often!

The student picks up the books. Linnaeus’ work is very heavy. It is very big. The student walks across the little room to where there is a solitary desk and chair. She puts the books down on the desk. She can’t believe she’s holding an illustrated 1st edition work from 1737. “Either I fooled them with my cool confidence, or this is the best library ever,” the student thinks. She sits down and pulls Linnaeus’ book up close. She opens the front cover and looks around the room.

…

…

…

Silence. The student waits… No voice. No Linnaeus speaking from the other side. Only the occasional swish as the page of a yonder book is flipped. The student turns another page.

STUDENT

[Internal monologue]

“Hortus Cliffortianus: Plantas exhibens quas in hortistam vivis quam siccis, hartecampi in Hollandia, coluit vir nobilissimus & Generosissimus Georgius Clifford.” Holy smokes! A lot of Latin! Best get out my thinking cells.

 

The scene fades out to black.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

© Property of UpbeaT.

¹Anonymous. Latin for: “Better late than never.”

² Fariya! I can’t believe it! It’s the old book smell!

³ During our last weekly UpbeaT meeting, Heather brought with her a synopsis of Pamela, written by a friend in an English Lit class. It was short, shocking, and guffaw-inspiring. So in tribute to the salutory works of U of T summaries, I signed the book out online the night before my trip to the Rare Books Library.

 

-Mary

Cozy Comfy Campus Crevices and Crannies

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As a transfer student from Scarborough campus, St. George campus has always stood out to me as being the larger, older, and more extravagant campus.

As a residence student, St. George campus stands out as the place to be in the heart of downtown – a quite peaceful neighbourhood on the fringe of a tantalizing, vivacious nightlife.

But as a person with two tired legs, a massive backpack, and a schedule that drags me around campus, I am always looking for interesting study/safe havens for the average student. I have come across some common and obscure places, both indoors and outdoors, where students can rest their feet, grab a drink, and study.

Indoors

Welcome to 40 Willcocks Street:

If you are ever in the neighbourhood, looking for a hang out place between College Street and Robarts Library, you can pop over on Wilcocks Street, and head down until you reach Wilson Hall. In that building, you can find great lounging areas on the second floor – with areas set so you can sleep, stretch your legs and enjoy a quiet nap.

If you want to hold a meeting, or work on a paper, the building also contains a room with glass walls, which contains couches, a large table and many chairs so that you can hold a group study session late at night, or camp out there before class. 

Welcome to Victoria College Café:

You’re at one end of the campus, and the trek seems so far? Never fear – you can sneak into Victoria College. Upon entering the main entrance, large brown comfy couches are available for your sitting pleasure. The real treasure, however, is the student run café located on the main floor. The Café features coffees, teas, hot drinks, cookies, chocolate and more – perfect for an in between-class-snack, or a pick-me-up before the ride home. The café has wonderful couches, and a large meeting-room-like table, where students can wirelessly connect to the Internet and work while drinking something warm and toasty. 

Welcome to the Koffler Student Services Centre:

Many people are familiar with the Koffler building, but its relatively unknown that there is a third floor. If you head past the bookstore (from the entrance viewing the career center) and up the stairs, you will find yourself near the Student Housing Office. Up one more set of large marble steps will land you in, what I like to call a “sub-floor” between the 2nd and 3rd that contains plush chairs for the average student relaxation in a quiet setting. 

Welcome to the E.J. Pratt Library:

Right across from Victoria College, you can enjoy the Pratt Library – equipped with a special service of lending students laptops (free of charge) for 3 hours. Pratt Library has, as in the pictures, chairs for students to sit and plug their laptops into the floor outlets, while enjoying the natural sunlight and working in a quiet, library setting. 

In and Out

Welcome to University College:

UC, with all its maze-like structure has both an indoor and outdoor appeal. Indoors, there is a Junior Common room (which, is actually easy to find by following the signs) that contains wonderful table space to study, as well as a reclusive balcony area. Outside, students can enjoy the earthly beauty of UC Quad that has benches and beautiful space for a picnic or relax in the shade. UC also holds great appeal at night time, and is a beautiful spot to view on campus during the night.

Outdoor

If there’s one more warm spell this fall, and as spring blooms in early 2009, you can enjoy some wonderful outdoor hotspots.

Welcome to Morrison Hall:

Enter in 75 St. George Street’s prominent building of Morrison Hall. Under the main entrance arch, you are transported to an outdoor extravaganza, with beautiful pathways, benches. You can enjoy a nice walk in the autumn weather

Welcome to Knox College:

Fondly known as “the cloister”, Knox College’s breezeway has the comforts of outdoor fresh air, and the protection of the indoors with a shelter. Most incredible during a rainfall, students can enter through Knox’s main entrance and travel though to the cloister to the set tables, benches and chairs. Students can even connect to Internet wirelessly from this area and enjoy the beautiful area simultaneously.

These are just come of the great spaces for students to check out, to enjoy for studying, relaxing. Our campus has wonderful spaces that cater to experiencing your university resources.

Enjoy!

Fariya

UofT Library Saga Part IV: One More Reason To Love Gerstein

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The university is always making changes here and there. Sometimes I kind of wish I had been born a few years later, so that now I’d actually be able to take advantage of all these new things the school has put into place since I got here. For example, the new physics and chemistry labs for first years – I didn’t have that! The accessible plugs on every desk in the Robarts study rooms–I didn’t have that! The new CR/NCR option for course selection – I did NOT have that when I had to take multivariable calculus, which resulted in many breakdowns in my second year.

And now they have a Reading Room in Gerstein! For those of you who frequent the library, you’d know how packed it can get during mid-term season. This new Reading Room is like a lifesaver. It’s very close to the main entrance as well: immediately after you walk past the security poles (or beepers, since they tend beep randomly for no reason), turn right – it should be the room through the glass double doors on the left hand side of all the computer stations.

It gets even better! If you keep on walking past this room, you’ll get to another room, more ancient, with tall windows covered in ivy and some wooden desks sparsely scattered throughout the study space. This one is even quieter than the previous room, with more empty seats as well.

Now for the best part. If you keep on walking past this room as well, you’ll get to the third and final room. (Gerstein is like a vault!) I really like this one because there are  usually so few people here. It’s so quiet that you can practically hear people’s breaths all the way from the other end of the room. The ceiling is extremely high, with more tall windows facing Kings College Circle (I’m not very descriptive, I know). Hung around the wall are huge portraits of anonymously important historical figures.

There are also rows of dusty wooden library carrels, and each comes with a little storage space that can be locked (I highly doubt that anyone actually uses these anymore, but there was one with a huge lock on it. Don’t know why it’s there). The whole atmosphere somehow reminded me of Anne of the Green Gables. I know, this is U of T, not Queen’s, but somehow, sitting in that room and bathed in sunlight, I couldn’t help but feel that I’ve traveled back in time. When I finally snapped out of it, I decided that for being in rooms like these (rooms with histories, rooms with stories, rooms with mysteries), my tuition is worth its every cent.

- Lucy

UofT Library Saga Part III: So You Want a Part-time Library Job

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Yes, you’ve probably all been through it: the dreadful process of struggling to find a part-time job (dun dun dun). What drives me nuts is how people always say that there are “tons” of jobs out there, as if employers can’t wait to hire armies of hungry students in exchange for cheap labour. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like the more desperate I get, the more I tend to deflect potential job opportunities so that ultimately working for McDonald’s becomes my only way out.

Anyone who’s worked at a fast-food restaurant would tell you to stay away from that (errrrr…) “line of work”. And you probably deserve better anyway–come on, who am I kidding? You go to UofT (and have probably already sold your soul to get a seat in some obscure class, all in the name of Higher Education). I’ve personally always been envious of those students who work in campus libraries. I mean, most times they just sit, instead of serving the hungry mob of customers and going home smelling like Big Mac.

It turns out, there’s far more to it than that. I found out some pretty interesting and helpful stuff from a friend of mine who works in Gerstein. After conducting a semi-formal interview with her, I’ve returned with an infinite amount of wisdom on this topic.

So what’s so good about getting a part-time job at a UofT library anyway?

  • Convenience: it’s on campus, so for those who live in residence or in the surrounding area , it’s within walking distance.
  • Decent pay: she refused to reveal her actual hourly salary, but from her facial expression, I’m sure it’s a satisfying amount. She reassured me that it’s above minimum wage.
  • It’s open to everyone, even international students. Since it’s not a Work-study position, even those who do not qualify for OSAP can apply.
  • Not physically or emotionally draining. There is a lot of personal freedom associated with the work – a sharp contrast with many other part-time jobs where your employer enjoys breathing down your neck.
  • Not boring: her tasks alternate between sitting at the Service Desk and walking around the library shelving books.
  • Nice people: her supervisors and co-workers are all very friendly and cooperative.

What do you do?

  • 2 shifts = a total of 8 to 10 hours per week. She chooses her shifts to fit her schedule.
  • She mostly offers customer service to anyone requiring her assistance. Often it’s to locate a book, though occasionally she gets confused first-years asking her for help for a physics or chemistry problem, which provides her with lots of personal satisfaction.
  • When she’s shelving books, she gets to walk all over the library and pick up any books that students have left sitting around, and put them back where they belong. Basically, she gets to move around (which is kind of like a work out), relax, and get paid.
  • Occasional special projects: help bringing in new books, massively shifting around current books, and so on.
  • Problem-solving: it’s an intimidating but important skill to have for pretty much any other job you’ll end up doing. For her, it mostly involves dealing with people who have, unfortunately, had their stuff stolen.
  • The workload can be a bit heavy during exam time, when a lot more students come to use the library.

How do you apply?

  • Hiring is usually in early August.
  • Go to this site: http://link.library.utoronto.ca/library/easy/logon.cfm
  • During hiring season, there are usually many job positions listed, for libraries all over campus (trust me, there are lots!) You can choose to apply to as many as you want.
  • Good skills to have: interpersonal, organizational, decision-making and problem-solving. You should also be friendly, approachable and empathetic.
  • Separately upload your resume and other required documents. However, when applying for a specific position, you’ll need to individually submit these documents along with your application for that position (the system doesn’t automatically submit it for you each time you apply).
  • Cross your fingers and hope for the best! Each position usually gets an astounding number of applications. The initial process of picking applications is done randomly by computers. These candidates are then interviewed (some may be waitlisted). However, the chance of getting the job is extremely high if you get past the interview stage.

It does sound like pretty rough process, but it sounds like it’s worth it. Remember: “No pain, no gain”!

- Lucy

UofT Library Saga Part II: Protection

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No. Not the kind of protection can be easily obtained from SEC (91 St. George St.). It’s easy to see how those things can be associated with libraries…but in this post I’ll be talking about something more serious.

Having lived in China for the first twelve years of my life, I found myself (and my parents) to be rather tense and questioning of our surroundings when we first immigrated to Canada. In the good ol’ motherland, we were so used to being constantly alert that it was almost on the verge of paranoia. So for the first few years in this country, we did what we had always done – always locking our doors even when we were home, checking to see if the doors were locked at least three times before finally leaving the house, tightly clutching onto purses when walking down a street…you know, all the symptoms of someone whose sympathetic system is functioning at an all-time high.

Canadians, I’ve found, are the exact opposite. As a Canadian, I’ve found that we tend to place a lot of personal trust in our society, and tend to have an innate, unwavering faith that, under most circumstances, nothing would go wrong. This is why some people leave their cars unlocked after parking them outside a store. This is why some people never lock their doors even at night. This is why some people feel that they are safe walking amidst a sea of people down a street and thus never fear the possibility of getting shot.

I mean, honestly, what are the chances?

Students especially, can sometime have a rose-coloured perception of their surroundings. After all, we are in an academic environment, and most people around us are probably faculty or students just like ourselves. True, there are the occasional small instances where something weird (and not even that outrageous) happens, like a pair of boots getting stolen from a student’s dorm room (poor soul), but what are the chances that something much more unfortunate would happen? You’d think…probably never?

All the good characteristics of a library: the privacy, the lack of people in certain areas, the dimmed lighting among the stacks, and the slightly self-concerned atmosphere, all make it a place for potential danger. So next time you study in a library, and have to use the bathroom,  take precautions. Politely ask the person sitting next to you to look after your stuff while you are gone – studies have shown that a person is far more likely to intervene in the theft of someone else’s possessions if that person had asked him or her to look after it beforehand. If you prefer to study in the quieter and more isolated areas, such as the 10th floor of Robarts, try going with a friend.

There are many other ways to protect yourself, so to avoid casting your exciting undergraduate experience at UofT in shadows. More information can be found on the Community Safety Office website, such as a whole list of valuable On-Campus Safety Tips. Remember, the very first key to any kind of success–like personal safety–is awareness.

- Lucy

My U of T Library Saga – Part I

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People say that honesty is one of the best ways to help the writer connect to his or her audience. So, to briefly introduce myself to you, my dear readers, here’s something about me: I am a conceited UofT snob (redundancy used as a rhetorical device to emphasize on the degree of snobbiness present).

Yes, I admit it. As much as I have hated the work load my program (Life Science) has kindly bestowed upon me for the past two years, I love this school, and to prove this, I hereby officially declare my ownership of two UofT hoodies from the UofT Bookstore (bought using my 30-per-cent-off coupon that came with the Registration Handbook and Timetable)  – same design, different colours. When I worked at GM last year as a student line assembler, I wore them every other day to rub it in on the kids who went to Brock and Western and UOIT.

Something else about myself: I’m a super nerd (whose grades are not exemplary…but that’s really a sensitive topic). I love books, and my niche is the library. So despite the fact that I pay tons of money each year to live in a not-too-shabby residence, I believe I’ve spent infinitely more time in UofT’s libraries than in my room for the past two years of my university career.

For the next few weeks, I’m going to be writing a UofT Library Saga. It’s going to contain some useful information (the “where, when, how, what and why” of UofT libraries), crazy stories (true and all mine), and keen observations that you might find useful as a student, whether you live on campus or commute. Hopefully, it’ll be an informative ride, if not entertaining in the least.

To Begin…

You probably already know that our library system is enormous: the third largest in North America, next to Harvard and Yale. Yep, it is really something to be proud of. Because of this large system, obviously we have lots of libraries on campus (more than 30)! The larger ones immediately come to mind: Robarts and Gerstein. These are the Biggies.

Biggies are good and all, but I like to compare them to commercialized coffee shops like Starbucks and Tim Hortons. They are well-known to the general public, accessible, but just don’t have that personal touch where you can feel like you belong. So, next time you are trying to find a place to actually study (not to meet up with friends, or to surf the net, or to sleep), try a place from the following list:

John W Graham Library (Trinity College)

Comfortable desks, gives you the feeling of privacy and a true sense of serenity. A gorgeous building. Has a “family library” type room that even contains big comfy couches and a fireplace. If only hot chocolate were allowed!

Earth Sciences Library (Noranda)

This is situated on the floor above ES1050, where chemistry, astronomy and lots of other lectures are held. Very convenient if you are a Life Science student and have classes around the west part of campus. This library has been consistently rated as the place to study with best natural lighting. If tons of space and sunlight is your thing, come for a visit!

Chemistry Library (A D Allen)

Found on the 4th floor of Lash Miller (LM), this library has rows of beautiful Apple desktops just for you, many smaller rooms, twists and turns and an ancient wooden ladder reaching up the shelves containing heavily-bound manuals that whisper the secrets of elements and compounds. If you are the curious type, this library is just the place for you! You’ll find many surprises along your journey here.

Career Resource Library, Koffler Centre

Many of you have probably either seen or heard about this one somewhere. While it’s not exactly inconspicuous in terms of its location, you’d be surprised at the amazing amount of resources it offers. If you are currently feeling somewhat listless about choosing a good program or what to do after graduation (you are not alone, trust me), I believe this place will be your mothership for months to come–it is seriously the place that makes you realize your fullest potential in terms of what you can do with the knowledge and skills you’ve gained from your undergrad experience. People who enjoy learning more about themselves and their options will be overwhelmed here – in the best sense, of course. It’s also one of the few places I know on campus with a precious photocopier that allows you to copy multiple pages onto one side of a sheet of paper – great way to save money, I know!

Knox College Library (Caven)

If you like that old, traditional type of academic atmosphere, come to the Knox library. It can be accessed via the entrance on King’s College Circle. Walk through the big wooden doors, and try not to be too amazed by the beautiful stone architecture the building proudly displays. Turn right, and voila! A whole new world!

Hart House Library

Small, rectangular and beautiful, with a distinct and rather nostalgic smell. The dim lighting bothers some, but definitely softens the atmosphere and is very calming. Sometimes I go there just to pretend that I’m an Artsy.

- Lucy