Book-A-Librarian
Virtual (Zoom) and in-person research help is available by appointment. Use the Book-A-Librarian link to select a date and time for a help session.
Location: BL 208: Main (2nd) Floor of Bata Library. See directions below or ask at the Service Desk, and they'll point the way.
Open: Generally, our services are available Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. However, drop-in help without an appointment will vary depending on librarian availability since librarians are often in meetings or doing other duties. Email or Book-A-Librarian appointments (see below) are encouraged since a librarian may be available not just within the hours above but also outside those hours in-person or online.
What We Do
In-depth questions concerning your library research can be answered by experienced academic librarians with extensive knowledge of library resources and research procedures. There's also a consultation area where we can work through your issues together on a large display screen.
Library Research Help is home to the Learning & Liaison Librarians. These librarians have subject specialties, and they're collectively responsible for:
- Library research skills instruction (other than MaDGIC or Archives)
- Individual research help
- Library website design and maintenance
- Library resource selection, access, usability, and interactivity
How To Contact Us
Drop In
- Find us on the main floor of Bata Library. Knock, come in, and an available librarian will assist you.
- To contact or book a specific liaison librarian, use the Contact information on a Library Guide to reach them.
- For a virtual drop in, use the Book-A-Librarian service to talk with a liaison librarian.
Library Service Desk
- The Library Service Desk is staffed with knowledgeable staff members, and maintains longer hours than Library Research Help. You can ask more general library questions there; for more in-depth research questions, staff will refer you to the appropriate liaison librarian.
- Questions sent to library@trentu.ca will be answered by a staff member, or forwarded to the appropriate liaison librarian or department.
- Normally you hear back within a day, or the same day.
- Email allows us to look more deeply into your question before responding. When we reply, we've already figured out the best advice.
What We Can Help With
We welcome research and library reference questions from all students (undergraduate or graduate!), faculty, instructors, staff, and members of the Trent University community.
These are some of the things we can help you with:
- How to use Omni, Trent's library search tool
- Searching for resources using databases or Google Scholar
- Planning your search strategies and developing keyword searches
- Library resources (Omni, databases, books, online material, journals, etc.)
- Learning how to analyze online resources to determine their reliability and accuracy
- Library Tutorials, found in Research Guides
- Library instruction options
- Leganto reading lists
- And more!
Where to Find Us
Enter the Bata Library through the main doors on the 2nd floor.
Keep left toward the LIBRARY side (not to the IT side on the right).
You'll find yourself in front of the Library Service Desk. If you prefer to ask, someone there can point you to us. Otherwise, keep going.
From the Library Service Desk, go straight ahead, behind the living green wall.
You'll pass the Practice Presentation Room on your left - keep going.
There's a little door tucked away in a quiet nook here. That's us.
You can come right in and an available librarian will greet you. You can ring our doorbell or knock to let us know you're here.
