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First Year Undergraduate Students

A brief overview of library supports available to first year students.  

Welcome

Welcome to Wilfrid Laurier University!

Things may be a little different now that you’re in university from when you were in high school and we want to make this transition as easy for you as possible. We have designed this module to give you an overview about the library and the services we provide to help you succeed with your course work.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions and congratulations on becoming a Golden Hawk.

Library Resources & Services

A university library is where people help you learn to use specialized academic search tools to find quality academic books, articles, and other resources you may need to complete your course assignments. Libraries also teach you how to evaluate, use, and properly cite these resources in your assignments.

For a better understanding of the difference between high school and university research, see our video tutorial, University vs High School Research.

The Library provides access to thousands of online and physical resources, including books, databases, newspapers and journals, that are accessible through the Omni search tool as well as the Library’s homepage under the “Research Materials” menu. There are many video tutorials to help you learn more about university level research as well.

Help with Research

Subject Librarians

Each academic program has a subject librarian who supports you by providing research help for your courses. We also have online help guides for each subject area at Laurier and for many of the courses you’ll actually be in. Your librarian will be happy to arrange an appointment to talk with you, too, through email or online through a Zoom or Teams meeting. Find your librarian at our listing of Subject Librarians.

Quick help to get started

If you just need someone to get you started in your search for information, contact us through email or through our online Ask Us chat service during operational hours (which often includes evenings & weekends)

For more information on research help, see Library Research Assistance

Accessing Course Reserves

The Library provides support for online course readings for your classes through MyLearningSpace and course pages through the Ares systems.

Accessibility Services

There are a number of specific Library services geared towards supporting accessibility needs. For further information: