The UVic Libraries provide many incredible — but often underutilized — resources for Grad students. We’ve compiled a list to make it as easy as possible for grad students to find the support they need.
Research
Librarians are available to help you at any stage of your research process! Book an appointment for help with:
- developing your research topic
- crafting your search strategy
- managing your data
- understanding how to cite your sources
- and so much more!
Book an appointment to get help from a librarian in person or via Zoom.
Interlibrary Loans
Because we can’t have everything! Interlibrary loans (ILL) provide you with resources from other libraries when UVic does not hold the item you need for your study or research. From another library to your desk, ILL can help you get the resources you need!
Writing
The Thesis Writers’ Intensive (TWI) is a three-day opportunity for graduate students to write and make substantial headway on their master’s thesis, doctoral dissertation, or other graduate project. Participants attend opening and closing meetings each day with a light lunch provided. Writers can work alone or in the company of peers and in either busy or quiet surroundings. Optional workshops and other supports are available.
The TWI is held twice a year: mid-June and early December. There is no fee. The application form is distributed through academic departments in early June and early November.
Publishing
SOAP: Support for Open Access Publishing
UVic Libraries is committed to immediate barrier-free access to Canadian scholarly research outputs. With our publisher agreements, UVic Libraries offers a way to lower or even remove Article Processing Charges (APCs). We have waivers/discounts for over 8,000 journals, including publishers such as Cambridge University Press, Canadian Science Publishing, Company of Biologists, Elsevier, Institute of Physics, Oxford University Press, SAGE Journals, and Wiley.
JST: Journal Search Tool
Use the new Journal Search Tool to find journals with waivers or discount options to make your research openly accessible. Search by journal name, subject area, publisher, or ISSN.
ORCID iD
ORCID iDs provide a unique identifier for each researcher. Increase the visibility and impact of your research with our help! We can teach you how to update your ORCID profile.
Learning
More than just where you borrow books, the Ask Us Desk — at the McPherson and Priestly libraries — is where you can check out a laptop or a phone charger, get help with computers or printing, or ask us where to find things in the library. We’ll help you with questions about your library account, borrowing items, course reserves, and more.
Workshops
We schedule workshops all year and are currently holding most of them online. Check out our workshop schedule, or feel free to work through any of our lesson plans on your own at your own pace.
The Digital Scholarship Commons is home to librarians and staff members who can help faculty, students, and staff with their digital information fluency needs. We are available to provide workshops, answer questions, give one-on-one tutorials, and help troubleshoot issues. Special Collections, the English Language Centre, and Scholars Seminar also offer workshops year-round. You can find them and more on our events calendar.
Teaching
Course Reserves
The Course Reserves platform makes learning materials easily available to your students. They may include books, articles, websites, videos and more. Non-electronic material is made available to students on a shorter loan period to ensure access for all students. The online course reserves platform is accessible through Brightspace and is integrated with the Libraries’ collection, allowing one-click access to the course reading lists. Print materials can be found on the Course Reserves shelf near the Ask Us desk at the McPherson Library.
Zero-Cost eTextbooks
UVic Libraries runs the zero-cost eTextbook program, aimed at making education as financially accessible as possible for UVic students. Since starting the program in 2021, we have saved UVic students over $1,800,000!
Contact
Ask Us Desk & Learning Commons | askus@uvic.ca
Course Reserves | reserves@uvic.ca
Digital Scholarship Commons | dscommons@uvic.ca
Interlibrary Loans | ill@uvic.ca
Scholarly Communications | scholcom@uvic.ca
Special Collections | speccoll@uvic.ca
Thesis Writers’ Intensive | https://libguides.uvic.ca/TWI
Events Calendar | https://libcal.uvic.ca/
