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Shhh… It’s Library Time.

is the main library on campus. They boast that they have “room for approximately 1.5 million volumes, six kilometers of bookstacks, and study and research space for more than 1,200 students”. WOW! Although big, the library is SO quiet this time of year, and I love it. At times, it will feel like you have the library to yourself! Will it remain quiet as they start construction for renovations this week? I hope so. Earplugs are always available at the front desk.

Library Closure
On that note, the library will be closed for renovation to the first floor between June 8 – late August. If you are like me and enjoy coming upon things randomly while browsing bookshelves near the book you intended to find, the month of May is the time to do it at Stauffer. But don’t panic! Books and research material will still be available to request for pick up at other Queen’s and our partner library locations.

It may also be useful to know that MacBook computer chargers, iPhone chargers, adaptors, mice, calculators, keyboards, DVD players and projectors are also available to borrow. This could save you the trip of running home if you forgot yours.

Library Consultation
As there are fewer students on campus, it is the perfect time for a library consultation with your department's Library Liaison. I recently met with Cory Laverty Research and Teaching Librarian: Art, Drama, and Music, Humanities and Social Sciences. It was fantastic! Cory took a genuine interest in my research and made me excited about it again. I learned some useful tips for searching online, requesting books from partnering libraries (I ordered two books on May 4th and they both were ready for pick up May 8th), special orders/requests, and accessing published dissertations. She also had some suggestions on how I might creatively format my dissertation and highlight my ideas. I look forward to meeting with Cory again and updating her on my progress. 

Check out these spaces at Stauffer!

- This is where to go for all accessibility needs. Here you will find adaptive desks, large screen monitors, quiet study spaces and computers with specialized software such as voice recognition, text-to-speech, screen magnification and screen reading. All the libraries on campus have at least one space that is like this. The main ATC will be relocated to the ground floor of Douglas Library during renovations.

- The vaulted ceilings, natural light and three cozy fireplaces make this an ideal study space.

Currently, in the reading room, Queen’s is hosting The Witness Blanket by Master Carver Hayalthkin'geme/ Carey Newman on loan from @humanrights.ca. This special installation is made of “hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures from across Canada”.  “By bearing witness to these stories, you carry their truth forward into a future that takes responsibility for the injustices of the past”. It is definitively worth checking out and spending time with this powerful work. 

Art Collection Library – Featuring a large print collection and hard-to-find reference material.

Designated Movement Space - As we are often hunched over our laptops or books this movement space is here to encourage us to exercise, stretch, re-energise and re-focus.

Helen Howard Graduate Student Reading Room - This ‘grad students only’ space is great for group study sessions, presentations and collaboration. The Jordan Library Rare Books and Special Collections study room located in the Douglas Library will become our equivalent graduate study space for the summer. It is important to note, no food or drinks are allowed here.

- A stop for snacks and coffee to go (closed for spring/summer term).

Music Room - This bookable room has an eclectic piano for use. Priority is given to music students. 

– Holds over “101,000 maps, 1,900 books and atlases, 45,000 air photos, and 1,000s of licensed digital map and image files”. Here you will also find special scanners, camera copy stands, workstations with specialized software and equipment to borrow such as stereoscopes.

Meditation Room - A popular, yet quiet, special space for yoga, prayer, meditation, and grounding practices. 

– Located on the lower level, this space is where you can find DVDs and CDs and viewing rooms. LPs are also available for loan however are in the storage facility. 

– This everchanging display located on the ground floor is a great place to browse the library’s newest acquisitions. All items are loanable.

Individual workstations with a secured storage space for graduate students who do not have office space.

Scanning and Photocopying – Available on most floors. Scanning is free, while photocopying requires payment through . Black & White: single sided $0.10 / printed side (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14"), double sided $0.09 / printed side (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14") Colour: single sided $0.45 / printed side (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14"), double sided $0.40 / printed side (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14"). Digitization requests also available.

Stauffer Terrace -The perfect patio with umbrellas to get some fresh air and sunshine. This is the go-to place when the sun is out and the weather is just right.

Staff/Student Learning Centre - A great space for studying, collaborating, and presenting. While there, check out the Wampum Bead Wall and the Indigenous wooden feature ceiling.

– Bookable rooms for studying and collaboration. Working with Four Directions, 12 of the study rooms have been given Indigenous names and art.

Union Gallery -Take a break from your studies and stress at Union Gallery a free student-centred, public, contemporary art gallery. On view until May 11 areLove ends, but what if it doesn’t? Meenakashi Ghadial + Caryn Wei Ya Xie (Main Space), Haven, Adrien Crossman (Project Room), The Pronoun Project, Hill Werth (Feature Wall). From June 1 – June 22 is Home Sweet Home (Main Space), Curated by Re Parsons. Keep an eye out for workshops, events and openings.

Queen’s Authors Display - Check out what other Queen’s staff and students have published. Have a monograph? See if the library can acquire it and display it here.