Coffee and tea are essential to studying – please allow it!!! I cannot choose between studying and coffee.

We do allow it!!! No need to choose, just be sure to bring your coffee/tea in a spill-proof mug.

It would be great if there could be a designated area for eating in the Library. It is a waste of time to have to leave every time you want to eat.

Let students have simple snacks and drinks in the Library, if there are any problems it will mostly affect our own computers as we all bring laptops.

Please provide a quick eating space so we don't have to leave the library to have a quick lunch.

Food in a library is not just about the spills and cleaning costs – which are substantial if you let 10,000 people per day eat and drink. There is also a concern about food attracting insects, small rodents, etc. We’re sure our students would not want to attract any creepy crawlers, and our books don’t like them much either!

We understand though that studying for long periods of time without eating is difficult, so we have created small, designated eating spots at each library to keep the food contained to one area, away from the collection. These spots are intended for snacks and quick meals.

At Vanier, you will find the food area at the staircase landing of the 2nd and 3rd floor. At the Webster library, the food area is at the top of the entrance staircase and 1st floor elevator. There are currently are four spots there now, but we can see that this is not enough and will be looking into adding more.

I think there should be more silent study spaces with comfortable seating at both libraries.

The chairs in the Vanier Library are very uncomfortable.

Everyone's preferences when it comes to seating is slightly different, we are hoping that with many of the new study spaces at the Webster Library, you can find a few that meet your needs.

There is a range of different spaces at the Vanier library too, although we also know that the chairs in the study spaces on the 2nd floor are particularly uncomforatble. Fortunately, thanks to the Library Services Fund, more comfortable chairs were since purchased for that floor.

More group study space is needed.

Group study rooms aren't being used to their potential: either only one student is using the room alone, the same students are booking the rooms, or no one is showing up for their reservation.

The study rooms are always full!

Sometimes the rooms get booked but then the groups don’t show up! There should be a way to verify the room bookings.

Some people are always in the study room, using it for quiet study. They should be reserved for those who need to do group work or work with a tutor!

Our study room policy states:

Bookings at Webster Library become invalid if the room is not claimed within the first 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes, the booking becomes invalid if at any point the room is left unoccupied. Bookings at Vanier Library and the Grey Nuns Reading Room become invalid if the room is not claimed within the first 15 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, the booking becomes invalid if at any point the room is left unoccupied.

Individuals cannot claim group study room bookings. A minimum of two (2) people affiliated with Concordia are required to use a room. If there is only one person using a room, they may be asked to leave.

Our booking system allows a maximum of one room booking per person per day.

At Webster and Grey Nuns, there is a tablet outside the study room door where you can check in and claim your booking. If you fail to check in, the booking is voided and the room is opened up for others to reserve.

Unfortunately there is no way to check-in to a study room at Vanier. If you notice that a group has not turned up for their room booking and you would like book the room for your group, you will have to ask at the Circulation Desk to make your booking on that space. Once the renovations take place at Vanier, we will have the tablets outside the door to make the reservation and check-in process easier.

Between the Webster and Vanier libraries and Grey Nuns Reading Room, there are 38 group study rooms. If you know you have an upcoming group work or tutor appointment, book your room as soon you can.

There are bugs in the library!

If you spot any bugs, please take a picture, note the location and report the sighting to one of our services desks or using the Ask a Librarian service.

We take reports of insects seriously and will rope off areas to undergo a deeper clean when we confirm any reports of insect infestation. If you see any bugs, please report it!

The library can be noisy at times, especially during peak periods.

The silence rules are not respected!

People still make noise and bring their laptops into the zero-noise, no typing room!

Please remember that you can report a noise complaint directly to Library staff or security agents, but you can also report it to one of the Ask a Librarian services. When you use one of these services, make sure to report the location so we can send a staff member to follow up.

There are students from other universities using the library.

The library spaces should be reserved for Concordia students only!

Our recent library visitor's survey showed that on average day, only 5% of our visitors are not Concordia community members. Concordia University is a public institution and the Library transformation was funded, in part, with public money. That means that Concordia, the library included, is open to the public, which includes students from other institutions, just as the other universities in Montreal are open to Concordia students.

There are two exceptions to this, the Grey Nuns Reading Room is restricted to current Concordia students, additionally the Webster and Vanier Library are restricted between 11pm amd 7am. If you plan to study during those hours, remember your Student ID card!

Please bring back the study carrels. Many students require barriers to avoid being distracted while studying.

I do not like that cubicle style desks have been eliminated.

There should be some privacy available to students who do not want to be distracted.

More private study space is needed such as carrels or private booths for graduate students.

During the transformation the older style of wooden study carrels were replaced with tables that feature 18" frosted dividers, as seen here. These are on the 2nd floor and more are coming to the other reading rooms in the Webster Library. We will be adding some to the Webster Library Graduate Study Space as well.

If you prefer the old style of carrel, there are still some to be found at the Vanier Library in the quiet study area of the 2nd floor.

For more background on study carrels in libraries, and suggestions for places to study without distraction, see this blog post.

We want a renovation at Vanier Library, too!!

The books are great, but the library is ugly.

You should make the library a nicer place to study, I spend so much time here and the atmosphere is depressing!

Webster has renovated to improve the quality of the space, why no love for Vanier?

It's coming!!! Planning for the Vanier Library renovation will begin in fall 2018! If you have any specific comments about what you would like to see, please send them to the Suggestion Blog.

There are not enough power outlets at Vanier.

Some of the tables in the group study rooms at Vanier don't have plugs in them.

We tried! We have been told by campus engineers that the Vanier Library is at its maximum capacity for power outlets; if we add more we will start tripping breakers. We are going to see if there is anything we can do during the upcoming renovations to help address this issue!

Can the library offer more e-books for downloading?

It would be great if you could start offering books online. We could save the time it takes to find, borrow and return books. You could even charge a small fee for this option.

In some fields e-books are highly preferred, particularly if downloadable and with unlimited simultaneous access

We offer thousands of online books – just take a peek in our library catalogue or Discovery Search box on the homepage, our online books will turn up in your search results. You can also browse our e-books collection.

Unfortunately, not all of our suppliers will allow for downloading or multiple simultaneous user access. We do our best to acquire and negotiate for licenses that allow for the most freedoms with downloading and access, however due to copyright law and publisher's policies and liscensing, this is not always possible. No matter the downloading restrictions though, all of our e-books are definitely free for our students to access.

There aren’t enough copies of textbooks on reserve and sometimes not all readings are on reserve.

Textbooks on reserve are in high demand and there are not always enough copies available

We understand that textbooks are an expensive part of student life. Unfortunately, we cannot supply textbooks for every student all semester long. Instead, we provide at least one copy for short-term loan so that students can read or make copies as needed. We do hear your frustration though and we have acquired a few more copies for those courses with high class numbers. This service is thanks to the Library Services Fund – for students from students.

Online course reserves are not an automatic process. It is upon request from course instructors that the library provides online access to course readings such as articles. Log into the Course Reserves System to see what readings are online for your courses.

Please obtain recent academic books or lets us know how to obtain recent publications.

We try to keep our collection timely and comprehensive, but it is true that we cannot buy everything. No one library can afford this – and so as a network, we use our Interlibrary Loan system to allow students to borrow books from other libraries. It’s free!

If there is a book that you think should be in the library's collection, you can use our Suggest a Purchase form to request we buy it.

You can also check out the most recent additions to our collection on the New Book Display shelf at Vanier or online through one of our subject specific new book RSS feeds.

D’avantage de ressources en français aussi!

Oui le besoin est noté, notre population étudiante est de plus en plus bilingue et avoir des documents en plusieurs langues amène aussi des points de vues différents et enrichissants. Concordia demeure un établissement de langue d’enseignement anglophone et la majorité de nos ressources sont naturellement en anglais.

À Montréal on a le privilège d’avoir plusieurs universités à proximité du métro. Avec la carte d’emprunt BCI c’est possible d’avoir accès à leurs ressources aussi.

The Library should be promoting open access journals and publishers.

The Library has been involved in supporting open access through various initiatives including the Concordia Open Access Author Fund, our institutional open access repository, Spectrum and the Concordia University Press.

At my previous institution, it was impossible for anyone to "request" a book from you. If you wanted a text that someone else already had then your request was automatically sent to interlibrary loan.

With books in our regular collection, every user is guaranteed a two week loan period before it can be requested. We understand the frustration of having to return a book you still need, but we find this system is fair for all as it is difficult to get popular books from other libraries as well.

How does one obtain a book located at the other Concordia Campus Library?

If a circulating book or media item you need is located on the other Concordia campus, you may request that it be brought to your campus using the Request feature in the discovery search or library catalogue. You will receive an email notification when the item is available to be picked up.

I want to know more about Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and Article Delivery Services

In September 2018, we began offering workshops for those interested in learning more about our ILL and Article Delivery services. You can also read about ILL on our website.

I wish we can receive print articles by email.

Articles and chapters from print or microform sources can be scanned and sent to you as a PDF attachment via email. Use our online form to make an article delivery request.

I wish I can get my ILL requests faster.

The Library strives to make sure that patrons receive their requests as soon as possible. For articles, you will usually be notified via email within 2 working days that your request is ready; for book requests, it may take longer as we need to find a library willing to lend the book and then they have to mail it to us. Patrons are always welcome to contact us in ILL and ask about the status of their requests.

I wish ILL was open longer hours.

We don’t have the staff at the moment to increase our service hours at ILL.

ILL requests can be made online at any time and we will process them immediately the next work day. Once the item arrives, we will contact you by email. Articles are available as pdf downloads from a link in the email, while books may be picked up at the Webster Loans desk or the Vanier Circulation desk, which has longer opening hours than ILL.

It would be very helpful if you could offer access to the wireless network for students from other universities who are visiting Concordia.

Students, faculty and staff visiting from other universities can use the Eduroam service to access Concordia’s wireless network with their home institution credentials. They will first need to consult the Concordia Eduroam info page to learn how to configure their device.

When I place a hold at the Webster Library, I can pick it up myself whenever I like. Why can't a similar self-serve pick-up option be available at the Vanier Library?

It is in our plan this year to implement a 24-hour self-serve Holds shelf at Vanier in the Course Reserves Room like there is at Webster Library.

The new website and Discovery search are interesting, but navigation is still a challenge and should be made simpler.

I'm not sure about the new "discovery" page. It seemed easier to search in the past.

I'm not a fan of the discovery search - its search results are unpredictable!

The nice thing about the Discovery Search is that it combines searching for books and academic articles from many different databases all in one spot, which was something people requested in the last survey. It also contains information from all the disciplines and is not specific to one subject area.

That said, we understand that not everyone likes to search the same way. The previous default search on the website was the library catalogue and that option is still available on the tab above the search box. If you wanted to focus your search to journal articles in one specific discipline, you can use our Database by Subject page to locate resources that focus on a specific subject area or consult a subject guide to see what your librarian recommends.

Our website, library catalogue, Discovery Search and databases should be available to you 24/7, so if you find that those tools are not working properly, please let us know using one of the Ask a Librarian contact options.

I've been experiencing some technical issues when accessing e-resources (downtime, broken links) and it is inconvenient to have to use the VPN to access resources when off-campus

Seeking solutions to all reported problems is a priority for us. Please report technical issues using one of the Ask a Librarian services when you encounter them! If we don't know about a problem we can't work on fixing it.

Easy access to all our e-resources depends on many systems, some of which we control and some of which are out of our control because they are handled by external providers. We can start troubleshooting technical problems as soon as we receive reports, but in some cases, the problem is with an external system and we have to rely on our providers to fix it.

Recently, a technical upgrade of the library proxy server increased our compatibility with the latest Web standards which has improved ease of access to e-resources from off campus.

The library could be a great resources but I have trouble with navigating the online site and accessing information.

We understand that navigating the library's resources can be a frustrating and confusing experience sometimes. There is a lot of information out there across many platforms that can be very different. We are planning to add some short videos at various points on our website to help with some of resources and services. However, until that happens, any time you have difficulties, Ask a Librarian! We offer help via chat, email and in person to suit your preference. We also have a brand new library tutorial to help familiarize you with the basics of using the Library effectively.

Using technology at the physical library can be frustrating as it is not clear who to ask for help. Posters next to the printers, photocopiers, and scanners with *clear* instructions about basic tasks and the appropriate desk to visit if there is a problem would be very helpful.

Thank you for your comments. We have arranged for new posters near the scanners and the printers with better instructions on how to use them.

If you are visiting the library and need help with using the technology and print, you can always ask at the Ask Us! desks (Webster Library) or the Reference and Information Desk (Vanier). If we are unable to answer your questions, we can help you figure out the department that can!

I find the online chat with a librarian very helpful, but wish it could be accessible more hours of the day and weekends.

We're so glad you like our chat services! The hours are scheduled during peak demand, including weekends. We've recently done a review of usage, and have extended chat hours by opening the chat at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. We know it's not a big change but we hope it will be welcome and useful.

The one time that we had a librarian visit our class they gave us tips and directions that you might offer to undergraduates. They did not seem capable of offering a variety of resources for graduate level research.

Yes, it's tough to ensure instructional sessions are useful to all when students have a range of information literacy skills and research experience. You may not be aware that we offer one-on-one consultations with subject librarians that are better tailored to individual needs. You can arrange for a consultation via our Ask a Librarian page.

I am having trouble finding information and navigating the online resources.

I wish there were more information on how to use the library resources.

I’ve taken classes on how to use the library and conduct research, but friends of mine who did not have this opportunity feel quite overwhelmed. Maybe classes like this should be mandatory?

I haven’t yet written a real research paper and I am worried I won’t know how to do library research when the time comes.

I don’t know how to get research help at the library. How does one find research material, including primary sources for graduate level work?

We can help! We offer a variety of introductory library workshops that, while not mandatory, are available to all students.

If you have never done library research before and don't know where to start, take a look at our new online tutorial to help you learn library research skills on your own.

If you need help with something more specific, like , for example, we offer many online guides to address more specific questions. You’ll find help guides under categories such as Finding, Writing, Evaluating and Citing. You can also browse for guides by user type, such as undergrad, graduate student or faculty. Or you can pick one of the specific guides prepared by the subject librarian in your discipline. You can find all the guides linked to on our website in one place, under the Help and How-To tab < https://library.concordia.ca/help/> .

If you would prefer to talk to someone and get help in person, you can always tell us about whatever problem you are encountering using one of the Ask a Librarian options. We offer help via chat, email and in person to suit your preference - https://library.concordia.ca/help/questions/

The renovations are great now that they are complete, but perhaps you could make the space even more special by adding more art, exhibitions, events, etc.

We agree! As we are writing this response, our first exhibition is being installed in our new exhibition space on Level 2 of the Webster Library. We agree that the Library is a special place and we'll be looking for ways to continue enhancing its ambience as a preferred space on campus.

The renovations have made the Webster Library "awesome", "absolutely gorgeous", "great atmosphere for studying", "quiet space is amazing", etc, etc.

Aw, shucks!!! We are so pleased that so many of you gave such positive feedback. We hope that students enjoy our lovely new spaces at the Webster Library and help us keep them lovely for years to come. We'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who provided feedback during the entire process, who patiently accepted the inconveniences that come with a major renovation, and who are now showing us that our efforts have paid off! Take a walk around the Library, and you will see students learning in all sorts of ways, in every direction!

I want adjustable desks and chairs, and standing desks too.

The tables should be wider / deeper. The desktops area are not ergonomic.

We need more natural light.

We would like a rest area.

Love the new design!

You asked for a variety of studying set-ups (tables, chairs, lights, etc). The Webster Library now offers 22 types of study spaces, some more relaxed, others a little more structured. Visit the Library website to learn more about the types of spaces

More glass walls have been included in the design to allow for the natural light from the windows to spread farther and individual light controls at the tables in the silent study halls gives you more control over lighting as you study.

There are also adjustable desks on the 2nd floor and areas with standing desks on the 2nd and 3rd floor. If you don’t want to be restricted to only two floors, you can borrow a portable standing desk at the Webster Loans desk or Vanier Circulation desk and set up wherever you like.