Library Services

From the Brown Family House of Learning and our two branch locations, Law and Williams Lake, TRU Library is committed to supporting the teaching and research needs of students, faculty, and staff.

The House of Learning study spaces on floors 1, 2 and 4 are open from 7:30am - midnight, Monday to Sunday, from January 3rd to April 24th. Branch locations as outlined in library hours

In-person library services, including research help, access to the book collections, access to reserve materials, laptop and equipment pick-up and drop-off will be available during these hours at our three locations. Our online resources are available 24/7.

As outlined in TRU and provincial health guidelines wearing masks is a personal choice in all library spaces. 

Introducing the TRU Library Makerspace! 

Located on the ground floor of The Brown Family House of Learning (TRU Kamloops Campus Library), the TRU Library Makerspace is a welcoming place where students, staff, and faculty can explore creative technologies in a safe and supportive environment. Check the Makerspace website for more information (including opening hours) and stop by for a visit!

 In-Person services: research help, access to the book collections, and access to Reserve materials , laptop and A/V equipment pick-up and drop-off : hours

• AV Equipment & Laptop Loans – Loans periods are for 3 days. Laptops are available on a first come first served basis from the Pickup Desk (1st floor of House of Learning) or at other times Research Help Desk (3rd floor) of House of Learning during posted hours and at the Williams Lake Campus Library during library hours.
• Book returns via book drop – An outside book drop is available 24/7 on the corner of House of Learning closest to the parking lot. The book drop inside the House of Learning is available during student study area hours.
• Computers - available on the 2nd floor of House of Learning and at the Williams Lake campus
• Printing & Scanning – available on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of House of Learning and at the Williams Lake campus.
• Reserves - available on the 3rd floor of the House of Learning during these  library hours.
  • Browse the books and other materials on Reserve here. Loan periods for physical books will be 2 hours, 1 day or 3 days. They are available on a first come first served basis.
  • Faculty members and instructors wishing to place physical copies of materials or equipment on reserve or in a reading list can contact the Library using this online form.
• Study Spaces
  • House of Learning: Study carrels, study pods, group tables, soft seating, and a silent reading room.
  • Williams Lake library: Study carrels, study pods, group tables, and group study rooms.
  • House of Learning Group Study Rooms and a Family Study Room are available during Library Service hours. Availability and booking: Book a Group Study Room
  • House of Learning Graduate Student Individual Study rooms are available to currently registered graduate students. To book: Book a Graduate Student Individual Study Room
• Subject Librarians – Make an appointment with a librarian to get in-depth research assistance. 
• Workshops - offered throughout the semester and  posted under Events on the library homepage

Online services:

• Course Reading List Service – TRU Library offers a Course Reading List Service providing instructors and students with a single online access point for course reading materials while assuring copyright compliance. 
• Interlibrary Loan Services – Items not held by the TRU Library can be borrowed from other libraries using the ILL online request form. 
• Touchless Borrowing Services – Use the "Request this Item" form appearing in any Discover search to request physical items or scans of items from the TRU Library collections.
• Online Library Assistance –  Use the "Ask the Library" button on the library homepage (responses within 24 hours) or instant chat AskAway (when the service is available - AskAway hours).
• Online Resources – Access ebooks, articles, and streaming video 24/7 using the Discover Search box on the Library homepage
• Online Workshops – Offered throughout the semester and posted under Events on the library homepage
• Subject Librarians – Make an appointment with a librarian to get in-depth research assistance online. 

Students:

Faculty:

TRU Library offers touchless borrowing services.  In the Library’s Discover search tool the “Request this Item”  appears in each print item record. 

Choose the “Request this item” link to review the options available including:

• Pickup at House of Learning – Have items placed in 24/7 Pickup Lockers outside of the House of Learning. You will be notified by email if material has been placed in the Pickup Lockers for you.
• Pickup at Williams Lake  – Have items sent to Williams Lake Library for pickup between 8:30 am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. 
• Scan & Email to Me – A chapter or section of a book will be scanned and emailed provided the request meets TRU Fair Dealing Policy.
• Ship to Me – Provide a Canadian mailing address to have the item mailed to you.
  • Shipped items may take up to three weeks to arrive.
  • Items without proper mailing addresses will be cancelled but can be resubmitted with a correct address.
  • Reserve materials or equipment cannot be requested using Ship to Me.
  • We are no longer shipping within Kamloops, please choose pick-up as your method of receiving items if you live in the city.
  • We do not ship internationally.

Once the item is available for pickup, has been shipped, or has been scanned, you will receive an email regarding material availability.
 

Loan periods and Recalls

• Physical Reserve materials - 2 hours, 1 day or 3 days as requested by course instructor.
• Laptops - 3 days with one in-person renewal.
• All other library materials including books, CDs, DVDs -  Loan periods are outlined here. If you receive a recall notice, you will have two weeks to return the requested item(s) to the library before fines are incurred. 

Obtaining Materials not Held by TRU Library

If there is something you need that is not available in the TRU Library print or online collections, the TRU Library can try to obtain it from another library.  Please use the online interlibrary loan request form:

• Request an article, book, or book chapter

Requests for articles and book chapters requested from other libraries will be delivered to you online. Books, DVDs, or other physical items may will be placed in the Hold Pickup Lockers outside of HL.

TRU Library offers both a Reserve collection and a Course Reading List Service.

• Browse books and other materials on Reserve here. Loan periods for physical books on reserve will be 1 day or 3 days, depending on the item. Physical items are available on a first come first served basis from the Research Help Desk, 3rd floor, House of Learning during open hours.
• Faculty members and instructors wishing to place physical copies of materials on reserve or in a reading list can contact the Library via the Reserve reading list submission form.

TRU Library has launched a Course Reading List Service. This service gives instructors and students one single online access point for course reading materials while assuring copyright compliance.

To submit your reading list or reserve items to the library, please use the online form. You can upload a syllabus and/or reading list in any citation style. We will assist you with resource recommendations, checking accessibility, and posting materials.

 If you have further questions about the Course Reading List Service, contact your subject librarian.

1. What is the TRU Library Course Reading List Service?

Using the Course Reading List Service, faculty and instructors can add, edit, and customize course reading lists. This service functions like a digital course-pack, and is accessible, free and available to students 24 hours a day. The reading list can be easily integrated into a Moodle course but also resides on the Library Reserves listing where students can browse the course reading lists by course name and number, instructor, and broad subject area.

 2. How can the TRU Library help me?

Through the Course Reading List Service, the library can support faculty and instructors by:

• Providing links to physical items in the Library Reserve collection. Physical copies of materials and equipment are available either through our Touchless Borrowing Services or for in-person pick-up at HL (hours).
• Providing the necessary permalinks to licensed TRU Library electronic resources including ebooks, ebook chapters, streaming video, and ejournal articles
• Scanning and uploading parts of print books and journal articles provided required sections meet TRU fair dealing guidelines
• Scanning and uploading any information that you have personally created for student use (i.e. test solutions, drawings, notes, etc.)
• Incorporating links to Internet resources and Open Education Resources (OERs)

The Library can also support faculty and instructors with:

• When possible, purchasing ebooks or streaming video in support of course reading lists
• Assisting instructors in identifying OERs in support of course reading lists
• Requiring TRU EZProxy or Moodle login and password for material to be accessed.  
• Releasing Course Reading Lists by a specified date or adding additional password protection (e.g. for test solutions or other information restricted to only those registered for the course) 
• Reusing and rechecking Course Reading List links for accuracy every term 

3. How does the Course Reading List Service Work?

To submit your reading list or reserve items to the library, use the online form. You can upload a syllabus and/or reading list in any citation style. We will assist you with resource recommendations, checking accessibility, and posting materials.  

4. How do I integrate my Course Reading List into my Moodle Course?

Once your reading list has been added to the Library Reserve page, library staff will notify you. To add the Reading List automatically to your Moodle, follow these step-by-step instructions:

House of Learning:

• Research Help Desk, Pickup Desk, library collections, and study spaces access are available as outlined in the hours page
• Touchless Borrowing Requests are placed into the Pickup Lockers outside the building.
• Study spaces are available on floors 1,2, and 4 from 7:30 am to midnight Monday to Sunday

Law Library:

• The Law Research Guide provides details about Law Library resources and services as well as contact information of the law librarians.

Williams Lake Library:

• The Williams Lake Library Guide provides details about Williams Lake Campus Library services as well as contact information for the campus librarian.

Distance, Regional and Open Learning Services (DROL):

A full array of library services are available for distance, regional, and online learning (DROL) students. DROL students may also use “Request this Item” link that appears in item records in Discover. The DROL Library Services Guide provides detailed information.

Chose the “Request this item” link to review the options available including:

• Pickup at House of Learning - pick up the items from 24/7 Hold Pickup Lockers outside the building.
• Pickup at Williams Lake  – pick up the item at the Williams Lake Library between 9am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. 
• Scan & Email to Me – A chapter or section of a book will be scanned and emailed provided the request meets TRU Fair Dealing Policy.
• Ship to Me – Provide a North American mailing address to have the item mailed to you. Please note: shipped items may take up to three weeks to arrive. 

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