Information for B.C. secondary school students, including those in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, and their teachers

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Welcome to the SFU Library!

This guide provides information to currently enrolled BC secondary school and IB programme students and teachers that will enable you to access the collections and services of SFU Libraries. If this guide does not address your specific inquiries, please feel free to ask us!

Campus visits and other SFU programs & events 

SFU Recruitment offers both in-person and virtual tours; you can register for a tour through the Campus Tours website. For tour inquiries, please contact SFU Recruitment: tour@sfu.ca 

Information for students

Library cards for BC secondary school students 

We are pleased to provide library cards to BC students currently enrolled in BC secondary schools. These cards provide students with borrowing privileges for our physical collection. Library cards issued to high school students do not provide access to our electronic resources or access to our public-use computers. 

Library cards for BC secondary school students are only created when a student presents at the library front desk with a physical item to borrow along with a valid photo ID. Students are responsible for paying fines or fees associated with the cards or their borrowing activities.

Current BC secondary school students who would like a library card may contact Chuk Goodin, Supervisor, Access Services: cgoodin@sfu.ca directly to discuss possible options for obtaining individual library cards.

BC secondary school students in grades up to Grade 11, who are in good standing and have an SFU Library Card, may have their cards renewed for the following year.

Expiry dates for Library cards are August 31st for grades up to Grade 11 and June 30th for Grade 12.

Logging in to the public computers with a temporary guest login ID

When BC secondary school students visit the library, they may request a guest log-in with a username (usernames start with IC....) and a password. 

  • This guest log-in will allow students to use library computers and access our electronic resources IN PERSON at SFU Burnaby's W.A.C. Bennett Library and SFU Surrey’s Fraser Library.
  • The guest log-in ID is only valid for the day requested and at the location which provided the log-in. 
    • If you return to the library another day and would like to use the computers, please ask staff for another guest log-in ID.
  • Students cannot use their guest access at SFU Vancouver's Belzberg Library to use computers or electronic resources.
  • A guest log-in does not allow you to borrow physical materials.

Logging into your Library account

If you would like to borrow physical items and have a library card with a barcode, you may borrow books by logging in to your Library Catalogue account. This barcode will allow you to see what you have checked out, renew your borrowed materials and place holds.

BC secondary students cannot access the library's electronic resources, including eBooks, online reference sources, or online journal articles, from off campus. To access the electronic resources, you will need to use your guest log-in IN PERSON at W.A.C. Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby).

Library research resources

The library website offers many resources for student researchers. In addition to materials such as books and journals, we are happy to provide a number of learning resources to help you develop your library research skills.

Library research tutorials and guides

The Library Research Skills Tutorial for Secondary School Students is designed to help you research and access resources through SFU Library. In this tutorial, we highlight online research resources that you can access from anywhere, and we also share tips for using print materials that you can find in our campus libraries. 

Every academic discipline has its own research practices, but this resource covers some of the basics that every student needs to know about library research. You can always learn more about research tools and strategies from your teachers, your school librarians, and librarians at your local public libraries.

View additional Library Research Tutorials & Guides, where you can find further information and resources about the research process, search strategies, citing and referencing, and more.

Information for teachers

Library cards for BC secondary school students

We are pleased to provide library cards to borrow physical items for currently enrolled BC secondary school students. These cards only provide students with borrowing privileges for our physical collection and do not provide access to our electronic resources or access to our public-use computers. If you are letting your students know about these services, please advise your students that the library card will only let them borrow physical items and cannot provide access to the public computer or online resources. Students are responsible for paying fines or fees and the expiry dates for Library cards are: August 31st for grades up to Grade 11, and June 30th for Grade 12. Cards will only be created when a student presents at the library front desk with a physical item to borrow along with a valid photo ID.

Students typically can check out an unlimited number of books for 3 weeks. Typically, these books have unlimited online renewals as long as no one else has placed a hold on the item. While there is typically no overdue fines for regular books, those that have holds on them will incur fines if they are not returned on time. Students are responsible for paying fines for these items.

In order for students renew their expired BC secondary school library cards or to request cards, please contact Chuk Goodin, Supervisor, Access Services: cgoodin@sfu.ca.

Research skills for your students

We are pleased to offer you and your students a self-paced Library Research Skills Tutorial for Secondary School Students that introduces some basic library research skills and strategies.