Introduction to the Library for International Students and New Immigrants

International students may find there are many differences between the UW Library and the libraries in their home countries. For example, students might have been able to find all of their course textbooks at the library, but the UW Library rarely, if ever, purchases textbooks; instead, students are expected to purchase these from the University of Winnipeg Bookstore. (Other required readings may be set aside by instructors on Course Reserve). Another difference is that students might be accustomed to being charged a fee to borrow from a library; at UW, use of the Library is covered by student fees, so there are no extra costs. 

You may find that the most important difference is that the UW Library subscribes to hundreds of electronic databases that provide access to hundreds of scholarly journals, so research won’t need to be limited to just what’s in the Library. Another way that the UW provides access to books and articles beyond its own collection is through InterLibrary Loan: if we don’t have it, we can deliver it, at no additional cost, from another library in Canada.