Access to Online Resources

• Most Library databases are available for walk-in use.
• A selection of databases is available to alumni to access from off campus. In order to access these resources, please activate your Brock alumni account. Please note that Alumni borrowing accounts expire after 12 months of activation. Renew them at the Ask Us desk. 

Borrowing

• Present your alumni card at the Ask Us Desk and register for your alumni special borrower’s card free of charge.
• If you do not have an alumni card, email alumni@brocku.ca with your student ID # and mailing address to request one.
  • If you have forgotten your student number, please email records@brocku.ca or call 905 688 5550 x3052 to request this confidential information.
• Enjoy 2-week loans of up to 20 items from our open collection. Please note the following collections are not available:
  • Course Readings (Reserve materials)
  • Equipment for Loan
  • Badger Books
  • Indigenous Reading Collection
  • Board games
  • IRC (St. Catharines & Burlington campus) materials
  • Map, Data & GIS Library materials
  • CPI (Centre for Pedagogical Innovation) materials

Borrowing

Having a current Brock Card allows you to borrow library materials.

Contact the Brock Card Office to determine whether you need a replacement card in order to  sign out library materials.

More Information: View the library’s complete borrowing policies.

Access to Electronic Resources

The Brock campus portal provides access to library online resources including databases, journals and articles. Contact Brock Information Technology Services if you any have questions or need further assistance.

Interlibrary Loan

Access to Interlibrary Loan service requires campus portal access to register and place requests. Additionally, users require a current Brock Card to sign out books retrieved from other libraries on your behalf.

Community members are welcome to borrow physical items and browse our online collections free of charge, in-person. Additionally, a significant number of open access databases are freely available to access from off campus.

• To access our workstations, please present your photo id to staff at the Ask Us desk. A temporary user account will be generated for you.
• Enjoy 2-week loans of up to 20 items from our open collection. Please note the following collections/services are not available:
  • Course Readings (Reserve materials)
  • Equipment for Loan
  • Badger Books
  • Indigenous Reading Collection
  • Board games
  • IRC (St. Catharines & Burlington campus) materials
  • Map, Data & GIS Library materials
  • CPI (Centre for Pedagogical Innovation) materials
  • Interlibrary loan services

Membership fees

The James A. Gibson Library welcomes class and individual visits from high school students in the community.

Individual Student Visits

• The James A. Gibson and Map, Data & GIS Libraries are open to the public and visitors are free to use the print collections during all open hours.
• Students can visit the Ask Us Desk to register for a free 24 hour temporary user account to access online resources using our library workstations (photo ID is required).
• Our friendly staff are available to provide research help to all visitors.

Class Visits

To arrange a class visit please email libhelp@brocku.ca. A class visit typically involves:

• A hands-on instruction workshop provided by a Library staff member which is customized to your specific class assignment.
• The class teacher/school librarian scheduling the visit at least 2 weeks in advance and being present throughout the visit.
• A brief Library tour and introduction to the post-secondary library, specifically here at Brock University.
• Groups of up to 30 students.

Brock University and Niagara College have a reciprocal borrowing agreement for faculty, staff and students.

Under this agreement, Niagara College users may borrow books from the James A. Gibson Library and the St. Catharines & Burlington Instructional Resource Centres (IRC) at no charge.  To register for borrowing privileges, please:

• visit the Ask Us Desk and complete an Extramural Borrowers’ form.
• show a valid Niagara College picture ID card, and one other supporting piece of identification.
• log into your college portal/email account to verify your current status.
• re-register annually.

Details

• Niagara College users may borrow up to 15 items from our open collection. Please note the following collections are not available:
  • Course Readings (Reserve materials)
  • Equipment for Loan
  • Badger Books
  • Indigenous Reading Collection
  • Board games
  • Map, Data & GIS Library materials
  • CPI (Centre for Pedagogical Innovation) materials
• The loan period is 2 weeks and you may renew your items once.
• Overdue fines of 50 cents per day per item apply. Overdue recalled items are $2.00 per day.
• Books must be returned to Brock
• Expiry dates
  • Students — August 31
  • Faculty & staff — One year from date of registration
• Walk-in access to most databases is available.
• Many open access databases are available to access from off campus.

The hosting department of the visiting scholar must arrange for an ID card and online access to resources on their behalf.

More information is available on our access privileges page.