By Falice Chin
According to a recent survey, frosh students aren’t the only ones intimidated by the University of Calgary’s massive MacKimmie Library, many second and third-year students still get lost in the 13-storey labyrinth.
While most attempt to avoid the library for as long as possible, in reality all students will need it at one point or another. Keep in mind though, the library offers many great areas to explore, including music archives, foreign language books, as well as all your textbooks ready to be photocopied chapter by chapter.
The local culture of the library consists of mediocre art work hung on every wall, an information desk that provides wanderers with helpful answers, and most importantly, the reserve reading area. The reserve reading area is one of the hottest locations in MacKimmie Library. Yet in its most populated times, silence is an absolute law. Sometimes profs decide not to give out hand-outs and will direct students to "reserve reading." Due to strict regulations not a single piece of paper is allowed to leave the reserve reading room. In other words, you stay there until you are done reading, or you pay 15 cents per photocopy. However, by putting money on your ID card at the circulation desk, it’s only 10 cents.
Access to the library is simple, all you need to bring with you is your student ID card-provided it has been activated-and you are on your way to unlimited renewals of books (a great tip for English students who don’t want to buy 15 novels). Late books cost a buck a day, and waiting lists complicate things sometimes, but that is what the library is all about.