The day after Labour Day always ushers in a sea of new faces at York University. It’s probably one of the best days to be on campus, as everyone is busy participating in O-week activities and welcoming new students to York.

Here at the Bronfman Business Library, our staff are really excited to meet the incoming class of 2019! We can’t wait to help you find your course reserves, teach you how to navigate the Library’s website, and show you how to format your citations.

Unfortunately, we won't get to meet all of the incoming business students during their first few weeks here, so we’ve put together a list of handy resources to help make this big life transition a bit easier for first year students:

1) How to Navigate the Keele Campus

York is BIG place! Sometimes it can be confusing to get around the campus, especially during your first month here. We recommend checking out the Keele Interactive Map. You can search the map for your classes, and other useful buildings, like the William Small Centre (that’s where you can get your YU-card). You can also download the O-Week App, which has a campus map on it.

We also recommend taking a look at this list of building code acronyms at York. It will help you figure out what cryptic codes like R S refer to and you can then use this information to search the Keele Interactive Map.

2) How to Find Course Reserves

Many of your courses will probably use something called course reserves. This is when a course instructor has placed a required or recommended book on reserve at the Library. Typically, you can check the book out of the library for either 2-hours, 1-day, or 3-days. This allows for a larger number of students to access the books. Use the following steps to access the course reserves section of the Library's website:

• Start at the Libraries’ homepage.
• Click on “Course Reserves” and search by your course number or your prof’s name:
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• Here’s what the results look like for MGMT 1030:
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• Once you find the book you want, make sure to write down the location and the call number of the book:
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• If your course reserve is at Bronfman and is a 2-hr reserve, you can retrieve it by giving our circulation staff the book’s call number. If it’s a 1-day or 3-day reserve, it’ll be on the shelves behind our computer workstations.

 3) Where to Start with Business Research

After the fun of O-week settles down, you’ll start noticing that a lot of your classes require you to complete essays, reports, and other types of assignments that require….a lot of business research! Don’t fear the research assignment – your resourceful librarians are here to help you out. The Bronfman Library has 4 business librarians and we’re always happy to help you out with your research needs. Contact us by phone, email, through our business librarian chat on the Bronfman website, or feel free to stop by our offices in the Bronfman Library.

 

We also recommend that you take a look at our handy business research guides. They’ll help you get started with a variety of business research topics, such as company, industry, marketing, and finance research.

 4) Getting Help with Citation

Whether you’re asked to cite in APA, MLA, or Chicago, the Libraries have you covered! We have a useful guide that links to different resources that will help you cite in these styles. And the Bronfman Library also has a guide that focuses on citing business database resources in APA and MLA.

Additionally, if you encounter a tricky resource and can't figure out how to cite it, contact one of the librarians at Bronfman.

5) SPARK

SPARK is a fantastic online learning platform that the Libraries developed with the Learning Skills Services Department and the Writing Centre at York. It includes 13 short modules that will help you learn all of the basics you need for researching, writing, and completing an academic assignment at York! The best part about SPARK is that you can access it anywhere and at any time of the day. It also has tons of useful handouts that you can print out and use at home. We highly recommend the following modules:

• Understanding Your Assignment
• Research Strategies
• Creating Bibliographies (includes tip sheets for APA, MLA, & Chicago)
• Writing Strategies

6) The Learning Commons (Research, Writing, Learning Skills, & Career Services Help)

The Learning Commons is located on the second floor of Scott Library. It's a hub of activity for students, as this area includes 4 pods that offer different types of academic help to students.

• Research Pod: At this pod you can get research help from a Scott Librarian. Scott Librarians specialize in humanities, social sciences, fine arts, and environmental studies research. If you're taking a course in any of these subject areas, then this research pod is a great starting place for you! Help from the Scott Librarians is available 7 days a week at various times during the day.
•  Writing Pod: At this pod you can stop in for a 15-minute appointment with a writing expert Mondays-Fridays during 1:30pm-3:20pm and Saturdays from 1pm-2:50pm. If you need a longer session, Schulich School of Business and Liberal Arts and Professional Studies students can book a one-to-one 50-minute writing instruction session at the Writing Centre. These sessions can happen once a week over a period of time. While the Writing Centre is not a proofreading or editing service, they do help you develop the writing skills you need to complete academic assignments.
• Learning Skills Services Pod: At this pod you can drop-in for a 15-minute appointment with a Learning Skills Services expert on Thursdays from 1:30pm-3:20pm. You might ask -- what is a learning skills expert? Well, York's experts put on a series of workshops for students that focus on building academic skills like reading and note taking and time management. Check out the Learning Skills website for a list of workshops they hold throughout the year and for more info on booking a longer one-on-one session with an expert.
• Career Services Pod:  It's never too early to start thinking about your post-university career! You can book an appointment on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm or you can drop-in for a 15-minute consultation on Tuesdays from 10am-12pm or Thursdays from 1pm-3pm. You should also check out the great workshops and more in-depth appointment options on the Career Centre's website. Their site also has a handy section about planning your career.

We hope the following tips help you out during your first year at York University! Good luck with your studies and don't hesitate to contact the Bronfman Library if you need any help getting started with your business research.