What I Wish I Knew, My Advice to You…

By Camille Blaise, 2020 McGill Faculty of Arts graduate and Communications Assistant at the McGill Library

While student life looks different right now, by the time some of you are in your graduating year (trust me it goes by fast), hopefully things will be back to “normal” or even improved. I assure you that in whatever capacity, the library will become a fixture in your university life and if you doubt me, I implore you to take advantage of the resources at your fingertips – advantages I wish I had taken advantage of myself.

While I had the McGill Library website bookmarked and ready to deploy with one click, there are some things I wish I’d known about earlier such as liaison librarians and workshops concerning research and citations.

“McGill Library is not just there to help other faculty members teach but is itself an educator, where students become the author of their own curriculum.”

The library was not always my main location for studying, although it was a space I considered comfortable. Virtually, however, I have faith the library will be just as welcoming and dedicated to student advancement and growth. McGill Library is not just there to help other faculty members teach but is itself an educator, where students become the author of their own curriculum.

As a recent graduate, and someone who’s gotten to know the library in a more intimate way through working there, my advice would simply be to use the library as much as you can, even if it has nothing to do with your field of study. It’s in times like these, with calls to action in the realms of politics, climate change and social justice, where it’s imperative for young vibrant minds to absorb as much information as they can, to educate themselves to the best measure possible.

With access to close to 3.5 Million e-books, digital collections and exhibits, a repository of all kinds of music, and technology that can save lives, the library and the staff who help run it, are there for you and your education.

This all sounds cheesy, like that of a hallmark card, but sometimes the cheesiest statements are the truest statements. Let the McGill Library be there for you.

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