Get Research Help
Library staff are here to help you navigate the world of information.
Get help when and where you want. Whether you have a quick question or need more in-depth support from a librarian, we have different options to help you do your best. You can:
- Chat with an expert via our Ask a Librarian chat service
- Book a consultation that fits your schedule
Kinds of support
From choosing a topic, to finding sources, to preparing your bibliography – our team of experts can help you every step of the way.
Get help choosing a research question that fits the scope of your assignment. We can save you time pursuing topics that are too narrow or broad.
Find better sources faster, and walk away from consultations with advanced research skills. Our experts can help you:
- Refine search terms
- Get the most out of catalogue searches
- Evaluate the quality of sources
- Access sources for free
- Learn how to find books, articles, and more
- Explore other sources of information
Take the guesswork out of citations and bibliographies by working with our experts to find easy-to-follow style guides, review your drafts, and work through citing unique and unusual sources.
We can also help connect you with other experts on campus for writing, learning development, wellness, and student support.
What to expect with consultations
The service is open to both individuals and groups.
Once you’re booked, simply show up ready for a casual conversation – there's no extra work or preparation required.
Our team will review your request and match you with a library professional who best fits your needs. They’ll come prepared to tackle your request.
Consultations typically take about an hour or less.
Five reasons why it’s worth your time
- No one is born a research expert, but anyone can become one with the right skills and experience. Our team is here not only to assist you with assignments but to help you build life-long research skills that will save you time and stress.
- The academic world is complicated with rules, language, and expectations that may be new to you. We’re here to help walk you through it. We can help explain concepts such as:
- Original research at Western
- Responsible use of resources
- Citing
- Copyright law
- Academic integrity
- The amount of information available today is overwhelming and it’s getting increasingly difficult to determine what sources are reliable. Your professor will expect quality, peer-reviewed sources for your assignments and we can take the guess work out of finding them so it’s as convenient as sifting through a Google search.
- How to cite sources properly is not intuitive. The rules are complicated and differ depending on your discipline and the source of information. Our team can help you get familiar with style guides and work through citing unique and unusual sources. They can even help review your draft citations and bibliographies to ensure you’ve done them correctly.
- Our staff are information professionals. They are formally trained experts at finding and assessing information. They’re also trained to help you build these skills.
