Library Services

Students and faculty of St. Stephen's College have full borrowing privileges to access the collections and services of the University of Alberta Library System, including full access to the print and electronic collections, research databases, interlibrary loan services, reserve services, distance education services, research and publishing supports, teaching supports for faculty, access to library spaces, and borrower/user services.

How to OBTAIN A UALBERTA ONECard and CCID

Library access is managed through UAlberta ONEcards and CCIDs (Campus Computing Identification).      

To obtain a UAlberta ONEcard, please follow the instructions outlined on the UAlberta ONEcard webpage.  ONEcards are used for library borrowing (including at NEOS libraries), print and copy services, and access to student services. ONEcards may also be required to gain borrowing privileges through any of the University’s reciprocal borrowing partnerships (such as TAL and CURBA).

Upon registration in a St. Stephen’s College program/course, the SSC Registrar’s Office will issue each student a UAlberta CCID.  CCIDs are used for electronic/remote access to e-collections, library account access, and access to student services.  (Note: CCIDs will be renewed annually by the SSC Registrar’s Office; password resets, if required, are also managed through the SSC Registrar's Office.)

UALBERTA LIBRARY RESOURCES and Services

The University of Alberta is home to one of the largest academic libraries in Canada.  At present, the University’s current print and electronic collections exceed 5.8 million titles and over 8.4 million volumes. The curricular needs for SSC degree programs intersect with several of the Library’s subject areas, including Art and Design, Counselling, Health Promotion, History, Intersectionality, Medical Humanities, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies (including Theology), and Women’s and Gender Studies.    

The Library extends to all users—including St. Stephen’s students and faculty—a robust set of services that cover a wide range of user needs and academic disciplines.  These include:

St. Stephen’s students and faculty can access all UAlberta library branches. The following UAlberta libraries will prove most helpful for St. Stephen’s research and service needs: 

  • rutherfordreading.jpgRutherford Library: Located within eyesight of St. Stephen’s College, the Rutherford Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education Library is the largest library on campus and the second largest research library in Canada. The collections and services support study, teaching, and research in the Faculties of Arts, Education (including Counselling Psychology), Native Studies, and related disciplines (including the programs of St. Stephen’s College). The Rutherford North building includes collections in Humanities & Social Sciences, Education, and Music, as well as computing and study spaces.  The Rutherford South building houses a beautiful historic reading room, the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library, and computer labs.  Together, Rutherford North and South have over 1200 study spaces, 160 computing workstations, and group study rooms.
  • Cameron Library: The Cameron Library seats 1650 individuals with 400+ computers. It has 18 group study rooms and a mix of comfortable seating.  Located within Cameron is the Digital Scholarship Centre, which provides services to help researchers and students explore digital technologies in research and scholarly communication practices.  The Centre provides 8,000 square feet of research space, including a large-scale, multi-touch visualization wall, seminar rooms for hands-on instructions, gaming quality computers, 3D-printing, fabrication and multimedia equipment, and expert support and instruction services. 
  • St. Joseph’s College Library: The St. Joseph’s College Library includes 25,000 titles in the areas of Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biblical Studies, Church History, Religious Education, and Catholic Studies. The library is located on two levels in the basement of the east wing of St. Joseph’s College, and offers many secluded, quaint study spaces.

Library Partnerships and Reciprocal Borrowing

The University of Alberta library has a number of partnership arrangements with libraries in Alberta and across Canada, which are particularly helpful to SSC students who reside outside of Edmonton.

St. Stephen’s students and faculty have access to the NEOS Library Consortium, which includes 17 northern Alberta academic and healthcare libraries.  St. Stephen’s students and faculty can use their UAlberta ONEcard to access, request, and borrow materials from and through any NEOS library, including: Alberta Health Services Knowledge Resource Service, Covenant Health Library Services, MacEwan University, Red Deer Polytechnic, Newman Theological College, King’s University, Concordia University, Burman University, and Vanguard College (which includes the Taylor Seminary collection).

St. Stephen’s students and faculty have access to the Alberta Library (TAL) partnership, which is a collection of more than 30 post-secondary and public libraries spread across the Province of Alberta.  St. Stephen’s students and faculty can use their UAlberta ONEcard (and/or TAL card) to borrow and return materials from and through any TAL library (some restrictions may apply).  To utilize this partnership, please follow the instructions outlined on the TAL Services webpage.

St. Stephen’s students and faculty have access to the Canadian University Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement (CURBA), which enables print collection borrowing at academic libraries across Canada.  To utilize this partnership, please follow the instructions outlined on the CURBA services webpage.

ST. STEPHEN'S COLLEGE REFERENCE LIBRARY

Since 1998, St. Stephen’s has housed a modest reference library of over 500 items (chiefly located on the lower level of the College building). This collection has strengths in biblical studies, theology, church history, and pastoral counselling. The reference library's main function is to provide onsite resources for students and faculty of St. Stephen's College. Books and materials must remain on the SSC campus at all times.