About the Curriculum Laboratory

The main goal of our borrowing guidelines is to give the maximum number of student teachers the best possible access to our limited amount of materials.

• When is the Curriculum Lab open? Normally we are staffed Monday - Friday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. You have access to our collection and facilities all the open hours of the University Library.
• I don't go to the University of Lethbridge but may I use the Curriculum Lab? Yes, you may set up a membership at the University Library Services Desk (Note: You need to have a University picture I.D. card to do this. The cards are available at Campus IT in TH218. The cost of the library membership is $30.00 for the general public, or free for alumni. For further details contact The University Library Services Desk at 403-329-2265.
• I don't go to the University of Lethbridge but I do have an Alberta Library (TAL) card. May I use this card to borrow materials from the Curriculum Lab? The Curriculum Lab is not able to participate in the TAL program due to limited resources. You may acquire a University Library Community Borrower's membership from the University Library Services Desk. For further details contact Library Services Desk at 403-329-2265.
• Who can sign out Curriculum Lab material? Anyone with current borrowing privileges at the University Library may borrow Curriculum Laboratory resources.
• What is the loan period? Faculty, staff, and students have a 6 week loan with the option to renew twice for 6 weeks, subject to a 2 week recall during the renewal periods. Community and alumni borrowers qualify for a 3 week loan with one renewal.
• How many items may I sign out? There is no limit to the number of materials you may sign out from the Curriculum Laboratory as long as you have current borrowing privileges.
• May I renew? Faculty, staff, and students may renew twice. However, materials are subject to recall. You may renew in person with your card at the University Library's General Services Desk. You can also renew on-line. Community borrowers and alumni may renew once, subject to a recall.
• What are the fines for overdue items? Fines on regular loans are 50 cents per day per item for two weeks, and then they go up to $1.00 per day. For example four items one week overdue would cost you $14.00. The maximum overdue fine per item is $15.00. After that, you are billed for the replacement cost of the item.
• What if an item I need is out on loan? Faculty, staff, and students may place a Hold or a Recall on the item. To do this use the REQUEST button online when looking at an item. Please note that you can only use the REQUEST button if the item is "in process" or signed out to someone else. Holds may also be placed in person at the Library Services Desk. We always encourage students to browse the shelves for materials that are already available to be checked-out, BEFORE asking for items to be Recalled or a Hold put on them. You can always ask a Curriculum Lab librarian to suggest alternate materials. A hold or a recall will be processed for you and when the item is available you will be notified. This service is not available to community or alumni borrowers. If an item you have out is recalled, you will be sent a recall notice. Fines for overdue recalled material is $1.50/day.
• Before signing out a kit or a multi-piece item, check to make sure all the pieces are included. Lost items and missing pieces are subject to replacement charges. If you are charged for a missing library item, there will be a $25.00 "processing" fee added to the charge.

• Is it possible to search the Library Catalogue and limit to items located in the Curriculum Lab? Yes, using the "Advanced Keyword" option you may limit your search by the location "UofL Curriculum Lab." If you are searching via Summon, when you have your initial search results, you may limit to the "Library Catalogue", then limit further to the "Curriculum Lab".
• How do you search the Library Catalogue for fiction on a specific subject? Enter your subject and add "fiction" to it. For example, Bears fiction.
• How do I find novel studies? Using the Search by Title feature in the Library Catalogue, enter the title of the novel you wish to study. You will find that in addition to the novel itself, we have material to support some novels. For example enter Charlotte's Web, and you will find the novel, activities and some novel studies. If you do not have a specific novel in mind the subject headings Fiction Study and Teaching or Children's Literature Study and Teaching, will assist you.
• What does it mean when an item I am interested in is either "in process" or "on order"? An item that is "in process" is a new acquisition and has not yet been fully catalogued and made ready for the shelves. Students, faculty and staff may Rush Request an item by filling out a request form at any Information Services Desk, to be handed in at the University Library's General Services Desk. OR, You may choose the online REQUEST button at the top of the screen once you have selected a specific title in the Library Catalogue, and then follow the directions given. Please note that you can only use the REQUEST button if the item is "in process" or signed out to someone else. You will be notified by e-mail when it is ready for pick up: this may take up to 3 weeks. Community and alumni borrowers are not able to place a rush request on Curriculum Lab materials. We always encourage students to browse the shelves for materials that are already available to be checked-out, BEFORE asking for items to be Rush-processed. You can always ask a Curriculum Lab Librarian to suggest other alternate materials. An "on order" message occurs when we are waiting for it from a publisher, and it cannot be requested to be Rush-processed since we do not have the item yet.
• What is the difference between Circulating and Non-Circulating resources? We order two copies of many textbook resources, one of which circulates and the other is available for use in the Curriculum Lab and is labeled Reference.
• How do I find out which textbooks are to be used for teaching a specific subject?The Curriculum Lab orders most resources which have been approved for use in the classroom by Alberta Education. We order these items from the Learning Resources Centre (LRC). To find out what resources are recommended by Alberta Education, go to the Curriculum Lab Guides by Subject, or to LearnAlberta.ca
• Is it possible to find items for a specific grade level on a particular topic? Yes and No. Resources approved by Alberta Education have grade designations in the call number. Resources ordered to supplement the Alberta curriculum do not have grade designations. The best way for you to find materials is to do a Search by Subject using the Library Catalogue and limiting your search to the Curriculum Lab. Look at all the entries. Any entries that do not have a grade level designation in the call number need your perusal to determine appropriateness for the students with whom you are working.

1. All circulating materials are checked in and out at the Library Services Desk. Students, faculty or staff members may place a Hold or a Recall on an item that is out on loan at the Library's General Services Desk, or online using the REQUEST button. You may renew online, or at the University Library's General Services Desk.
2. Curriculum Laboratory materials are returned at the University Library Services Desk, NOT directly to the Curriculum Laboratory. Returning to the Curriculum Laboratory may lead to items not being checked in or lost. It is your responsibility to return items to the proper location.
3. The Curriculum Laboratory consists of teaching areas, and group study spaces. As such, it is not always a quiet study space. However, upon leaving the Curriculum Laboratory, remember the library is a "quiet zone."
4. Note the Library's Code of Conduct, including noise levels in the Library, and the food and drink policy.
5. Do not reshelve materials in the Curriculum Laboratory. Please leave items you are not signing out on the tables, or preferably in the book bins found around the Curriculum Laboratory. Do not leave checked out items in the book bins.
6. You are responsible to return anything in the same condition as it was when you signed it out. Before signing out a kit or a multi-piece item, check to make sure all the pieces are included. If there is damage, or there are missing pieces, let Library or Curriculum Laboratory staff know BEFORE you sign it out.
7. Kits must be checked out as a complete set. You can sign out a portable cart to get big items home, found at the Curriculum Lab's Information Desk.
8. Returning materials from a distance -- Once a library user borrows an item, they are responsible for it, from the time it is checked out to the user, until the time it is put in the book returns at the University Library Services Desk. Any mode of transportation to return an item, other than personal delivery, is at the user's own risk. Do not ask us to renew an item for you more than two times. We will not do it, as we need to make that item accessible to other students. Make arrangements to get the item back on time, especially if you are out on a school placement that is far away.
9. To find the titles of Alberta Education recommended resources and textbooks:
   • Go to the Curriculum Laboratory Guides.
   • Use LearnAlberta's Resource Search and Authorized Resources tools.
10. For information questions, general inquiries, or circulation questions, phone the Curriculum Laboratory Information Service Desk at 403-329-2288, or ask your question online.