Ranked second among Canadian comprehensive universities, the University of Victoria invests heavily in library services to support international students, preparing them for both their academic and career journeys in Canada.
Through services like library-hosted workshops, Brenda Jimenez, a Master of Arts student in Community Development from Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico, learned about academic writing and time management. Similarly, Sadaf Seraj, a Master of Education student from India, gained valuable skills in conducting research through specialized library workshops, and connecting with staff who helped her navigate the academic library experience.
Free UVic textbooks & library equipment for learning
UVic Libraries helps offset the cost of textbooks and digital equipment for international students by providing free options for borrowing.
The Mearns – McPherson Library and the Diana M. Priestly Law Library offer hundreds of thousands of free online books. Each term, staff check the list of assigned textbooks and identify which are freely available as online library books.
The Ask Us desk is open during library hours for all students to borrow a variety of resources. Items like laptops, AV equipment, chargers, and bike locks can be borrowed for up to two weeks at a time.
Supporting Student Academic Success
Located in the Learning Commons on the first floor of the Mearns – McPherson Library, the Academic Skills Centre (ASC) is among the most used resources by international students. The ASC, part of the Division of Learning and Teaching Innovation (LTI), provides free appointments, workshops and resources to support students’ academic writing, reading, speaking and listening skills, in addition to time management, task/assignment understanding, academic integrity, and study skills.
At LTI, students can also access digital resources like articles, tip sheets, and video tutorials at the Learner Empowerment and Academic Resource Network (UVicLearn) to develop the learning skills they need for achieving academic success at all stages of the UVic journey.
During the academic year, the ASC offers free English Conversation Cafés where students can practice their English in a judgment-free zone. Collaborative writing rooms are also provided for graduate students working on their theses and research projects.
For general academic support, staff offer one-on-one appointments providing feedback and guidance on class assignments, and sharing tips on writing and grammar, time management, note-taking, and exam preparation. Written feedback on student work includes constructive feedback on organization, most common grammatical error patterns, and the style of the paper and its clarity.
“The Academic Skills Centre staff have helped me on all my assignment drafts,” says Cynthia Hong, a second year Master of Education student from Shanghai, China. With the support of the ASC, Hong successfully published one of her research papers this year, “Empowering Minds or Reinforcing Chains? The Dual Nature of Digital Learning in Higher Education,” in ITES (Information Technology, Education, and Society), volume 19, 2025; a significant achievement that will help build her professional career.
Study Spaces
“[UVic Libraries] has group study rooms and self-study rooms. This is another practice for inclusive education, and it provides support for different kinds of individual study styles.”
Cynthia Hong
Four floors of the Mearns – McPherson Library are open to students for working and studying, with the lower level and the third floor prioritizing noise-reduced or silent study environments.
There are more than 1,800 study spaces across UVic Libraries, and study rooms are available to book in both the Mearns – McPherson Library and the Diana M. Priestly Law Library.
Graduate students also have access to free lockers in the graduate student study space on the third floor of the Mearns – McPherson Library.
“I really like how diverse the spaces are,” says Jimenez. “There are sections where you can do quiet study, or other spaces where you can meet with your friends and chat together. I mainly come here to hang out and do my assignments in the quiet study space.”
Support at UVic Libraries is continually updated considering student needs and feedback. One recent improvement is the installation of four private, technology-enabled Tek Booths to accommodate the need for privacy when students wish to conduct Zoom meetings or have a quieter study experience.
With support for affordable textbooks and equipment, writing and English skills, and a variety of spaces to study and learn, international students at UVic can find many ways to make the libraries their home away from home.
