WAC Bennett Library is the main
library at
Simon Fraser University. The building is named for
William Andrew Cecil Bennett,
British Columbia premier from 1952-1972. As well as housing the library
collection, the building also contains a large number of computers for student use, quiet and
group study areas,
reference assistance and instructional labs.
The library is located on the Burnaby campus, roughly in the center of the main buildings on the north side. It is across from the Maggie Benston Student Services Centre and can be accessed from the Convocation Mall.
The library was originally 5 floors, however 2 floors were added later to add room for offices and collection space. Journals can be found on the sixth floor, along with microfilm, fiche and current newspapers. Monographs are spaced throughout floors four through six by call number, and bound reference material is on the third floor. The seventh floor contains the maps and GIS department, library processing, and management and systems offices. The second floor contains a PC and Mac lab for general use, study rooms, and an instructional lab. Shipping/receiving, compact storage and closed storage is on the first floor.
As of March 31, 2001, the library held 2,149,041 print items including monographs, serials, journals, and microfiche. The total journal subscriptions at that time totalled 16,331. This is actually a relatively small collection for an academic library. Since SFU was founded in the 1960s, there has not been a long period for collection growth. This has prompted a large budget for interlibrary loans and extensive systems development to support easy access to items held at other library and electronic journals.
The north side of the seventh floor has a lovely view of the North Shore mountains and is a very pleasant place to have an office.