Library Learning Commons
Search the West Elgin Secondary School Library Collection
Access our online catalogue through Insignia to search for books and other library resources.
Search the West Elgin Secondary School Library Collection
Once you open Insignia, select West Elgin Secondary School from the All Libraries dropdown menu to limit your search to our school's collection.
You can also reserve items online for pickup at the library.
Use the resources below for instructions on searching the catalogue and placing holds on library materials:
Help Requests
Reader's Advisory
If you need to read a book for class, but you don't really know what to choose, let me help! Click the picture to fill out a Google Form, and I will send you some suggestions that you might like.
Research Requests
If you have are having trouble finding the informationyou need, I can help! Click the picture to fill out a Google Form, and I will send you a list of resources available either in library or online.
If you have any other questions, either about research, databases, bibliographies, using technology/Google, or books, please email me at tv40105@tvdsb.ca .
Research and CItations
Research at WESS Library
Online Resources available with your Gotvdsb login
Planning Your Research: Notetaking and different types of sources
Searching for Reliable Information
Databases: An amazing amount of reliable information available 24/7! Please click the link to see our selection.
How to Search the Databases for Critical Essays: if you need critical essays as secondary sources, here's how to find them.
Citations and Bibliographies
Google has made it so easy to create a list of sources, cite from them, and then it creates the works cited/references pages for you!
The following documents explain how to format your paper (title pages, font sizes, spacing, etc.) and how to use quotations and paraphrasing to support your ideas
This is the handbook to everything! Essay and report writing, researching and note-taking, and all citations.
see citation guides above for more up-to-date info. Warning: this uses MLA 7 where we have moved to MLA 8
Access is password protected (see welcome pamphlet or the librarian).
Ebooks and Audiobooks
Fiction
Find tons of ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines that appeal to all ages!
Students log in with their @gotvdsb.ca account and password.
SORA Help
https://help.soraapp.com/en-us/categories/using-sora.htm
(Note: not all information is applicable for TVDSB)
Non-Fiction
Infobase books has a collection of 50+ titles in a variety of subjects available online anytime.
Contact your librarian for username and password.
OLA's Forest of Reading Awards for High School
A learning commons is a whole school approach to building a participatory learning community. The Library Learning Commons is the physical and virtual collaborative learning hub of the school. It is designed to engineer and drive future-oriented learning and teaching throughout the entire school.
Inquiry, project/problem-based learning experiences are designed as catalysts for intellectual engagement with information, ideas, thinking, and dialogue. Reading thrives, learning literacies and technology competencies evolve, and critical thinking, creativity, innovation and playing to learn are nourished.