Reference and Research

The reference/information service provides help with housing-related information needs. Qualified staff are available during the Centre's business hours to assist users with any request for information. The service includes:

• quickly supplying factual information, such as an address, a definition, statistical data, bibliographic citations, or telephone numbers
• preparing reading lists and customized bibliographies.
• providing referrals to other housing experts and organizations.
• instructing in the use of the Centre's resources, including the online library catalogue, reference materials, indexes and CD-ROM databases.
• responding to requests for extensive, in-depth literature searches to research complex questions. Literature searches may involve searching the Centre's own collections of books, periodicals, and audiovisual materials, searching the holdings of other research centres, or searching online information sources, including over 7500 databases worldwide. These online information sources can provide up-to-date citations to articles and reports in specific subject areas, and in some cases, full-text versions of newspaper and journal articles.

How the Service Works:

• Fill out the Request Form for reference/research services, or
• Contact us directly.

Before submitting your request, please check our FAQ section — your question may already be answered!

Fees may be charged for certain reference / information services. The fees are applied as follows:

• For assistance in using the resources of the Centre, there is no charge.
• For research assistance, the charge is $60 per hour after the first 15 minutes. The first 15 minutes of assistance is free of charge; many requests for referrals, quick factual information and bibliographies may be fulfilled within the first 15 minutes of research.
• For searches of online information sources, the charge is $60 per hour plus the online database costs, including charges for connect time and downloading.
• For an urgent service for research or online searching, with a 2-day maximum turnaround, there is a surcharge of $60.