Library Space
The Schulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Engineering supports the teaching, learning, and research of the staff and students of the Faculties of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Science. It is a multi-functional space where students come to learn and do research. Individual study is available on several floors where one can work in silence, while collaborative work is encouraged in the group study space that occupies the entire fifth floor. Hundreds of electrical outlets are available on desks throughout the building to facilitate personal device use. There are a few areas equipped with computers, loaded with software needed for student productivity.
Materials and Services
Schulich Library has an extensive collection of books and journals in the physical sciences, life sciences and engineering, the most recent as online resources accessible on campus and remotely for McGill students, faculty and staff from Sofia McGill Library Catalogue.
In addition to books, less conventional items are available to borrow from the friendly library assistants at the loans desk. Inquire about your course reserves, as well as brain and heart models, and calculators.
Librarians are available to support teaching, learning, and research, particularly in the areas of medicine, dentistry, nursing, physical sciences and engineering. Each librarian has his or her own areas of expertise and are happy to assist you.
History
Named in honour of the family of Seymour Schulich (BSc’61, MBA’65), a generous benefactor of both the Library and the University, the library occupies the former Macdonald Physics Building, built in 1893. It is here, from 1898-1907, that Ernest Rutherford conducted the research that led to his Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1908. Renovated in 1982, the building reopened as the Macdonald-Stewart Library Building, where several physical sciences and engineering collections came together, including the important Baillie Library of Chemistry and Mossman Collection on the History of Science and Ideas. In 2013, the library became the centre of scientific information on the downtown campus, when the life sciences library merged into the Schulich Library.
Mossman Collection on the History of Science and of Ideas
The Mossman Collection on the History of Science and of Ideas is the gift of Drs. Donald and Dorothea Mossman. Avid readers, the Mossmans collected a large personal library with emphasis on the history of science and of ideas. This collection was donated to McGill University in 1974, and it became available to scholars with the opening of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Library in 1982.
For many years, the Mossmans regularly contributed generous funds towards the development of the Mossman Collection. In 1982, an additional gift established an endowment not only to purchase library materials but also to inaugurate a lecture series on the History of Science and of Ideas given by recognized scholars. More information.
