Renewing Books Online

Remember, if you’ve borrowed 7 day, or 28 day loan books you can renew them without coming into the Library, as long as nobody else has place a hold on them (and you don’t have outstanding fines over £10!).   From the Library catalogue: http://www.bath.ac.uk/library/catalogue select ‘Your use of the Library’ followed by  ’Renew your loans’ .  Login with your Library card number and PIN and select ‘List items on loan’.    All you then need to do is select the books you want to renew and click on the ‘Renew Selected Items’  button (and remember to make a note of the date they’ll be due back next time!)

Library Information Sessions in Semester 2

You may be starting project work this semester.  If you are a bit concerned about how to go about doing a literature review, finding the information and data relevant to your topic or even just wondering how to write up your references at the end, the library is repeating its popular series of information sessions this year.

In co-operation with SORTED in the Student Union, library staff will be presenting a series of topics in the next few weeks:

“To Google or not to Google” is about making better use of search engines, evaluating online information and will introduce some of the library’s resources that you may not have used before.

“How to avoid Plagiarism” is suited to undergraduates looking for a better understanding of what Plagiarism is, why it’s bad and how to avoid it!

“Referencing – A beginner’s guide” gives advice and examples related to correctly referencing the sources you’re going to use in your project work.

All combined, these sessions could help make the entire literature review/project writing process a lot less daunting.

Check the Library Research and Information skills page for more information about the sessions running this semester.

You can book a place or get more information through SORTED in the Student Union.

Are you working this vacation..?

With upcoming exams to revise for and maybe some project work to plan in early 2008, some of you will have stuffed your luggage full of library books with great intentions to study at home during the vacation! 

However, don’t forget that the university library can provide access to a lot of content online that you might find useful while you are away from the uni too.

So long as you use the links from the library webpages you can access electronic resources, (such as databases and e-journals for finding useful research articles as well as e-books) from off-campus with only your BUCS username and password required to login. If you aren’t sure how to use these things, have a browse around the library website for our guides pages.  Hopefully, we have put enough information online to get you started if you haven’t used these resources before.

Enjoy the vacation!

Get yourself SORTED out!

You’ll have been busy signing up for clubs and societies during Freshers Week but now the lectures and coursework are starting.   Maybe you’d benefit from attending some of the library led SORTED training sessions this Semester to brush up on a few of your research and referencing skills?

Library staff are presenting a few meetings that could be very useful to new undergraduates as well as student groups further through their course.

Firstly, “To Google or not to Google” looks at making the best use of web search engines.  We will outline the pros and cons of relying on search engine results for your assignment research and talk about a few other online resources you may find more valuable to use during your studies.

We are also holding an information session about “Referencing – A Beginner’s Guide“.  Everytime you cite someone else’s work in one of your essays, you’ll be expected to reference that author correctly by your lecturer.  This presentation will outline the basics and give you a few examples to work on.

Follow the weblinks above to read more about the timing and content of the library meetings.  If you are interested in attending, you will need to sign up with SORTED. This involves a £10 deposit to be eligible to attend any of the SORTED training sessions on offer.

Free computers!

Next time you come into the library, take a few moments to watch the LCD screen at the entrance.  Thanks to Sarah Lymn and Richard Whitcher of BUCS, we can provide a new service that will show you where PCs are available on the library subject floors.

Hopefully, this will help users identify where to go for the best chance of finding a free PC during busy periods with less wandering between floors.

A new webpage gives the same information and also shows the status of PCs across the entire campus:  http://isecure.bath.ac.uk/pcstatus/

Message for new students

Welcome to the University of Bath from the Engineering and Design library staff! We’re based on Level 3 of the library and many of you will see us during your first week at library induction sessions.

As well as getting yourself settled into accomodation and finding out where lectures are going to be, you’ll be thinking about getting your library card as soon as possible. It acts as your photocopy card and later in the semester when the security gates in the library entrance are switched on, you will need it to get into the building. And of course, you will need your library card to borrow books! There’s a page on the library website with advice for new and returning students about getting your library card.

As well as the library staff inductions (when you’ll have a chance to meet your Subject Librarian) you can find advice and information about library services on the Library webpages. There are libcasts you can download to your MP3 player and libflicks you can watch online to give you information about using the catalogue, navigating your way around the library subject floors and finding information online.

In cooperation with the Student Union SORTED training programme, the library is offering a series of information and training sessions in Semester 1 for undergraduates and postgraduates. For example we are hosting a session on making the best use of web search engines and another session introducing the skills required to Reference the books and articles you use in your assignments. However, if there is anything else you ever need help with, your Subject Librarian and other members of library staff will always be very happy to help. You can find weblinks to further advice, staff contacts and an online query form on the library webpages.