Training Sessions This Week

For Taught Students:
Using the Web of Knowledge – 4:15pm-5:05pm, Thur 12th Nov,  Library Level 5 Training Room
You can use the Web of Knowledge to search for information in journal articles from all areas of science. This session will explain what is included in the database and give you hints and tips on how best to search it.  See the Library web page to book a place.

For Research Postgraduates:
Literature Searching in Sport & Exercise Science and Health – 10:15am-12:15pm, Fri 13th Nov, Library Level 1 Training Room
If your research is in areas related to sport or medicine you might find this session helpful.   You will find out more a bout literature searching using, amongst other databases, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Library and Pubmed.  Book a place through the University’s Postgraduate Skills Programme

Information on all our training sessions is given on the Library’s Infoskills web pages

Properties of metals data

We’ve had a few enquiries on Level 3 from first year Mech Eng students looking for data on the properties of metals.

A really useful resource for finding this kind of  information is Smithells Metals Reference Book.  It’s  available in print at 669(02) SMI on Level 3, and also as an electronic book which you can access from your PC either on or off campus.   For example, Section 22 covers Mechanical Properties of Metals and Alloys.

Do let us know if you need any help using the hard copy or ebook!

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 training workshops – sign up today!

Programmes of Library training sessions are currently underway, and workshops will run throughout the academic year.  If you want to find out more, check out the web links below.  You can even book your place online! 

• Workshops for undergraduates and taught postgraduates - book a place via SORTED
• Workshops for research postgraduates - book a place via the PG Skills Booking System

These sessions cover a range of Library and information skills including literature searching and the use of specific databases e.g. Compendex.   There’s also the opportunity to learn more about how to reference your work correctly and avoid plagiarism.

BUCS Maintenance weekend 13-14th December

Please be aware that on the weekend of the 13th and 14th December, BUCS have scheduled network maintenance that will impact upon your use of university PCs and library services.

For all intents and purposes, there will be no access to the web using campus PCs over this weekend,. PCs based in the library will be offline as well as those located in various labs and e-lounges. There will be no access to any departmental webpages, no links to library services and online resources from on or off campus and Moodle will also be unavailable.

Copying and Printing services in the library will also be affected and will not be available.

New book loans can be issued manually during staffed hours, but the self-issue machines will be offline and there will be no provision for any loan renewals and you will not be able to place any reservations/holds over this weekend.

Most of you will probably have finished course assignments before this weekend, but if you do for any reason have a submission date early in the week beginning 15th December, PLEASE plan ahead to make sure you have obtained all the materials you need and printed out any work before the 13th of December.

“Hidden Gems” – Library books you haven’t time to find!

Whatever you may think, it is not a library goal to make books difficult to find, but sometimes requested titles are added to stock and for whatever reason rarely, if ever, leave the shelf. This new “Hidden Gems” series of blog entries will spotlight some of these pristine looking texts.

These books are not on any reading list. The titles may not be relevant to your research or teaching and, I won’t lie to you, you may not find any of the titles promoted here of interest! But with busy lecture schedules and assignment deadlines, it’s not always easy to find time to survey the bookshelves or interrogate the catalogue to find items you wouldn’t otherwise come across.

With the Summer vacation in mind, the hopeful thought that some of you are still on campus reading these entries and an idea you may have some leisure time to set aside for some light reading, I’ve picked out these two items to kick off with (available for loan from Level 3!):

“Twentieth Century Industrial Archaeology” by Michael Stratton & Barrie Trinder 600.5 STR

‘This book … shows how the archaeological record raises questions about some of the major issues of the twentieth century British history, the production of munitions in two world wars, the booms in house building of the inter-war period and the years between 1953 and 1973, the nature of coal-mining communities, and the take-up of scientific and technological innovations.’ (Taken from back cover)

“Industrial England” by Michael Stratton & Barrie Trinder 600.542 STR

‘Encompassing over fifteen years of study, this richly illustrated book offers new ways of understanding and appreciating the architecture and technology of our conserved industrial heritage’. (Taken from back cover)

Check back in the coming weeks when I will be adding some more titles that with more time you might have come across yourself. Any feedback you want to leave will of course be very welcome – post here by logging into WordPress or mail me direct with queries, suggestions and any other comments.

Are we teaching you the right stuff?

Library staff are carrying out a survey of our undergraduate students, to find out more about your Information Literacy skills, the type of instruction that would help you in your coursework and how we can best provide it.

To make the process of getting your views as painless as possible, the survey has been set up online, and can be found at this web address: www.survey.bath.ac.uk/library

The survey shouldn’t take you too long and if you want to be entered into a prize draw for a £50 book voucher just include your BUCS username at the end.

As always your feedback is very useful to us as we try to plan the ways in which we can help all members of the university.

Thanks.