We are pleased to say that the remaining problems with access to ScienceDirect have been resolved and you should be able to use this resource as normal.
If you experience difficulties accessing any of our resources please fill in the E-resources problem report form and we will do our best to assist you.
Apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.
Lucy Ardill – E-resources Team
If you need maps of Great Britain, think a
bout using Digimap – Digimap delivers maps and map data from official sources to UK higher education, and you can easily create authoratative location and site maps. There are five different collections available to members of the University of Reading:
Digimap – contemporary Ordnance Survey maps and data, ranging from small scale base maps to detailed large scale plansYou will need to register to use Digimap – it is quick and easy to do. Follow the instructions on our Digimap page.
Once registered, you can select and print maps of Great Britain using the ‘Roam’ interface from whichever collection you want. Roam includes tools to annotate your maps, and you can save them for future use. You can also measure distances and areas. Printing is possible at sizes from A4 up to A0, or you can save it as a pdf or a jpg to insert in Word.
If you prefer, you can download the map data to use in a Geographical Information System such as ArcGIS or QGIS.
Extensive help is available from the Digimap Resource Centre and from the Digimap YouTube channel, or you can email your Site Representative – Judith Fox, the Map Librarian.
To find out more about maps in the Library see our Maps guide.
This is one of a series of tips to help save you time and effort finding or using information
This tip was written by Judith Fox, Map Librarian
Between Monday 20 February and Monday 13 March the majority of refurbishment work will focus on re-cladding the Library’s exterior and will involve drilling – students may wish to use alternative study spaces if they are not comfortable with the noise around the Library.
The following construction work is expected to be carried out around the outside of the Library:
For details of alternative spaces and the latest project news, please visit our Library refurbishment project page: www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.
Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator for University Communications
The University will shortly be able to offer the URS Building instead of studying in the Library during its major refurbishment. We will be moving furniture and IT equipment from the Library into URS so that students can study in a comfortable and quiet space away from construction works.
838 study spaces (including 145 computers) will move into URS along with Library staff – so there’ll always be someone on hand to help. Cafélibro will also relocate to URS.
All books (excluding the Course Collection) will stay inside the Library and will be available to use and borrow as usual. The Course Collection will move into URS and will continue to be accessible for 24 hours in term-time, as the Library offers now.
As well as providing a quiet and convenient alternative space for students, using the URS Building will mean that the length of the refurbishment programme will be shortened by approximately six months, ending mid 2019 as opposed to late 2019 / early 2020 as originally planned.
The URS Building was vacated in December 2016 in preparation for the building’s own major redevelopment – as the programme is still under revision in light of the URS Building’s grade two listing, the University is now in a position to offer it up as relief space to students. We expect URS to be available until at least August 2018.
RUSU are supportive of the move as it helps provide a suitable environment for work and study in the wake of such a major project. Ben Cooper, RUSU President, said:
“RUSU is committed to campaigning for more study space and better facilities for students on campus. We highlighted that the University must do everything it can to mitigate issues such as noise from the building work and access to books, especially for students currently studying here.
RUSU believes that this move of study space to URS is a good option and will result in less overall problems for students to face. It means that some of the noise problems will be reduced and there will be adequate study space in the busy periods whilst the Library refurbishment is being completed.”
The University is working hard to implement these plans ready for the 2017 Quiet Period. Logistics are still being finalised – we will share final plans as soon as possible. If the move is at risk of affecting the exam period it will be postponed until after exams have finished.
Don’t forget that as well as the URS Building, there are many additional alternative study spaces around campus – a full list is available online and our Free Room Finder helps identify available rooms on a daily basis. For more details of additional study space available on campus, project benefits and the latest news, please visit the Library Refurbishment Project webpage.
Rachel Redrup
for University Communications
We now have access to Aerial Digimap, a new addition to the Digimap suite of mapping databases. It consists of detailed vertical aerial photography, which can be viewed, annotated, printed or downloaded. Maps are viewed in Aerial Roam as a single seamless coverage of Great Britain, with optional Ordnance Survey background mapping.
The imagery is provided by Getmapping plc in a jpg format, and can be printed at scales from 1:250 to 1:175,000. A sliding control in Aerial Roam allows you to choose how much of the background mapping you show, and the data will be regularly updated. Downloaded data can be combined in a geographical information system (GIS) with other Digimap data such as OS MasterMap or used to produce 3D models in conjunction with, for example, OS Terrain DTM.
If you are studying archaeology it will aid visualisation of a site within its landscape, and may allow things not visible at ground level to be discerned.To use Aerial Digimap you will need to accept the licence terms and conditions. It will prompt you to do this the first time you use it.
Help is available in the Digimap Resource Centre, and there are useful videos available on the Digimap YouTube channel. Alternatively, contact the Map Librarian for information and help.
Judith Fox, Map Librarian
Help make the Library work effectively by respecting everyone’s right to resources and space. Just a minute checking when your Library loans are due back or clearing a desk space for others can help make this term a success for everyone!
Here’s some simple suggestions on how to keep on top of your Library account, save time and money, help your friends and provide a pleasant and productive working environment for all:
Check out our ‘Using the Library’ and ‘Policies and Rules’ pages for more information.
Lucy Shott, Library User Services
