Author Archives: libnews

System upgrade 26 June – some services disrupted

Posted on by

Tonight, we are upgrading our Library Management System. During the upgrade on Monday 26 June, between 19:00 and midnight, (after the Library buildings are closed) some services will be unavailable.

 

Open laptop

 

You will still be able to …

  • Search the Library catalogue, Enterprise.
  • Access all our E-resources – so any e-books or e-journals you find on the catalogue will still be available via the ‘Click here to access’ links.
  • Use Summon for online access to journal articles, book chapters, and much more!

But you won’t be able to …

The upgrade is planned to be finished by Tuesday 27 June, but the system will be ‘at risk’ for the rest of the week whilst our Systems Team make sure everything is working correctly. We will let you know if Enterprise will be unavailable for longer than initially planned. 

If you have trouble accessing e-resources, you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form.

If you want to talk to someone about your account, you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk.

 

Lewis Mills – Library Systems Team

 

System maintenance 12 June – some services disrupted

Posted on by

Tonight we are upgrading our Library Management System. During the upgrade, between 19:00 and midnight (after the Library buildings are closed), some services will be unavailable.

 

Open laptop

 

You will still be able to …

But you won’t be able to …

  • search the Library catalogue, Enterprise.
  • see the current location of a physical Library item, so you won’t be able to tell if it has been borrowed.

The upgrade is planned to be finished by Tuesday 13 June, but the system will be ‘at risk’ for the rest of the week whilst our Systems Team make sure everything is working correctly.

If you have trouble accessing e-resources you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form. 

If you want to talk to someone about your account you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk. 

 

Lewis Mills – Library Systems Team

 

System maintenance 10 May – some services disrupted

Posted on by

Tonight our Library Management System is undergoing scheduled maintenance. During the maintenance window from midnight to 01:30 some services will be at risk.

 

Open laptop

 

You will still be able to …

But at times you won’t be able to …

If you have trouble accessing e-resources you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form. 

If you want to talk to someone about your account you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk. 

 

Lewis Mills – Library Systems Team

 

System maintenance 3 May – some services disrupted

Posted on by

Tomorrow our Library Management System is undergoing scheduled maintenance. During the maintenance window on Wednesday 3 May 22:00 to 23:00 some services will be at risk.

 

Open laptop

 

You will still be able to …

But at times you won’t be able to …

  • find up to the minute locations of items on the Library catalogue, Enterprise.

If you have trouble accessing e-resources, you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form. 

If you want to talk to someone about your account, you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk. 

 

Lewis Mills – Library Systems Team

 

Now is the time!

Posted on by
Student visiting the Study Queries desk to find out about contacting an Academic Liaison Librarian

Ask our experts for support at the Study Advice and Maths support desk, Library, Ground Floor weekdays 10:00 – 16:00 or get in touch online.

Get to know your Academic Liaison Librarian, there’s one for every subject offered at Reading. They can support you in making effective use of the huge range of resources the Library has to offer for your studies.

Make the most of their advice by:

  • Attending training sessions offered through your department – this will save you time and ensure you reference publications appropriately in your assignments.
  • Exploring the key resources in your subject and online support through your subject guide. If you haven’t bookmarked it, now’s the time! It’ll be a useful way to keep track of resources and help you stay organised. 
  • Seeking individual support on finding suitable academic sources to use in your assignments. Have you considered boosting your referencing skills by starting to use a reference management tool, such as EndNote or Mendeley? It will save you time in the long run. You can email your librarian or make a one-to-one appointment (in person or online).

Stay ahead of the curve and find your Academic Liaison Librarian on the Library website now.

 

Jackie Skinner FHEA

Academic Liaison Librarian 

Improvements to Library Wi-Fi during Week 6

Posted on by

Image shows a deep blue sky with lit up silhouette buildings. Several buildings have wi-fi towers on the roof tops suggesting reliable broadband by the presence of consistent, concentric circles in the sky.

In the morning, on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February, DTS have organised for contractors to install extra Wi-Fi access points in the group study area on the 2nd Floor of the Library. The work will be noisy because they will be drilling into the concrete ceiling.  The good news is, these extra access points should improve Wi-Fi connectivity in the building, 

Please bear with us through this short period of disruption. 

Whilst the work takes place, the area will be closed but if you still find the rest of the floor too noisy remember there is a range of alternative study space on campus to choose from, including 

  • Library – there are several alternative locations such as Ground Floor quiet study and the 5th Floor silent study area.  
  • URS building – study space is available in URS between 8:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday.
  • The Study @RUSU – visit the RUSU website for the most up-to-date information. 

Visit Student essentials, Study space for more information about study spaces and locations. 

Your Library team 

Celebrate LGBT+ History month 

Posted on by

University of Reading LGBT+ icon and text; purple text on a bright blue background with a heartshaped rainbow This month is LGBT+ History month, an opportunity to learn about lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and non-binary history, and we wanted to share some resources with you all… 

LGBT+ Guide 

LGBT+ is an area of research that covers a wide range of academic disciplines so we would like to highlight the  online guide to support research into LGBT+-related topics. 

Taking the same format as our  subject guides  this guide focuses on the range of materials available from the Library and Special Collections relating to LGBT+ topics. 

It is one of a series of cross-disciplinary research guides we have developed to support research in areas such as  disability and inclusion, gender, and race and ethnicity. 

It has been created, in consultation with staff and student representatives, to help you find some of the key resources the Library can provide in this area, as well as point you towards other useful online resources, libraries and archives. 

We’d love to hear your feedback on the guide, so  let us know what you think! 

LGBT+2023 logo made up of the rainbow colours with white text on a black clapper board.

Have you explored our collection of LGBT+ film resources?

Suggest resources to help diversify our collections 

You can also help us to continue to diversify the Library’s collections by putting forward your  suggestions. 

If you would like to suggest other items for the Library, please complete our regular  book suggestion form. 

You can see all the Diversity fund titles purchased in current and previous academic years on our dedicated  Library Diversity fund reading lists. 

 

Tim Chapman,

Library Diversity and Inclusion Lead

System maintenance 1 February – some services disrupted

Posted on by

Tomorrow our Library Management System is undergoing scheduled maintenance. During the maintenance window on Wednesday 1 February 22:30 to 22:50 some services will be at risk.

 

Open laptop

 

You will still be able to …

But at times you won’t be able to log into Enterprise to …

If you have trouble accessing e-resources, you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form. 

If you want to talk to someone about your account, you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk. 

Lewis Mills – Library Systems Team

System maintenance 24 January – some services disrupted

Posted on by

Next week our Library Management System is undergoing scheduled maintenance. During the maintenance window on Tuesday 24 January 23:00 to Wednesday 25 January 00:30 some services will be at risk.Open laptop

You will still be able to …

But at times you won’t be able to …

If you have trouble accessing e-resources you can contact the E-resources Team at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or you can fill in a Problem Report Form. 

If you want to talk to someone about your account you can contact the Library at library@reading.ac.uk. 

Lewis Mills – Library Systems Team

Introducing the University’s Wellbeing book collection

Posted on by
Letters on a board spelling 'Don't panic' in white capital letters on a pink background.

Our wellbeing collection may be able to help

Thanks to a generous donation from the Alumni and Supporter Engagement Team, the University Library has been developing a collection of books and e-books that fall under the general wellbeing category. We hope this will be of benefit to as many students and staff as possible – and be used in conjunction with all the other support services available at the University.

A stack of brightly coloured books

We have a wide range of books about wellbeing to choose from

Students and staff have been providing recommendations for this collection throughout 2022, helping us to make it as broad as possible. We have bought 100s of items on topics from mindfulness and mental health to student life and resilience. From stress and anxiety to autism and ADHD.

Take a look at the list of everything we’ve purchased so far –  Wellbeing books 2022.

 

It is a living and growing collection so if you spot an area that you think is missing, or can recommend a book that has helped you, it’s not too late to add to the collection. Simply fill in the book details on this suggestion form.

 

You may find a useful gem that could inspire you or help you get back on track. There are so many fantastic books that can provide all sorts of help, but don’t forget our brilliant Counselling and Wellbeing service based in the Carrington building on Whiteknights campus. They work throughout the year to help with a wide range of issues. The service offers support including one-to-one (either face to face, on the phone or over Teams), groups, workshops, online guidance and onward referrals to other support services, and is open to all registered students (undergraduate or postgraduate) at the University, free of charge.

Counselling and Wellbeing service – A guide to accessing the service.

 

Tim Chapman

Diversity and Inclusion Lead

University of Reading Library, September 2022.

7-day loans are changing…

Posted on by

What’s happening? 

To improve your access to, and experience of using Library print books, we’re making some changes! The first of these is to loan types. On Tuesday 12 July 2022 we’ll be making all 7-day loan books standard loans so you can borrow them for longer – nearly 40,000 item records will be updated to become ‘standard loans’.

Standard loans are either 6 weeks for staff and research students, or 3 weeks for all other Library members with borrowing rights.

We hope this will improve your experience of borrowing books and help you manage your Library account more easily.

Floating open book surrounded by bookshelves filled with books in dim light Photo by @jareddc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Jaredd Craig on unsplash.com

Changes to book loans are underway

What will happen to my loans? 

All 7-day loan books that are currently on loan will automatically be made standard loan and renewed. Please check your account for your new due date(s).

There are many other changes to come, all designed to make borrowing easier. Keep up with further information about updates to Library loans and allowances via our social media, our blog or get in touch.

 

Your Library Team

Contacting your Academic Liaison Librarian or Study Adviser over the Easter vacation

Posted on by

From Monday 28 March until Monday 18 April, the Study Advice and Maths Support desk on the Ground floor of the Library (where you ask quick queries about your studies) will be closed.

Over the Easter vacation, (except during the University closure period, Wednesday 13 April until Monday 18 April), if you’ve any questions for your Study Adviser or Academic Liaison Librarian, you can contact us by email and request an online or face-to-face appointment.

Contact your Academic Liaison Librarian – for questions about finding books, journal articles, literature searching, referencing styles or referencing software.

Contact Study Advice – for questions about any aspect of academic skills development such as: structuring your essay, time management, exam revision strategies or understanding assignment feedback.

You will also find lots of help on the Study Advice guides, and in your Library subject guide.

Image of a person taking notes in a note book with post it notes and a laptop also in view.

The Study Advice and Maths Support desk is open until 14:00 on Friday 25 March so if you have a study query that you want to discuss in person before the Easter break, make sure you visit us by then.

 

Kim Coles, Academic Liaison Team Manager & Sonia Hood, Study Advice Manager