Have you been marked down for inconsistencies in referencing? Are you fed up with writing all of your references for your dissertation by hand? There are programs that store your references and help you create bibliographies in Microsoft Word. We’re running sessions throughout the Spring Term covering the variety of options available – whether you’re working on your dissertation or starting your PhD, come along and find out how much time you can save! You can book onto any of these beginner sessions on RISIS under the Actions tab.

New for 2019: Mendeley

Mendeley is designed to make storing references as simple as possible. We mainly recommend it for undergraduate and masters students. Its main feature is ‘watched folders’ – any time you add a PDF to a selected folder, Mendeley will automatically retrieve the details. You can also drag and drop PDFs directly into your library or use its Web Importer for details of websites and other sources. If you work a lot with PDFs, Mendeley is a good option for you. It has both online and desktop versions – both are free to use, but only the desktop version works with Microsoft Word. Workshops are taking place at the following times:

• Wed 23 January, 14:00-15:00
• Wed 20 February, 14:00-15:00
• Wed 20 March, 14:00-15:00

EndNote Online

EndNote Online is similar to Mendeley, but instead of using PDFs you collect reference details from databases such as Summon. It works particularly well with Web of Science as both products are owned by the same company. EndNote Online also has the specially-created ‘Harvard for Reading’ style, which will ensure that your references are formatted exactly to your department’s specifications. It’s free to use on any PC, including your home PC. We recommend it for undergraduate and masters students. Come along to a workshop at the following times:

• Wed 6 February, 14:00-15:30
• Wed 27 February, 14:00-15:30
• Wed 13 March, 14:00-14:30

Desktop EndNote

Desktop EndNote has many more features than Mendeley or EndNote Online and is designed for postgraduate researchers and staff. You can store a huge number of references and PDFs. In addition, you can select from thousands of referencing styles or create your own – great if you’re writing for publication. It’s free on all campus PCs through Apps Anywhere, but is costs around £96 to install on your own PC. We’re running workshops at the following times:

• Wed 13 February, 14:00-16:00
• Wed 6 March, 14:00-16:00

Book your place

Sign up to any of our sessions through the Actions tab on RISIS. If you can’t make any of the specified sessions but would like to know more, take a look at our reference management guide or contact your Liaison Librarian.

Caitlin McCulloch, Trainee Liaison Librarian

Got a new laptop for Christmas? Using your tablet in the Library buildings? Left your phone on your desk?

Watch out for your own property and for suspicious activity in the Library buildings. It only takes a few seconds for a passing thief to steal your possessions, so keep them safe.

What you can do

• Keep your property with you or leave it with someone you know you can trust, even if you’re only stepping out for a minute.
• Save these numbers and report suspicious activity:
  • to Library staff or University Security on 0118 378 6300;
  • 999, the Police emergency number, if you see a crime in progress.

If you find you have been the victim of crime, go to a Library Information Desk where we will help you report the incident to Security Services.

What we do

• Library staff encourage you to take care of valuables during regular patrols enforcing good conduct, but we cannot look after your valuables for you. We might leave you an ‘almost stolen’ card on unattended property – but remember a thief would steal it.
• University Security patrol the Library and Library@URS. They may conduct spot checks on Library users. Have your Campus or Library card to hand or sign a visitor’s form on entry

Katie Winter, Trainee Liaison Librarian

The Library is open this Saturday 22 September!   

Working on your dissertation? Busy in the week?  Make use of the Library this Saturday!

The Library will be open between 11:00 – 17:00.

The URS building will be closed.

Check full Library opening hours for more details.

Holly Thomas, Library User Services

The Library is open this Saturday 18 August!   

Working on your dissertation? Busy in the week?  Make use of the Library this Saturday!

The Library will be open between 11:00 – 17:00.

The URS building will be closed.

Check full Library opening hours for more details.

Holly Thomas, Library User Services

From Monday 6 August the Library will no longer be able to accept payment by cash or cheque. The coins fines payment machine in the Library will also disappear. 

The Ground Floor Information desk in the URS Building will still accept credit/debit/campus card or contactless payments.   University members can also pay online 24/7 via the Campus Card Portal.
As part of the Library’s refurbishment new self-service points will be installed with integrated electronic payment facilities.

The change is part of the University’s strategy which will see cash & cheque payments phased out across campus.

Rebecca Ashley on behalf of Nick Hollis, Library User Services Manager

We are making it easier for you to find your hold with improvements being made from Wednesday 1 August. Holds will now be organised by Call Number. Just go the Hold Shelf and find the Call Number to pick up your item – you can disregard any prefix to the Call Number as all sizes of books will be shelved together.

Tips for finding your hold!

• Not sure of the Call Number? It will be included at the bottom of the email you will receive when an item is ready for collection.
• If there are multiple copies of the same book on the shelf, you will just need to locate the copy with your User ID.
• All Items must be borrowed using the self-service machine before leaving the Course Collection area.
• Remember you have 5 days to collect your available Holds!

Requested an item from Store or Closed Access?

Loanable items requested from Store or Closed Access will also be easier to locate, these items will be shelved in Call Number order in the new ‘Requests’ section of the Hold Shelf.

Call Numbers of all Store and Closed Access requests are included in the notification email which is sent when an item is available.

If you have any questions or need help finding your hold please come and ask us for assistance at the Information Desk in the URS Building.

Holly Thomas, Library User services

We are making some improvements to the Library website in the coming weeks.

Restructured homepage

Firstly on Monday 11 June we will be launching a new version of the Library homepage. After consulting with students in a recent focus group we’re making some changes to:

• bring key links to the top of the page;
• make it shorter by reducing the number of links on the page;
• changing some of the terminology to make it easier to understand.

As part of this we’re introducing a new ‘Support for your studies’ section on the homepage which brings together links relating to subject support, study skills, and study space. We’re re-labelling the Enterprise and Summon search boxes to make it clearer what you find with each. The ‘Libraries beyond UoR’ section of the site will be renamed as ‘Other libraries & inter-library loans’ so that it is more self-explanatory.

Relaunching many of our guides

Early in July we will be relaunching a number of our guides in a new format. These will be more attractive and easier to navigate and will include new content in many cases. This will bring our general guides into line with the subject guides and the study advice guides, which have been successfully using the new format for a couple of years.

What do you think?

If you have any comments about these changes please contact Library Web Manager, Jackie Skinner by emailing jackie.skinner@reading.ac.uk.

Jackie Skinner, Library Web Manager & Liaison Librarian

Settle up before you go!

If you are graduating this summer then please don’t forget to return your loans and clear your account before you go. If you have any outstanding fines or bills you can pay online via the Campus Card Portal or at the Ground Floor Information Desk now situated in the URS Building.

Before you leave don’t forget to return:

• Standard loan, 7-day loan and journal items to the Library Building
• Course Collection items to the URS Building

Money left on your card?

Save the pennies and avoid having any leftover money on your Campus Card at the end of your course. When you top-up your card via the Campus Card Portal there is now no minimum amount you have to spend. This means you can top-up exactly what you need to see you through to the end of term!

Membership after you graduate

If you are interested in borrowing from the University Library after you graduate, annual Library membership is half-price at £45! Alternatively, if you are beginning a new course at UoR next session you can apply for membership over the summer for a reduced charge of £20. Registrations for membership can be made at the Ground Floor Information Desk in the URS Building.

Holly Thomas, Library User Services

Please help us share the study space in the URS building fairly. It is fine to pop over to the Library building for a book and return to your desk within a short time. However, we think it unfair for students to reserve desks with their belongings for long periods when other students want to use that space.

If you find unattended study places apparently ‘booked’ with clothes, stationery and the like, please ask Library staff for support at either the URS Reception desk by the main entrance or the URS Information Desk next to the Course Collection on the ground floor. We will give you a timed warning card you can place on the abandoned stuff. Put the belongings to one side and sit down. If the owner returns within the hour, they are entitled to the space back. If not, you can sit there. Also ask staff to help explain, should anyone returning after an hour complain.

Where unattended stuff hasn’t been moved overnight, staff will remove it to URS Reception. If it is not claimed by the next morning, it will be taken to Palmer Reception, the centre for all lost property in the University.

Ruth Ng, Liaison Librarian on behalf of
Sue Egleton, Associate Director, Systems & User Services.

Last collections before Easter closure

If you want to use items from the Store or Closed Access before Easter make sure that you get your requests in on time!

• Off-Site Store will need to be requested before 08:30 on Monday 26 March.
• Closed Access items will need to be requested before 10:30 on Wednesday  28 March.

Normal service will resume on Wednesday 4 April with the first Closed Access collection on that day and the first Store collection on Thursday 5 April.

For more information and detailed instructions on how to make Closed Access and Store requests, check out the ‘Requesting items from Store and Closed Access‘ information page.

Holly Thomas, Library User Services

You may experience some noise disruption in the silent study Room G29 on the Ground Floor of the URS Building this week as windows are being replaced in the Wager building, which is just behind the URS building.

From time to time, construction noise can be heard in Room G29.  It is anticipated that the work on the elevation facing the URS Building will be completed by the end of this week.  If you are finding the noise intrusive, please use the Silent Study rooms on the 2nd floor.

Remember you can always use the online room finder to locate alternative study areas.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Rebecca Ashley, Senior Library Assistant for Sharon Hill, LUS Team Leader