Category Archives: Welcome information

Library Welcome Week Events

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Photograph showing a line of rainbow coloured pots, each with a single letter, spelling out the word welcome.We’d like to wish you a warm welcome from all the staff at the University of Reading Library!

Wondering about how to use the Library and what’s available?  We have a variety of events planned for you all week, and information to help you settle in:

New student Libguide

An online guide telling you about the library including useful videos, answers to questions, where to get help and all our welcome week events.

Introducing your library

We are running tours Monday – Thursday, every 30 minutes from 10:00 – 15:00. No need to book, just meet in the Library foyer.

Self-paced tours

We know there’s a lot going on right now!  So if you want to just take things slowly, at a time that suits you, we’ve created a self-paced tour for you to go through online.  Or you can pick up one of our handy expandable maps in the Library, to take a look around the building yourself. Or check out our Instagram tour.

Library talk

Come along to find out how the Library can support your studies.  We’ll be in the Palmer building room 102 at 15:00 – 15:45 on Tuesday, no need to book.

Special Collections

Find out about the University’s Special Collections and make yourself a badge. In the Library foyer 11:00 – 14:00 on Tuesday.

Mystery Books

On Tuesday and Wednesday we will have a selection of Mystery Books you can borrow. Library staff have recommended some great reads from our collection. We’ve mixed them up and hidden them in bags, pick one and relax with a book!

The Legendary Library Escape Box Challenge

On Thursday between 10:00 – 14:00 we will be running a library themed escape game. Come along in a team, or drop by and we will put you into a team. Meet in the Library foyer.

If you join in with anything, don’t forget to let us know on social media!  You can find us on Twitter/X, Instagram and YouTube.

Your Library Team

Welcome Week Library events 2022

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Image shows a sign that says Welcome, please come in.We’d like to wish you a great big welcome from all the staff at the University of Reading Library!

Wondering about how to use the Library and what’s available?  We have a variety of events planned for you all week.

Here’s a rundown of what’s going on:

New student Libguide

An online guide telling you about the library including useful videos, answers to questions, where to get help and all our welcome week events.

Introducing your library

We are running tours on Tuesday and Thursday, every 30 minutes from 10:00 – 15:30. No need to book, just meet in the Library foyer.

Self-paced tours

We know there’s a lot going on right now!  So if you want to just take things slowly, at a time that suits you, we’ve created a self-paced tour for you to go through online.  Or you can pick up one of our handy expandable maps in the Library, to take a look around the building yourself. Or check out our Instagram tour.

Library talk

Come along to find out how the Library can support your studies.  Just come along to the Palmer building room 102 at 15:00 – 16:00 on Wednesday.

Special Collections

Find out about the University’s Special Collections and make a badge. In the Library foyer 11:00 – 14:00 on Wednesday.

Escape Game

On Friday between 10:00 – 14:00 we will be running a library themed escape game. Come along in a team, or drop by and we will put you into a team. Meet in the Library foyer.

If you join in with anything, don’t forget to let us know on social media!  You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Your Library Team

New in-depth Library drop-ins

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Student visiting the Study Queries desk for guidance on using resources

New! Quick queries hour – ask a librarian that urgent searching or referencing question!

We’re excited to announce that from Monday 25 October, we’re offering an additional hour of enhanced library support every weekday lunchtime. Whenever you have a tricky question needing an urgent answer, but your own Academic Liaison Librarian isn’t available, drop in 13:00 – 14:00 to the Study Advice desk on the ground floor of the Library (to the right of the stairs). The duty liaison librarian will set you right!

This service complements our Study Advice drop-ins for urgent study queries (i.e. those which cannot wait for a longer appointment with a Study Adviser), available from the same desk at the same time, 13:00–14:00 weekdays.

The Study Advice desk is currently open 10:00–14:00 for you to ask quick searching tips, general library advice or to set up an appointment with a Study Adviser or your Academic Liaison Librarian.

What can your Academic Liaison Librarian do for you?

What can you ask an Academic Liaison Librarian?

  • What is the best database to use for my assignment?
  • How can I get started searching for books or journal articles?
  • Where can I find particular types of resources e.g., newspapers, archive material?
  • How do I search Enterprise or Summon effectively?
  • How do I find a reference listed in a reference list?
  • Which referencing style should I use? How do I format a reference to a source? – and other quick referencing queries.

What do students say about asking their librarian?

  • “I found it really helpful and supportive”
  • “[The librarian] made it simpler and easier for me to learn/understand how to use [Endnote]”
  • “Absolutely brilliant! Problem solved. 10/10”
  • “I came in confused but left relieved and with much understanding of how to reference and cite papers”
  • ” I haven’t used the library before, so it was very helpful”

What will you ask?

Kim Coles,
Academic Liaison Team Manager

Hello again and welcome back! 

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Following on from Welcome last week, we wanted to ensure that we said ‘welcome back’ to the Library to all of our continuing students too. 

Large rectangular red pin on badge with white text that reads 'ask me... I work here!'.

We’re here to help you with all of your Library questions

We know last year was difficult for everyone and especially for those of you who grappled with online and remote learning. Many of you have been away from campus for a while so, please ask us for assistance if things feel unfamiliar.  

We are pleased to say that many of the measures that were in operation in the Library over the past year have been disbanded! 

 

Study space bookings 

Since 3 September, study space bookings are no longer required for individual study spaces and group study is available again. The 1st Floor Group Study Rooms can, once more, be booked in advance. See our recent blog for more information.  

 

Click & Collect 

Click & Collect has ended and you can now browse the shelves and borrow items without having to place holds in advance of your visit. More information about how and when to place a hold on an item can be found on the Placing & cancelling a hold webpage. 

We’ve retained the one-way system, sanitisation stations and enhanced cleaning as these have all proven to be useful over the last year. Additionally, University health and safety policy is still single occupancy usage of lifts and, if you are able to wear a face covering, we encourage you to use one when moving around the building.  

Find out more about keeping safe on the Student Essentials pages.  

 

Library tours  

Have you seen our Instagram tour yet? Library tours continue to be available online and there are several other options too. 

 

Opening hours back to 24/6+  

We’re back to our normal term time 24/6+ opening hours. This means the Library closes Saturday evening at 21:00 and reopens Sunday at 8:30, apart from that we’re open all hours. Please note that the Library Café closes at 22:00 on weekdays and IT Service desk hours can be found on the DTS website. 

 

Don’t forget to make the most of expert help!  

The Study Advice and Academic Liaison Librarian teams have been expanding the range of online materials available to help you make the most of the Library. Visit the Library website to see our new Training and events guide and links to our newest YouTube videos and other resources. 

 

Blog banner image for University Library News

Bookmark the Library blog to stay up-to-date with any changes

 

Further information 

We’ll continue to provide updates on the Library services on our website, blog, and social media to keep you informed but if you have any questions, please get in touch via library@reading.ac.uk or see our contact information for other options.  

Your Library Team

Autumn term – time to continue your studies

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avenue of trees in Autumn

So, the summer holidays are almost over, and thoughts are starting to turn to coming back to uni. Where do you start and how do you make sure you’re ready for the challenges ahead? Follow our Study Advice tips below to ensure you’re ‘study ready’ for the autumn term.

Tip #1: Sort out the stationery

Start with preparing yourself mentally by ensuring you have all the equipment that you need. You’re likely to be attending seminars on campus as well as engaging in online content, so you’ll need to decide if you’re going to stick to pen and paper, make notes digitally or have a combination of both. You may need pens, paper, files and dividers, or ensure you have the digital versions ready; so, set up your online folders for each module.

Tip #2: Check out Blackboard

If you have access to your Blackboard account, check out the information that’s available for each module. Download and save any key documents where you can easily access them. Make a note of the assignment details and deadlines and familiarise yourself with the structure of each module.

Tip #3: Access your reading list

Once you have access to your reading list through Blackboard, you can start by making a note of your essential readings. You might want to purchase some of the books, or check out their availability in the Library.  Your online reading list will show you where to find books on the Library shelves, or how to access online versions available through the Library. You can plan your reading in advance, and you may be able to access and read online versions before you start.

Tip #4: Make a study plan

Once you have access to your own timetable, you can create your own weekly and termly study plans. Check out our videos on managing your time which offer some tips to get you started. Our video on organising yourself offers some advice on managing your studies in a blended learning environment.

Tip #5: Brush up on those academic skills

You might feel that some of your study skills have become rusty over the summer. So, if you want to refresh your skills on writing essays, referencing and organising your study time, check out our Study Advice videos. We also run Weekly webinars to support you to develop your academic skills. Book your space on these today and get yourself study ready!

And if you’re a first-year student, make sure you join 1000s of your fellow students on our Study Smart course. This has been designed by us specifically to help prepare you for studying at university. You’ll find loads of resources to help you and some of our current students are online to answer any of your study questions.

Study Advice 

UoR Library Welcome tours

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Full library tour to show the building and key location for Autumn term 2021 lasting 6.58mins on Instagram

Visit the Library via our Instagram tour

There’s been a lot happening this week across the University so if you want to slow things down, try out our self-paced tour. Go through, online at your own pace and in your own time.

Or, if you prefer something a bit more whizzy, take a look at our Instagram tour.

Expandable maps arranged as a welcoming smile.

Mini folding maps – your friendly Library guide

Alternatively, visit the Library in person, pick up an expandable map and take a look around the building yourself.

We like to think we have something for everyone so if you’re new to the University of Reading, or if you’re a returning student and haven’t been onsite for a while, come and see us for help with all your Library needs.

A table with Library, study advice and other University information displayed along with a table top stand displaying relevant information.

Learn what your Library offers, and how we can help you from the display in our foyer

Your Library Team

UoR Library Welcome Week Events 2021

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We’d like to wish you a great big welcome from all the staff at the University of Reading Library!  Wondering about how to use the Library and what’s available?  We have a variety of events planned for you for Welcome Week and beyond.  Here’s a rundown of what’s going on:

Image show the outside of the Library and the text reads Welcome! We're looking forward to meeting you! Want to know more about the Library, and what's happening this week? Take a look at our New Student Libguide.

 

New student Libguide

An online guide telling you about how everything is working in the library including useful videos, answers to questions, where to get help and all our welcome week events.

Introducing your library

We are running online webinars to guide you through some basics about using the Library, and how we can help you in your studies at UoR.

Self-paced tours

We know there’s a lot going on right now!  So if you want to just take things slowly, at a time that suits you, we’ve created a self-paced tour for you to go through online.  Or you can pick up one of our handy expandable maps in the Library, to take a look around the building yourself.

Virtual Escape Game

We have an online time travel escape game that you can play solo or with friends to introduce you to some slightly usual events in the Library!  Time yourself as you play and let us know how speedy you are on social media!Image shows a locked door surrounded by steampunk clocks and patterns. Text reads how about playing our virtual time travel escape game? You can play online with friends, or by yourself. See the new student libguide for how to play.

UoR Library reading challenge

This year we’ve created a month by month reading challenge including both e-books and hard copy books.  Why not take some downtime from your studies and try something you might not have otherwise read?  Share your favourites with us on our social media channels.

UoR Library virtual crafts

Take a quick 3 minute break to learn how to make an easy origami bookmark!

If you join in with anything don’t forget to let us know on social media!  You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Your Library Team

Education students, welcome to UoR Library!

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Femail teacher at door of school classroom furniture

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Early September, children return to school and we welcome postgraduate students learning to teach them with our Institute of Education. Greetings!

Why not come to meet your Education Academic Liaison Librarians and Study Advisers at the ‘marketplace’ in RUSU’s Cafe Mondial, 10:00-12:30 on Friday 3 (secondary students) or 12:00-13:00 Wednesday 8 September (primary students). We’ll also be around all year to support your studies of course!

Check out our Education subject and referencing guide online to discover online and physical resources – much is online, linked to your reading lists, with printed theory and Teaching Practice Collection resources in the Library building.

You can see what the Library is like right now on YouTube. Do visit the Library on Whiteknights campus once you receive your Campus card. Please note that our opening hours extend in a few weeks time when full term begins. Watch our Library website for changes to accessing collections and our modern study spaces, or follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)!

Your Academic Liaison Librarians for Education

 

UoR Library welcomes new and returning students!

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We’d like to wish all of you joining us for your first term a great big welcome, and welcome back to all our virtual & on-campus returning students, from all the staff at the University of Reading Library!  We have lots of online support available to help you get started with using the Library, or to refresh your memory if you’ve forgotten over the Christmas break, as well as staff in the Library building who can help if you are on campus.

Image shows a mug with hello written on it, and a mobile phone. Text reads Welcome! We have various virtual library activities going on this week and beyond for both our new and returning students. See our new student Libguide for more info!

 

New student Libguide

An online guide telling you about how everything is working in the library including useful videos, answers to questions, where to get help and all our virtual events.

Introducing your library

We have a recorded webinar, to guide you through some basics about using the Library, and how we can help you in your studies at UoR.

Self-paced online tours

We know there’s a lot happening at the moment, so for those of you on campus who want to just take things at your own pace we’ve created a self-paced online tour which will introduce you to the physical building.

Virtual Escape Game

An online time travel escape game that you can play solo or with friends to introduce you to some Library basics via some unusual events in the Library!  Time yourself as you play and let us know how speedy you are on social media!Image shows lots of clocks set to different times. Text reads Virtual time travel escape game! Play solo or with friends over an online chat. See the new student Libguide for how to play!

UoR Library reading challenge

A month by month reading challenge including both e-books and hard copy books.  Why not take some downtime from your studies and try something you might not have otherwise read?  Share your reading finds with us on our social media channels.

UoR Library virtual crafts

Take a quick 3 minute break to learn how to make an easy origami bookmark!

If you join in with anything don’t forget to let us know on social media!  You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Ruth Ng, Academic Liaison Librarian

UoR Library Welcome Week Events

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We’d like to wish you a great big welcome from all the staff at the University of Reading Library!  Although we’re doing things a little differently this year, we still have a great variety of events planned for you for Welcome Week and beyond.  Here’s a rundown of what’s going on:

Image welcoming new students to the library with a photo of a mug of coffee that has hello written on it and a mobile phone next to the mug.

 

New student Libguide

An online guide telling you about how everything is working in the library including useful videos, answers to questions, where to get help and all our welcome week events.

Introducing your library

We are running online workshops to guide you through some basics about using the Library, and how we can help you in your studies at UoR.

Self-paced tours

We know there’s a lot happening during Welcome Week, so if you want to just take things at your own pace we’ve created a self-paced tour for you to go through online.

Virtual Escape Game

An online time travel escape game that you can play solo or with friends to introduce you to some slightly usual events in the Library!  Time yourself as you play and let us know how speedy you are on social media!Image shows lots of clocks to advertise the Library's time travel virtual escape game

UoR Library reading challenge

A month by month reading challenge including both e-books and hard copy books.  Why not take some downtime from your studies and try something you might not have otherwise read?  Share your reading finds with us on our social media channels.

UoR Library virtual crafts

Take a quick 3 minute break to learn how to make an easy origami bookmark!

 

If you join in with anything don’t forget to let us know on social media!  You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Welcome new students! Tour, borrow and craft!

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Hands hold our map infront of library entrance gatesWe’re really excited to welcome all new students starting this week, with various events to help you get to know your Library.

  • Why not take a self-guided tour of the Library? Grab a ‘Your Library Tour’ map from the Library Welcome Desk on the Ground Floor of the Library and explore the building.
  • Brown paper bag with a question mark on it, and 3 origami folded bookmarks next to the bag.Come and chat with our friendly staff at the Induction Marketplace on Wednesday 15 January 13:00-17:00.
  • You are all welcome to attend a Library Leisure Time event, Friday 17 January 13:00-15:00.
    • Did you know that we have fiction too besides your course text books at the Library? Not sure which to choose? Come along to borrow one of our lucky-dip print books!
    • Take a moment to relax by crafting your own origami bookmark with us!

For more information and help with Library resources ask at the Welcome Desk or have a look at our YouTube channel.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for library updates.

Ruth Ng & Karen Drury, Academic Liaison Librarians

Support from your Library beyond Welcome Week

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Hands hold our map infront of library entrance gates

Take a tiny self-guided tour to find out where everything is on the Library’s newly refurbished Ground and 1st Floors.

Welcome Week may now be over but there is still plenty of support available, online and in person, to help you make the most of the Library.

Library tours

Library tours continue to run throughout week 1 at 11:00, 12:00 and 14:00 each day. You can book onto a tour on RISIS, or just turn up five minutes before the start time.

If you don’t have time for an escorted tour, you can also pick up a self-guided tour in the Library. This will allow you to look around the Library at your own pace, guiding you through all the information you’ll need to make full use of the services and facilities.

You can also take a look at our YouTube channel for quick videos on how to use the Library such as finding a book, using the self-service points and how to print, scan and copy.

Who can you ask for help?

Academic Liaison librarians

There is a dedicated academic liaison librarian for every subject at the University. Your liaison librarian can support your studies by:

• showing you how to use information resources effectively – your librarian can offer training sessions for your School/Department and online library guides for your subject
• showing you how to save time by making the most of all our Library services
• giving you individual help with research – your librarian can offer in depth one-to-one help in finding information, including identifying the most relevant e-resources for you to use

Contact your academic liaison librarian to arrange a meeting.

Pick up a free year planner, as well as information, study and maths advice, from the Study Advice Desk!

Study Advice and Maths Support Desk

The Study Advice and Maths Support Desk is staffed 10:00-16:00 every weekday. You can drop in here with quick queries for Study Advice, Maths Support and Academic Liaison Librarians or to book longer appointments with staff from any of these teams. You can also pick up a free Study Advice year planner, perfect for helping you organise your studies for the coming year.

Chairs in front of a long enquiry counter where on the other sides a librarian sits talking on phone. Two people are talking across the far end of the counter.

Ask general enquiries at the Welcome Desk.

Welcome Desk

You can ask at the Welcome Desk for help with most general enquiries including:

  • finding your way around
  • your Library account and membership
  • loans, renewals and holds
  • inter-library loans

Our friendly staff will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

Further information

To keep up to date with the latest Library news, visit this Library blog and our social media channels.

Katie Winter, Academic Liaison Support Librarian