Use other libraries with SCONUL Access scheme

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Are you going home for the holidays but still want to get some research done? Or are you someone thinking of visiting our Library and want your own access card to make your visits here that much easier?

Then follow the instructions below to see if you could join the SCONUL scheme!

What is SCONUL?sconul logo

The SCONUL Access scheme is a reciprocal relationship between many university libraries across the UK and Ireland allowing members of the different institutions to make use of each other’s libraries.

What access can I get?

Depending on whether you are a full or part-time student, an undergraduate, postgraduate or staff member, you could be eligible for borrowing books or reference access to other SCONUL Access member libraries.

How do I apply?

Go to the SCONUL Access participating libraries page and select your status and home institution.  You will then see a list of all the libraries that you are eligible to use. Select the library that you wish to use and click on the ‘apply for access’ button and complete the online form.

You will receive an email authorizing your registration at all the libraries you are eligible to join.  Simply take your email and University Campus Card along to the Library you wish to access and you will be issued with your own access or library card.

Remember you only need to apply once – you can use the same email to join as many libraries as you want!

Note: Not all libraries are members of the scheme, and not all members of the scheme accept all types of users. Each library participating in SCONUL Access chooses which types of users to accept under the scheme. The SCONUL Access participating libraries page will only the display the ones you can use. If you are unsure please contact the Library.

Further information

If you are a current University of Reading student or staff member looking to use another institutions library please follow the link here.

If you are a member of another institution looking to use the University of Readings Library resources please follow the link here

Matthew Pearson, Library User Services

Keep borrowing over the Christmas holidays!

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University Library in snow with fir tree in foreground

The end of the Autumn term is rapidly approaching! Have you checked what our opening hours are over the Christmas vacation? Or do you know when your items have to be returned by over the University closure period?

Opening hours

Autumn term will end on Friday 14 December as the Christmas vacation begins the following day, Saturday 15 December. This means that the opening hours of both University Library buildings will change.

Please note that both Library buildings will be open on the weekends of 15/16 December, 22/23 December and 5/6 January but as self-service only.

The Library buildings will also be closed over the University Christmas closure between Monday 24 December and Tuesday 1 January.

Please see our opening hours page on our website for more information.

Borrowing

With textbooks in increasingly high demand even after the end of term, we’ve made sure our policy ensures fair access to all. It will be ‘business as usual’ with all loan periods remaining the same in vacation as all term. This means that items will not be issued to cover the whole Christmas vacation.

Just keep renewing your loans unless or until someone else recalls them … so keep checking your University account! You can even return loans by post if you prefer. If your account is blocked please contact the Library and we will discuss the situation with you.

This means you can place holds on books on loan in vacations. The threat of fines on non-returned books should help Library users return them for you!

What about Christmas holidays and Uni Closure?

We know the short Christmas break also spans public holidays and the Christmas University Closure period, so we’ve made special allowances. Any journals, 7-day loans or Course Collection items borrowed from Friday 14 December until the Christmas University Closure will be due back on Wednesday 2 January (by 11:00 for Course Collection items).  No items will be due back between Friday 21 December and Monday 1 January.

Happy holidays!

Matthew Pearson, Library User Services

New Library entrance now open

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The new Library entrance from inside

The new entrance to the Library building is now open and the old revolving door

The new accessible entrance to the main Library building – the Book Drop is available as normal.

has been cordoned off. The new entrance is accessible and the out-of-hours Book Drop is still available.

Although the entrance has been opened, work is not yet complete. For now, please use the door on the side closest to the URS Building (pictured) – once the project is complete, doors on both sides of the entrance will be available.

More information

Keep up to date with the latest Library refurbishment news on our Library refurbishment webpage.

 

Caitlin McCulloch, Trainee Liaison Librarian

Resolved – Problems accessing e-resources

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Open laptop with notepadThe problem with access to many of our e-resource platforms has now been resolved, and you should be able to access all e-resources as normal.

If you are still having any problems with access, please contact us at eresourceshelp@reading.ac.uk or submit an e-resources problem report form.

Thank you for your patience during this time.

Sophie Dorman – E-resources Team

Referencing headaches? Online tools can help – info tip

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Laptop, book and glassesDo you struggle with referencing? Have you been marked down for incomplete or inconsistent references? There are some online tools that can help!

Why use online referencing tools?

  1. You can use them to store accurate details of publications to use in your assignments.
  2. They can save you time compiling, checking and correcting references – just insert the citation and a bibliography is created automatically. You can also reformat your citations in a different style at the click of a button.
  3. You can add notes to your references, to remind yourself of specific parts you might want to use.
  4. Some allow you to store PDFs of the sources with your references, so that everything is together and in most cases available on any computer.

If you use an online tool you still need to know when to include a citation, and understand the principles of referencing. You can find help on this in Study Advice’s referencing guide or referencing video tutorials. You also need to be aware of which style your department requires you to use – consult your course handbook for details.

Which one should I use?

If you are an undergraduate or masters student…

… we recommend using EndNote online. This is free to use and you can use it both on campus PCs and your own PC or laptop.

You can get accurate reference details into it from Library catalogues such as Enterprise and Summon, databases such as Web of Science, or you can manually create your own references for web pages. If you’re not sure whether your preferred database supports EndNote, check our database A-Z list for details of the individual resource.

EndNote online also works with Microsoft Word – you can install a free toolbar which helps you automatically create both in-text citations and your full bibliography. You can choose from a list of common referencing styles (including the University’s own ‘Harvard for Reading’ style) to format your bibliography.

EndNote online is fully supported by the Library and we can provide 1-1 help.

To get started, come along to a workshop, try our step-by-step guide to using EndNote online, or watch an introductory video.

If you are a research postgraduate or member of staff…

… we recommend using Desktop EndNote. This is available on any campus PC through Apps Anywhere. A personal copy can be purchased at the discounted price of around £98.

References can be easily captured from many databases, and you can use the ‘Find full-text’ feature to automatically attach article PDFs to those references. A very large number of referencing styles are provided, including those for specific journals. You can download other ones from the EndNote website, or create your own by editing existing styles. It is also possible to share your EndNote library by synchronising with an EndNote online account – useful for collaboration.

Find out more by coming along to a workshop, trying our step-by-step guides, or watching a brief introductory video.

Other options

There are a number of other referencing tools available, including Mendeley, Zotero and Word’s own referencing facility. Although we do not provide support for these, we have provided links to online guidance and videos via our managing references guide.

Help

If you need help with using EndNote, or with any aspect of citing references, contact your subject liaison librarian who will be happy to help.

This is one of a series of tips to help you save time and effort finding or using information.

This tip was written by Jackie Skinner, Library Web Manager & Liaison Librarian, and Caitlin McCulloch, Trainee Liaison Librarian.

Book EndNote Online training for easy referencing!

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Open book on a laptopThere are spaces still available on next week’s EndNote Online workshop for undergraduates and masters students.

Come along to learn how to use EndNote Online to…

  • store details of the books and articles you read
  • download references from databases such as the Web of Science
  • insert citations in your Word documents
  • build a bibliography in a style of your choosing at the click of a button

Workshop time

Wednesday 21 November, 14:00 – 15:30

Book your place

Book your place via the ‘Library course bookings’ link on the RISISweb portal. The bookings link is located in the ‘Actions’ tab if you’re a student. If you’re a member of staff click on ‘Specialist Actions’ in the ‘Specialist Actions’ tab.

This workshop is part of the Student Training and Experience Programme (STEP) and counts towards the RED Award.

Unable to make this date?

Check the EndNote training webpage for other dates when this workshop is running this term.

Sally Smith, Learning Support Co-ordinator

Library refurbishment: lift stairs demolition

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Looking over stairs, they descend in a spiral

Say goodbye to the staircase behind existing lifts! They will soon be enclosed by acoustic barriers and demolished.

Our Library building refurbishment has now progressed to preparing to demolish the stairs behind the lifts, with actual demolition planned for January 2019. You may experience construction noise, despite the acoustic partitions that are being put in place to help reduce the volume. Here is our advice on how you can still get to upper Library floors; find books moved during this work; and find alternative, quieter study space.

How do I get to upper floors?

Although we will no longer be able to use the stairs behind our existing lifts, access will be maintained to at least two of lifts themselves until new lifts are ready. The big central staircase leading up from the main hall remains our main stairs, with other stairs around the edges of the building available for emergency evacuation.

Where are my books?

During hoarding construction, books previously shelved right next to the lift area have been moved elsewhere on the same floor. Please ask staff at the floor Information Desks if you need help finding them.

  • On the 2nd Floor 337-338.52 has moved to the far (eastern/Eat at the Square) end of the room by the windows.
  • On the 3rd Floor 728-733.5154 has moved to new shelves by the Information Desk.

Where can I find quieter study space?

This phase of construction will sometimes involve noisy or disruptive works. Please make use of the quiet and silent study space in the Library@URS building next door, as well as the variety of alternative study space options across campus. For more see ‘The latest on student study space’ (Student Services news, 31 October 2018) or Transform 2026: Study space update (UoR staff portal news, 31 October 2018).

More on Library refurb

Demolishing this staircase will create space for print hubs on every floor and a silent study PC area on the 5th Floor. Find out more about the project on our Library refurbishment webpage.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator
and University Communications

Book Desktop EndNote training for easy referencing

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There are spaces still available on the next beginner’s Desktop EndNote workshop for postgraduate students, researchers and staff.Student studying

Come along to learn how to use EndNote to…

  • store details of the books and articles you read
  • download references from databases such as the Web of Science
  • insert citations in your Word documents
  • build a bibliography in a style of your choosing at the click of a button

Workshop time

Wednesday 14 November, 14:00 – 16:00

Book your place

Book your place via the ‘Library course bookings’ link on the RISISweb portal. The bookings link is located in the ‘Actions’ tab if you’re a student.   If you’re a member of staff click on ‘Specialist Actions’ in the ‘Specialist Actions’ tab.

This workshop is part of the Student Training and Experience Programme (STEP) and counts towards the RED Award.

Unable to make this date?

Check the EndNote training webpage for other dates for this workshop and sources of help with using EndNote.

Sally Smith, Learning Support Co-ordinator

Can’t find the item you need in the Library? – info tip

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It’s every student’s worst nightmare – you’ve finally found the perfect item for your assignment, only to discover that the Library doesn’t have it. But don’t despair! We’ve got lots of ways for you to get your hands on the information you need…

All the copies are on loan

The 'Place Hold' button.

You’ll see the ‘Place Hold’ button on the top right-hand side of the catalogue record.

  • Place a hold. When you’re on the catalogue page with details of the item, click the Place Hold button in the top right-hand side. Log in with your University details and click Place Hold again. That’s all you need to do! Whoever’s had the book out the longest will be asked to return it, and we’ll send you an email when the book is ready for you to collect on the Hold Shelf of the URS Building. We’ll automatically buy more copies of books with lots of holds. Note: you’ll only be able to place a hold when there are no copies on the shelf.
  • Check for an e-book version. Where possible we buy both print and digital copies of titles to make sure everyone can access them. Anything that’s available online will have a link saying Click here for online access – click that and sign in with your University details to start reading. E-books are particularly useful because you can access them anywhere: on campus, at home, on holiday – the choice is yours!
  • Check our Course Collection. This is a collection of high-demand items available for short loan – you can borrow any item in this section until 11am the following day. This can be really useful if you’re needing to read a particular chapter of a book before a tutorial, for example. Course Collection Books are listed as OVERNIGHT books on the catalogue, and their Status will be ‘Course Collection Ground Floor@URS’.
  • Check other books in the same section. Our books are arranged by Call Number, and books with the same Call Number will cover the same topic (for example, all books shelved at 658.8 are about marketing). If you can’t find the exact title you need, it’s worth browsing the area to see if you can find a similar book. Check the Books tab of your subject guide to find out where to find particular topics. You might also be able to find an earlier edition of your title – they will be shelved at the same place.

 

We don’t stock the book in the Library

 

I need a specific article or book for an assignment and the Library doesn’t have access

  • Place a free inter-library loan (ILL) request. We’ll then ask other libraries if they can give us a copy of the article or book. For articles, you can often have the PDF sent straight to your University email address. Undergraduate and taught postgraduate students can have up to 5 free requests per year; this number is higher for research students and staff – check out our ILL pages for more information. If you’d like to place a request, log in and fill in a short online form with details of the item you need.

This is one of a series of tips designed to help you save time and effort finding or using information

This tip was written by Caitlin McCulloch, Trainee Liaison Librarian for Architecture, Chemistry, Construction Management & Engineering and Pharmacy.

New resources from Digimap

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We now have two new Digimap services available to University members: Marine Digimap and Global Digimap. These are in addition to Ordnance Survey, Historic, Geology, Environment and Aerial.

Marine Digimap

Marine Digimap is of two types: nautical charts derived from UK Hydrographic Office paper charts and chart panels; and Marine Themes data, which is a feature rich dataset derived from authoritative material obtained from the UK Hydrographic Office.  Both are available to download for use in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) or to produce printed maps.

Marine Roam

Marine Roam© British Crown and OceanWise, 2018.

Marine Roam can be customised and includes layers for:

  • Elevation
  • Shipwrecks and Obstructions
  • Industrial Facilities
  • Transport
  • Administrative and Management Units
  • Geographical Regions

Chart Roam enables you to view and print maps using Raster Charts at one of 11 predefined scales. Marine data is extensively used in offshore engineering projects, management of marine and coastal environments, marine ecology studies, environmental impact assessments and tourism.

Global Digimap

As its name suggests, Global Digimap goes beyond Great Britain, with world coverage derived primarily from OpenStreetMap data, and smaller scales from Natural Earth datasets.  The service is currently in Beta, and Edina would appreciate any feedback or ideas for new datasets.

Global Digimap

Global Digimap © OpenStreetMap contributors

OpenStreetMap data is created by volunteers surveying features on the ground or adding them from Aerial and Satellite imagery.  OpenStreetMap is open data and you are free to use it for any purpose as long as you credit OpenStreetMap and its contributors. However this does mean that the quality of data in OpenStreetMap is very variable, with some features and whole cities being present in very high levels of detail and accuracy and other features are not present at all.

Natural Earth data is created by a group of volunteers around the globe and is supported by the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS). Natural Earth is open data and you are free to use it for any purpose.

There is more information about OSM and Natural Earth on Digimap’s help pages.

Global Digimap is available as both data download and Roam.

Judith Fox
Map Librarian/Digimap Site Representative

Making the most of your Library – info tip

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You don’t need to visit the Library to discover the range of resources we provide!

  • Need to know how to find things in the Library?
  • Unsure how to search for books and journals on Enterprise?
  • Need to find books on your subject which aren’t on your reading lists?

Try LibLearn!

LibLearn is an online course that you can do when you have time and at your own pace. It is available 24/7 via Blackboard, the University’s online learning system. Divided into three sections, LibLearn includes documents to read, and quizzes to test yourself on how much you’ve learnt and to provide more tips.

New to the University?

Then LibLearn One is for you. It will help you to:

  • find your way around the Library
  • search for books on your reading lists on Enterprise
  • locate books in the Library

Been at the University for a while or doing a Masters or PhD?

LibLearn Two and LibLearn Three will help you to:

  • find and access journals in the Library
  • find material on a subject using Enterprise and Summon
  • find academically reliable material on the web
  • evaluate what you find
  • understand the principles of copyright and referencing
  • develop effective search strategies
  • search databases for information, particularly journal articles

How do you access LibLearn?

  1. Go to the LibLearn course in Blackboard
  2. Click on the Enrol button on the left-hand-side of the screen
  3. Click on the submit button on the Self Enrolment screen and OK at the bottom of the next screen

You will now be taken to the course pages. Next time you log on to Blackboard the course will be in your list of  Courses in My modules.

Or watch one of our videos!

If you were unable to come to one of our ‘Finding your way’ workshops for new students, or just want to find out more about the Library and what we do, then check out our series of introductory videos.

Some of the videos currently available are:

Library staff…happy to help!

Although there is a wealth of information and help on our website, Library staff are here to help you, so please ask if you have any questions. You can always contact your subject liaison librarian for guidance on locating resources in your subject.

This is one of a series of tips to help save you time and effort finding or using information

This tip was written by Learning Support Co-ordinator Sally Smith.

Library refurbishment: ground floor toilets.

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From Monday 22 October 2018 the ground floor toilets in the Library will be fully open to the public.

Ground Floor

The toilets previously assigned as gender neutral will now be male only with a new set of female only toilets placed alongside.

A new gender neutral toilet will  be available for use with a planned baby change table to be installed at a later date. Finally, a new accessible toilet will be opened alongside the rest of our new facilities.

These facilities are located to the right as you enter the building.

Other Floors

Don’t forget that the existing gender neutral and accessible toilets on the 1st and 3rd floors of the Library are still available for use. Check floor plans in the Library or ask a member of staff to point you in the right direction.

More information

Keep up to date with the latest Library refurbishment news on our  Library refurbishment webpage.

Matthew Pearson, Library User Services.