Get set for dissertations with live and video training!

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Young asian girls crouch at running race start lineSet to start your dissertation this summer? No? Get on track by joining this week’s live webinars introducing reference management tools EndNote and Mendeley, or catch up with our new videos summarising topics discussed at last week’s Master’s Dissertation Fayre!

Join reference management workshops

Book through the Actions tab on RISIS to join Extra EndNote and Mendeley reference management workshops:

  • EndNote Online – Tue 15 June 11am
  • Desktop EndNote – Wed 16 June 11am
  • Mendeley – Thu 17 June 11am

View Master’s Dissertation Fayre videos

Showdy figures study in purle background of caption "Masters Dissertation Fayre 2021 Monday 7th to Firday 11th June.Last week all students attending live webinars and giving feedback said they would recommend the sessions to others. One said, “Everything has been helpful; despite writing two dissertations I have not had sessions like these before. Learning to focus my research (‘systematic searching’ and ‘finalising research questions’ were great) and [learning to] plan my study more carefully are the sorts of things I’ve been needing to improve.”

So help yourself to these newly recorded video versions provided by the Library’s Liaison and Study Advice Teams. Aspects covered include:

Ready? Get set. Go!

Rachel Redrup, Academic Liaison Librarian

 

Happy summer vacation!

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Today marks the end of the UG academic year and the start of the summer vacation opening hours for the Library. We will no longer be open at weekends, except for three Saturdays on 17 July, 14 August and 18 September.

From Monday 14 June, we will be open 08:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday for study space, and 11:00 – 14:00 for Click and Collect (loans for continuing students are due Tuesday 28 September). Please remember to make your booking for study space before 16:00 each day and continue to follow the guidance in the Current Library Services LibGuide.

We’re still offering online events for continuing students – see our guide to Reference Management Workshops for further information and if you’re finishing your studies with the University, remember to visit the Library website to find out how you can continue to make the most of the resources as a Reading graduate.

Best wishes for a wonderful summer – we look forward to welcoming you back again soon!

Library User Services

System upgrade 14 June – some services disrupted

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Next week we are upgrading our Library Management System. During the upgrade on Monday 14 June, between 19:00 and midnight, (after the Library buildings are closed) some services will be unavailable.

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 15 July, 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 on 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.

Sophie Dorman – E-resources Team

The way you log in to Enterprise is changing

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We are updating the way you log in to your Library account in Enterprise to renew loans, place holds etc, bringing it in line with other University systems.

From Thursday 17 June, you will start to see changes with how you log into Enterprise. For University of Reading members it will look the same as the page you see when you log into other University services such as your emails or other Office 365 services. This also means that you will need to use a different username to log into Enterprise. Where previously you only used your two letter and six digit username (e.g. ab123456) to log in, you will now need to add the suffix of your email address (e.g. ab123456@student.reading.ac.uk). This is the same username you will already use to log into services such as Blackboard. Your password will not change. 

University of Reading sign in screen

Logging into Enterprise will look the same as other University systems

If you are an External borrower – this new log-in procedure won’t apply to you. We will contact you by email shortly to advise on how you will be able to log in to your Library account.

As ever, if you have any problems accessing your Library account or would like help with renewing or placing a hold, please contact the Library User Services team on library@reading.ac.uk

 

Natalie Guest, Document Delivery Coordinator
Library User Services 

Masters Dissertation Fayre – final day!

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Take up our last training offers to help you produce a great dissertation, this final day of our Masters Dissertation Fayre!

This morning at 11am, our Study Advisers discuss writing your discussion chapter.

Book before 12pm to attend a 2pm session with Academic Liaison Librarians providing you with specialist knowledge and need-to-know advice on getting the best out of:

You can read more about the topics on offer via the Study Advice Webinars libguide https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/webinars/summer-term.

Click & Collect during Summer vacation

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From Monday 14 June, Click & Collect will be open between 11:00 – 14:00, Monday to Friday. If you request a book and are emailed to pick it up, please make sure to come to the Library during these hours.

The Library building will be closed at weekends, except for three Saturdays on 17 July, 14 August and 18 September. For full details of the Library’s opening hours during the Summer vacation, please see our website: https://www.reading.ac.uk/library/using/hours/lib-hours.aspx.

Click & Collect is located on the Ground Floor of the Library. There is a separate entrance on the north side of the building, near the Co-op. Please bring your Campus Card when collecting books.

Library User Services

Click & Collect during Summer vacation

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From Monday 14 June, Click & Collect will be open between 11:00 – 14:00, Monday to Friday. If you request a book and are emailed to pick it up, please make sure to come to the Library during these hours.

The Library building will be closed at weekends, except for three Saturdays on 17 July, 14 August and 18 September. For full details of the Library’s opening hours during the Summer vacation, please see our website: https://www.reading.ac.uk/library/using/hours/lib-hours.aspx.

Click & Collect is located on the Ground Floor of the Library. There is a separate entrance on the north side of the building, near the Co-op. Please bring your Campus Card when collecting books.

Library User Services

Extra EndNote and Mendeley reference management workshops

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We are offering additional online workshops on using EndNote and Mendeley to follow on from the EndNote / Mendeley comparison webinar which is taking place as part of the Masters’ Dissertation Fayre.

The workshops will take place at the following times:

  • EndNote Online – Tue 15 June 11am
  • Desktop EndNote – Wed 16 June 11am
  • Mendeley – Thu 17 June 11am

Book your place

Sign up to any of these workshops through the Actions tab on RISIS. They will take place on MS Teams and will consist of a live demo with the opportunity to ask questions.

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 Academic Liaison Librarian.

Jackie Skinner
Academic Liaison Librarian

 

Book your Master’s dissertation webinars this week!

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Put your studies on track for success with a series of webinars for Master’s students working on their dissertations! The Master’s Dissertation Fayre, run by the Library’s Study Advice and Liaison teams, is back after the success of last year.  Students loved our range of topics covering all elements of dissertation planning and writing, from choosing a research methodology to writing your literature review.  This year, we’re offering all that and more!

Webinars are running online at 11am and 2pm each day from Monday 7 – Friday 11 June. These friendly and helpful sessions are open to all Master’s students, and you can book a place online.

Topics include:

  • Critical writing
  • Avoiding plagiarism
  • Systematic literature searching
  • Finalising your research question
  • Using company information databases
  • Writing your literature review
  • Literature searching tips
  • Reference management tools comparison – Endnote vs Mendeley
  • Writing your discussion
  • Using primary sources/archives online
  • Finding statistical sources

We’re looking forward to seeing you virtually, and hearing your feedback.

Academic Liaison Librarians and Study Advisors

5 tips for starting your Master’s dissertation

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So, you may have just finished your exams but now you have to turn your attention to your dissertation. Where do you begin and how can you ensure you stay on track? Below are our Study Advice and Library tips to help you get started and stay focused.

Student studying in the Library

Tip #1: Have a plan

Having a plan not only helps you to stay on track but weekly goals keep you motivated. Work backwards from your hand in date and remember to build in extra time for proofreading and final touches. Our videos on managing your time offer some tips to get you started.

Tip #2: Start with something small

To help you get going, start with a task that you can get done easily. This might be something simple, like setting up a word template or printing off a couple of key articles. Being able to complete one task can give you a sense of achievement and motivate you to tackle more challenging ones.

Tip #3: Think about the information that you need…

…and how to access it! If you are carrying out a literature review, or analysing documents or literature, make sure that you are familiar with the key online resources in your subject area. You can find out more about what’s available to you, as well as contact details for your Academic Liaison Librarian, on your Library subject guide. Look at the COVID-19 page in the guide for top tips on how to access resources when off-campus.

Tip #4: Think more, read less

It’s important that you think critically about what you’re reading. This requires you to see the links between various theories and consider what they mean for your research question. So, when taking notes remember to not only record a summary of your reading but more importantly note what you think about what you have read. This will help you when you come to write up. Our video on critical note-taking offers some advice on this.

Tip #5: Attend a webinar

The Library and Study Advice teams are running a series of webinars for Masters students working on their dissertations. The Masters Dissertation Fayre is back for a second year, covering a range of topics from selecting a reference management tool, to structuring your literature review.

Webinars will run online at 11am and 2pm each day from Monday 7th – Friday 11th June. These friendly and helpful sessions are open to all Masters students, and you can book a place online.

Thanks for reading,

The Study Advice Team

Library news and reminders

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Visiting the Library for study space or click & collect?

The one way system in the Library

To help to keep us all safe, please continue to follow the Library Covid- 19 Code of Conduct; it is important that you

  • wear a face covering,
  • practice social distancing
  • stick to the study space allocated by the booking system
  • follow the one-way systems and other procedures in place in the Library and on campus.

 

Finishing your studies soon?

If you are finishing your studies at the University soon, please return any outstanding print or other media as soon as you can. If you are not local to campus and are in the UK, please use our Freepost service to return your loans. If you are not in the UK, please get in touch with us for guidance on alternative ways to get your loans back to us safely.

Return loans in the Book Drop flap to the right of the Library front doors

 

New events!

You may have noticed a new addition to the library homepage. We have created ‘New Events‘ to provide a one-stop-shop of information! Although we are still not yet able to provide in person events, there are plenty of learning and study opportunities on offer. Look out for forthcoming webinars and further online support from Study Advice and the Academic Liaison Librarians. We’ll be posting more information about these events on our social media soon, but in the interim, see the Study Advice Webinars LibGuide for details.

New events section on the Library website.

 

Vacation loans

If you are leaving campus for the summer vacation, our vacation loan period should make like easier!

We have renewed all loans, with the usual exceptions such as Inter-library loans, for continuing students until Tuesday 28 September, so why not make the most of the opportunity for some really great summer reading, by taking part in the UoR Reading Challenge and borrow some items before you leave!

June 2021 summer reading challenge- read a book set in a country that you would like to visit.

Library User Services

Geomni – a new type of Digimap data

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We now have access to a new service as part of Digimap, available both through Digimap Roam and Download.  Geomni consists of three parts, all of which can be accessed through the basemaps button on Roam.

  • UKMap: a modern, highly detailed, feature-rich mapping database of Greater London. Its unique, innovative design offers users a flexible choice of integrated map features within a single geographic information source.
  • UKBuildings: a unique database created and regularly updated to help you understand the age, structure, characteristics and use of commercial, public and residential buildings across GB.
  • UKLand: a maintained, national land information database providing a detailed consistent breakdown of the use of land across the UK
UKMap (London)

UKMap (London)

UKMap, despite its name, actually covers London within the M25. There are several different parts. In Roam use Basemaps to find:

  • Base (London) – similar to OS MasterMap but with more land use information. Includes unit information within shopping centres.
  • Aerial (London) – at a resolution of 10 metres.

In addition, using the Overlay tab, you can add:

  • Upper Floors (London) – shows content of upper floors of shopping centres
  • Tree Canopy (London) – shows indicative canopy of trees

Download gives two more Greater London datasets:

  • Terrain DTM – Digital Terrain Model
  • Terrain DSM – Digital Surface Model
UKBuildings.

UKBuildings.

UKBuildings is a national database of building attributes. It includes information about building area and height, as well as relative age (eg Historic, Post War, Modern) and use (eg Residential, Religious, Retail with offices above).

UKLand is a national database of land use (rather than cover). It allows the identification types of land use eg mines/spoil areas or business and retail parks and could be used for planning and risk assessment.

UKLand

UKLand

To access Geomni, go to Digimap – you will need to register and accept the licence conditions first.

Judith Fox, Map Librarian