Information literacy best practice

Some new case studies showcasing information literacy best practice across all library and educational sectors in Wales have just been published by the Welsh Information Literacy Project.

They help to underline the importance of information literacy - to find out more have a look at the project website.

Internet Searching Talk

How do search engines work? How can you improve your searches and assess the relevance of the results? Do you want to pick up some basic tips on using search engines?

There is an open talk covering these topics on Wednesday 8th December, 2-3pm, in room 0.01 of the Edward Llwyd Building.

E-book readers display

Information Services have a number of e-book readers in loan stock which can be borrowed (free!) for 14 days at a time. As a trial we are putting one of them on open access in the Hugh Owen Library's Contemporary Fiction Collection - on your left as you come into the library.

We've loaded it with a wide selection of novels, plays, poems and short stories for you to browse at your leisure.

If you like what you see and would like to borrow an e-reader, please contact a member of staff at the Media and Sales desk on Level D for details.

Plagiarism and good academic practice

Note: this is now out-of-date. Please see the updated talk here.

Below you can view the video of a fifteen-minute talk given to Psychology Department undergraduates by Karl Drinkwater on Thursday 30th September 2010. It covers the basics of what plagiarism is and how to avoid it by adopting good academic practice. Subtitles have been added. For more information about plagiarism and good academic practice, see these pages; and here for SafeAssign information.

Finding a book in the library

The information here will help to assist you in finding a book in the Hugh Owen Library.

You can also now watch our new video that gives you a step by step guide to finding the book you need.

Top 10 academic items in CADAIR for September 2010

1. (July #2) Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-Names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World (Falileyev, Alexander) (2160/282) PDF MAP
2. (new) Humanitarian Intervention in World Politics (Wheeler, Nicholas) (2160/1925) FULL TEXT
3. (new) Organic farming (Lampkin, Nic H.) (2160/3130) LINK TO PUBLISHER WEB SITE

Top 10 theses in CADAIR for August 2010

1. The Effects of Enhanced UV-B on Plant Competition: An Application of Metabolic Fingerprinting. (Rinu, George) (2160/673) IBERS
2. Management Control Systems and Managerial Dysfunctional Behaviour: An Empirical Study of Direct, Intervening and Moderating Effects (Soobaroyen, Teerooven) (2160/567) SMB
3. The 'China Threat' in the Eyes of the Taiwanese: A Reflection on Taiwan's Security Policy, 1988-2008 (Chen, Ching Chang) (2160/1553) InterPol

Top 10 academic items in CADAIR for July 2010

Top 10 academic items in CADAIR for July 2010:
1. Modern Bedouin exposures to copper contamination: an imperial legacy? (Grattan, John et al) (2160/231) FULL TEXT
2. Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-Names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World (Falileyev, Alexander) (2160/282) PDF MAP
3. Salivary antimicrobial peptides (LL-37 and alpha-defensins HNP1-3), antimicrobial and IgA responses to prolonged exercise (Davison, Glen et al) (2160/2759) LINK TO ARTICLE

Two new online tutorials

JISC Digital Media in conjunction with the Virtual Training Suite (VTS) have launched two new online tutorials: Internet for Audio Resources and Internet for Video and Moving Images. The free to use tutorials have been designed to assist staff and students within the education sector to locate audio and video for use in both teaching and learning.

BFI InView

We have recently set up access to BFI InView. It contains over 2,000 non-fiction film and television titles from the 20th century to the early 21st. It is easily searchable and clearly organised under six main Themes, each with an introductory essay by an academic historian.

Critical review: printed journals for withdrawal and planning collection moves

Information Services is continuing to review access to existing printed journal collections. Staff and students increasingly use electronic resources over the print equivalent and demand on space in the Hugh Owen Library is increasing as it begins to service a growing number of departments relocated to the Penglais Campus.

This requires a critical review of existing library collections and the next phase is to consider withdrawing the print versions of arts, humanities and social sciences journals available electronically on JSTOR under the UKRR scheme.

See Newton's Principia in Early English Books Online

See Newton's Principia as featured in episode one of The Story of Science on BBC2 in Early English Books Online (EEBO). Each page has been digitised so AU staff and students can view the text as it was originally published in 1687. EEBO comprises more than 125,000 of the earliest books printed in the English language and full-text searching has already been added to many of the digitised titles. Browse a list of important online resources to which Aberystwyth University is subscribed, or find them gathered by subject in eLibrary.

IS Study Space Survey

 

Help the University "Learning Spaces Group" understand what kinds of spaces you need for your studies/research by completing this survey. We'll be using the results to shape our plans.

There are only three pages of short questions - we really want to have your input into our plans, so please complete as much as you can.

The survey is completed anonymously, can be saved part way through and takes around 15 minutes to compete.

Hugh Owen Library – 'a quart into a pint pot'

As you are aware Information Services is reviewing access to existing print journal collections. Staff and students increasingly use electronic resources over the print equivalent and demand on space in the Hugh Owen Library is increasing as it begins to service a growing number of departments relocated to the Penglais Campus.

This requires a critical review of existing library collections and to this end we have identified:

New Technology and Innovation Day 15th April 2010

Information Services will be offering members of staff a chance to attend a day to demonstrate new developments in ICT at Aberystwyth. The technologies shown could well help you work and/or deliver your teaching more effectively. More information. CDSAP Online Course Booking.

Who’s Who (and Who Was Who)

Information Services now subscribes to Who’s Who (and Who Was Who) online at:

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/elecinfo/eiaz/#w

or in the Reference section of eLibrary:

http://elibrary.aber.ac.uk/

Marketing Innovation Awards

Information Services has won the Higher Education Libraries category of CyMAL's Marketing Innovation Awards 2009-10, which aim to celebrate marketing innovation in Welsh libraries. Our entry was based on the Good Academic Practice day we held in the Guild of Students.

The event was a collaboration between staff from within IS as well as the Guild of Students, Student Support Services, Royal Literary Fund, and academics. Thanks to all involved for their help.

Book Swap

By popular demand, the Hugh Owen Library is hosting a book swap on a permanent basis on Level D by the Welcome Desk. Library users are invited to 'bring a book, take a book'.

The service is free of charge. We have a diverse range of titles donated or swapped by users and our collection is ever-changing. All you need to bring is an old book to swap.