Monday, 7 September 2015

Meet your Academic Services Librarian #14



I’m Lloyd and I am the new Subject Librarian for the School of Art; Welsh & Celtic Studies; History & Welsh History and Law & Criminology.  I joined Information Services after finishing a PhD in Digital Library Collections/Art History with the School of Art and Research Department of the National Library of Wales.  My first degree was in Art History at Nottingham University, and later on I got an MSc in Information and Library Management from the University of the West of England.  In between, I’ve worked in a number of different types of libraries, including the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Library, University of London; the National Library of Wales; the library of the Courtauld Institute of Art; and public library branches in Newport. 


The impulse to impose order on chaos may have come from an unwieldy and unnecessarily big record collection.  This collection was initiated by my grandmother giving me a 7”of Public Enemy’s Don’t Believe the Hype when I was about 12.  While I like to think my Nana is a big fan politically engaged east-coast rap, it was actually just unsold stock from her music shop, the mighty Falcon Music in Llanelli. I worked in the shop when I was a bit older, by which point the shop sold instruments rather than records.  Working in your gran’s guitar shop is still the coolest Saturday job you can have.    

For more information on the importance of maintaining a large collection of obscure records and to practice information/digital literacy skills, check out Roy Shuker’s Wax Trash and Vinyl Treasures: record collecting as a Social Practice available at Hugh Owen Library in physical and ebook formats.  
To find out how to insert a hyperlink directly to an individual record in Primo, see this FAQ.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

Online Library and IT Guide for New Students

To help new students familiarise themselves with our library and IT facilities before arriving on campus, we’ve produced a new online guide outlining the services available. 

The online induction includes sections on:

  • Using our libraries and their opening times and facilities
  • Tools available for studying including email, Blackboard and wifi
  • How to print and photocopy
  • How to find library resources
  • How to contact us.

There is also a short quiz for users to complete at the end of the induction to test their knowledge of our services.
Information Services is also offering library tours during Fresher’s Week. These take place on the hour between 11am and 3pm every day in Hugh Owen Library. We recommend all new students coming along to one of these tours as they will give a practical, hands-on insight into the facilities that the library has to offer.

Visit the online induction and the accessibility version.