Aspire Reading Lists goes live in AberLearn Blackboard!

You’ve done all the hard work, now here’s the pay-off. All those reading lists that you have published in Aspire can now be made available to your students in AberLearn Blackboard! How? Visit the module, uncheck the tick box next to the Aspire Reading List link in the left-hand menu and your list will be live.

So what will the students see? Blackboard displays an at-a-glance view of the reading list for that module. Not only that, but there is a traffic-light system that shows current availability in the library. Green means the item is on the shelf, red means it’s out on loan.



Is that all?! Absolutely not: Aspire offers features to display a range of resources such as week-by-week readings and YouTube videos.

And if that was not enough, there’s even the facility for the students themselves to interact with the reading list. By signing into Aspire they can add study notes and a read status for any item on their list. It all sounds good, doesn’t it; how did we manage without it?

Are you ready to join in and get your reading list on to Aspire? There’s no time like the present. If you need help or if you have any queries, suggestions or feedback, or would like to arrange some one-to-one training, please contact the Academic Services Librarians at acastaff@aber.ac.uk or on extension 1896.

Early law books in Aberystwyth University Library - trial of Henry Sacheverell and a volume of Horace owned and annotated by him

New display in Thomas Parry Library

A post by Lillian Stevenson, Academic Services Manager and Law Librarian based on information supplied by Bill Hines

Henry Sacheverell (1674-1724)
Sacheverell was a clergyman and politician who helped to bring the downfall of the Whig government with a sermon preached in St Paul’s Cathedral in November 1709. His trial was a major event. Aberystwyth University Library holds extensive accounts of the proceedings, along with a volume of Horace which was owned and annotated by Sacheverell while he was a student at Oxford in the 1690s.

Sacheverell asked that all his papers and books be destroyed after his death so few now remain and we are lucky to hold a volume which was actually in his ownership. This is a copy of Horace published by Swalle in 1690, with significant annotation in Sacheverell’s hand. Sacheverell’s 1709 sermon in St. Paul’s Cathedral – “On the perils of false brethren” led to his trial for sedition and we hold several reports of the case – including that in the State Trials series. The trial helped to bring down the Whig government of the day and provoked riots in London and even in Powys, Wales.  Simon Harcourt, one time Attorney General and Lord Chancellor, acted as counsel for Sacheverell until his election as MP for Cardigan. By chance we also hold books belonging to two bishops who were involved with Sacheverell. Henry Compton, Bishop of London, was a prominent supporter. Compton had earlier signed the letter inviting the future William III to come over to England and later crowned him – so has some significance in the development of our current UK constitutional settlement. William Talbot, then Bishop of Oxford , was one of those supporting the impeachment of Sacheverell when the matter was discussed in the House of Lords in March 1710.

Pursuing a Career or work experience within the European Union Institutions - over 80 Aberystwyth University students participated

A post by Lillian Stevenson, Academic Services Manager and Law Librarian

The Welsh Government’s EU Policy Office Team invited Marco Odello from the Centre for European and International Legal Studies (Department of Law & Criminology) and Lillian Stevenson, on behalf of Aberystwyth University’s European Documentation Centre to host an EU Careers event in the Thomas Parry Library on the 18th of November 2014.

Over eighty students from different departments across the university attended the event to find out more about the procedures for getting jobs and traineeships within EU Institutions, and to hear from people who are working or have worked for the EU.

Three speakers spoke about the recruitment cycle and their own personal experiences of applying to and working within EU Institutions. The speakers related that EU institutions are interested in students from all disciplines. The speakers were :

• Victoria Joseph EU Careers Ambassador at Aberystwyth University 2014 to 2015
• Charles Whitmore, European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) Ambassador at Cardiff University 
• Thomas Fillis, Regional Manager Europe, Asia and North America at Women in Parliaments Global Forum, Aberystwyth University alumnus 

 It was inspiring to hear from Thomas Fillis,  a former AU student about his work within the EU and exciting to see so many Aberystwyth students interested in future careers in the EU.  The event demystified the application processes and encouraged those present to consider applying for careers within the EU.

We hope this will be the first of many similar events which will highlight and help support AU students with an interest in pursuing a career opportunities in the EU. The appointment of an AU student ambassador highlights the importance which the Welsh Government’s EU Policy Team place on promoting the EU as a future career for Aberystwyth University students. The Library was pleased to be invited to collaborate in this initiative.

Time to add your reading lists to Aspire!

To arrange library stock purchases for Semester 2, please add your module reading lists to the new online service Aspire Reading Lists.

Aspire training for staff is taking place in all departments but if you've been unable to attend or just need a little help to get started, please contact Academic Services acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896

We're happy to visit you at your convenience or arrange to deliver additional training for groups.

Find self-paced training materials here (help sheets, videos, a presentation and FAQs).

Reading lists for Semester 2 must be added to Aspire by the end of term to ensure there is time to buy books and other learning materials.

For more about Aspire, visit the Reading Lists page and discover the advantages of Aspire for students and staff.

EU Careers event notification

Are you an undergraduate or postgraduate student interested in an exciting Career which will challenge you as well as enable you to grow and learn in a strongly multicultural environment? or even just first class work experience within the European Institutions.

If so then you may be just the person the institutions of the European Union are looking for! Contrary to popular belief, these Institutions don't hire only lawyers, linguists and economists! They are looking for students from across all disciplines. Not only that, they are currently suffering from a lack of appropriate candidates, so don't hesitate to come along to this event.

Even if you think you don't have the language skills, don't let that stop you! You may have exactly the profile they are looking for!

This event will be of interest to both students who are early on in their degree and may wish to start preparing early or students who are further on in their studies and may want to obtain concrete information on the pursuit of, as well as personal testimonies from people with experience with, European Careers.

Speakers:
Charles Whitmore, EPSO Ambassador to Cardiff University and
Ex student/s of Welsh Universities who have undertaken a traineeship at the Commission in DG REGIO.

Topic:  Pursuing a Career or work experience within the European Union Institutions

Date: Tuesday, 18th November
Time:  3:30pm to 5:30pm
Venue: Thomas Parry Library, Llanbadarn Centre

Any queries, please contact:
Dr Marco Odello: mmo@aber.ac.uk
Lillian Stevenson: lis@aber.ac.uk
Charles Whitmore: eucareers.cardiffuniversity@gmail.com

If you wish to attend, please register at: correspondence.european@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Access to Hart Collection (Law) & Human Rights Law Collection ebooks (Bloomsbury)

Aberystwyth University has access to Hart Collection and Human Rights Law Collection via Bloomsbury.  The Hart Collection includes nearly 100 titles from Hart’s front list, including International Law and Child Soldiers and The Law and Practice of Piracy at Sea.  The Human Rights Law Collection consists of 40 titles including Current Problems in the Protection of Human Rights and Freedom of Artistic Expression: Essays on Culture and Legal Censure.

You can access the platform directly at:

https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/search?newSearch&browse&product=hartPublishing2014

 https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/search?newSearch&browse&product=humanRightsLaw

The trial will expire 30 November, 2014.