Meet your Academic Services Librarian #15

Shwmae, Hello!

I’m Elen and I’m the new assistant for the Information Services department.

Born and bred in Aberystwyth, I’m very proud of our beautiful friendly town and university, I hope that you get a chance to explore the hidden treasurers that lie outside the town!

Having gained a diploma in Accountancy, I worked in finance for nearly 8 years and decided to change direction in my career, which led me to AU.

During the week, if I’m not working in Academic Engagement department , you’ll find me at the information service desk on floor D in the Hugh Owen library.

In my spare time I enjoy being outdoors, on my bike or running. I also enjoy swimming, yoga and playing tennis. I have a keen interest in nutrition and enjoy meeting new people. I'm a big fan of dogs and would love to get another Cardiganshire Corgi once my busy lifestyle settles down (one day!).

Semester 2 deadline for Aspire reading lists: November 30th

Library staff are buying books and digitising now for modules being taught in Semester Two 2015-2016.

Reading lists for modules being taught in Semester 2 (or being taught over both semesters) must be added to Aspire, and existing Aspire lists must updated and republished, by the end of November or there is no guarantee that library materials and digitised documents will be available in time for teaching.

Please contact your subject librarian if you have any questions about this.
You may find these links useful

• Step-by-step guide: Create and publish your Aspire reading lists
• FAQ: Update your existing Aspire reading list

Please contact your subject librarian or Academic Engagement acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896 if you would like some training or a refresher. We're happy to visit at a time and place convenient for you.

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.

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.

Meet your Academic Librarian #13

  Hi, my name is Ellie Downes and I’m the Graduate Trainee for 2015-2016. I graduated in July 2015 after a degree in English Literature right here, and have simply refused to leave, having fallen in love with the town, the beach and swimming in the sea.

During my final year I practically lived in the library, and when I wasn’t there I was trying to carry at least half of the contents home with me, so it made sense for me to work here as well. I am a bit of a book hoarder, probably having far more books than I should but I am incapable of throwing or giving any away despite swiftly running out of room. To put in perspective, when I was a child watching Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the best bit for me was not the iconic dancing scene, but the size of the library.

Outside of work and study, I am a massive Tolkien nerd having first read the Hobbit when I was 7, and carried on through Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, the Adventures of Tom Bombadil etc. . I’m a keen swimmer; pool, sea, lake, river, I’m not fussy and have continued swimming in the sea until November, when it started getting a little chilly.  During my time as a student I was in a few societies, where fancy dress seemed almost compulsory -explaining the photo below. I’ve had an Incredible time in Aberystwyth and hope to continue.

Aspire Self-Paced Training Now Available.

Information Services has just published a comprehensive guide to creating and publishing your reading lists in Aspire.

The guide will take you through what you need to know before actually creating a list; setting up your personal profile; building a module reading list; adding the Aspire bookmarklet tool to your browser; using this to create bookmarks for your resources and adding those resources to your list before going on to publish your list. The handbook can be found here and can either be viewed on the website or downloaded for quick access.