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Thursday 22 October 2009

How long can I borrow books for? - a quick guide

You may have noticed that there have been some changes to how long you are able to borrow books for. After feedback from Library customers we have introduced a new variable loan status and during this year we will be trying it out at all sites. Rather than having both short and standard loan items on the shelves, the default status of a book will be standard loan but become short loan whenever an item is in demand. Items go back to being standard loan when the level of demand falls.

A bit more information:

  • What is standard loan? - how long a standard loan is depends on the type of borrower you are e.g. one week for full time undergraduates and taught postgraduates, two weeks for part time and distance learning students and four weeks for postgraduate research students.

  • How do I know how long I can take a book out for? - the self-service receipt or the date label in the book will tell you the date your book is due back. Please check this carefully as the item may have been requested by someone else, and have a shorter loan period.

  • What is short loan? - items will become short loan when they are in heavy demand. Short loan will be two days for full time undergraduate and postgraduate students and four days for part time and distance learning students.

  • What happens if the item I have out on loan is reserved by somebody else? - If an item is requested by someone else you may keep it until the due date, but you won't be able to renew it. You will need to return it to the library.


Remember, if you have requested titles that are on loan we will send you an e-mail to let you know when they are ready to collect. Reservations will be kept on the held shelf for two days.

Take a look at the guide to using the lending service for more details.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Mass Observation online trial

Just to let you know that we have a trial running to Mass Observation online. It's available to registered staff and students of the University of Sheffield until 16th November 2009.

The Library has a number of trials to electronic resources provided by publishers and electronic resource suppliers. These are often for a limited time and are an opportunity to explore a resource.

Mass Observation online provides access to digital images of material from the Mass Observation Archive (MOA). You can view material generated by Mass Observation (MO) between 1937 and 1949 plus some later additions from the 1950s and 1960s. It includes a number of file reports (1937-1972) and publications produced by members of the central team of researchers, as well as material submitted by volunteers.

Take a look at the 'nature and scope' section and 'brief history' to find out what material is available and further background information.

Monday 12 October 2009

Finding resources – getting started



If you are new to the University but didn’t manage to attend a Library introductory session here are a few tips to help you find your way around the resources available. Many Library services are available online from the Library tab in MUSE . You can log onto MUSE using your username and password to:

  1. Find what reading is recommended for a module you’re doing.  Start with myResource Lists.  Here you’ll find direct links to books in the library,  full text journal articles and web sites - all just one click away!

  2. Search Star, the Library catalogue. Star is the best place to start when searching for course materials.  From Star you can find out if the resource you want is available in print or electronically – click show copy/show library holdings.

  3. Access electronic resources such as ebooks, subject databases and ejournals - look under Library eResources.

  4. The subject guides are a good starting place as they provide advice on material that might be useful in your subject area and how to find and use Library resources.

  5. The Information Skills Resource is available as a Quick Link from the Library Web home page.  Here you’ll find a number of tutorials and quizzes that will help you to develop your information skills – check out the Information Skills tutorials tab. More detailed guides are tailored to your subject – take a look at the Tutorials by department tab.

  6. Ask us for help at any time. Post your comments here, or send us a tweet.


Tuesday 6 October 2009

Books on a Budget!

The start of term can be an expensive time for students and course books generally get pushed further and further down the shopping list, especially the expensive ones. So, the university has setup a marketplace for students to sell their no longer needed texts, where the buyer pays less and the seller gets more. Sound good?

Take a look at the Books on a Budget page and see if you can get kitted out. Failing that Oxfam Bookshop on Glossop Road (West Street) is well stocked and there’s always Amazon’s second-hand sellers on hand to snap up a bargain from.