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Wednesday 18 December 2013

Christmas Vacation

If you’re away from Sheffield for the Christmas Vacation remember that the library can offer support to students in various ways
·         * The Information Skills Resource features valuable tutorials in literature searching, referencing, plagiarism, reference management and more
·        *  If you need to contact the library, email the helpdesk (please note the helpdesk will be closed from the 24th of December until January 2nd)
·         * If you’re having trouble accessing electronic resources check the eResources Service Status page
Merry Christmas, see you in January!

Searching for your research project

Need to search for literature for a research project?
Start with a search for books on the StarPlus University Collections tab.
Then move onto searching for journal articles. The Articles and Databases tab in StarPlus defaults to search Primo Central- a general, multidisciplinary database. This will give you quick, quality results. Make sure you have signed into StarPlus by clicking ‘University members’ at the top of the page.
For a more specific search, use databases. Find the databases useful to you on your Subject Guide: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/subjects/subjects. Subject Guides also give links to other relevant information sources.
Search tips: Make sure you think about your keywords and any alternative words or spellings that could be used. Learn more about constructing your search here: https://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/info_skills/successful_db.html

Use the ‘Find it’ buttons in databases to check access (Print and electronic) to articles of interest.

Monday 16 December 2013

BL maps update- get involved!

Two collections of maps have recently been added to the British Library online map gallery: 
1.       Goad fire insurance plans of British and Irish towns, 1886-1930, approx. 2,500 maps
2.       Military maps of WW1 and the US Civil War, including trench maps and campaign charts, approx. 225 maps

Help the British Library georeference the Goad fire insurance plans! Further information here:http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/magnificentmaps/2013/11/2700-new-maps-online-for-georeferencing.html

Wednesday 11 December 2013

BoB upgrade: offline 13-23 December

A new version of Box of Broadcasts (BoB) - the online off-air TV and radio recording service – is due to be launched on 6 January 2014. The service is being upgraded as the result of a project between BUFVC, JISC and the BBC. Planned changes include a fresh look and feel together with improved searching and navigation. There will also be new content, including access to more than 800,000 new BBC TV and radio programmes from the BBC archive and an additional 13 foreign language channels.

As this is a substantial upgrade, BoB will be offline from 13 to 23 December 2013 to prepare for the new system. This means that you will not be able to access BoB during this period. The new system should be available over the Christmas holiday period, but will be unsupported prior to the official launch in January.

For more information on the upgrade, see 'BoB National is getting an upgrade' or follow @bufvc_bob on Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news on the launch.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Managing references in Google Scholar

Google Scholar has just brought out a new feature that allows you to save and organise the references you find when searching.

Once you're logged into your Google account simply activate 'My Library' from Google Scholar and then whenever you want to send a reference to your Library just click 'save' underneath each search result.


From 'My Library' you can create different labels to organise your references into groups, making them easy to find, and you can also export your references to endnote or other more advanced reference management software.

For more information on other reference management tools see the Library webpages.

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Nexis UK - news and business information database

The University Library is now subscribing to Nexis, a news and business information database that includes full-text UK national and regional newspapers. It also provides business information such as company profiles and industry reports from a variety of sources. Therefore, Nexis will be relevant to all students requiring news and business information.  The database may also be useful for language students as it includes a range of international newspapers, newswires and foreign language news sources.

Nexis has a range of search screens for the different types of information sources it indexes e.g. News, Company Profiles, Industry News etc. Navigate between these search screens by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page. The Power Search screen can be used to create a customised list of information sources, which can then be searched.  On the Power Search screen click on More sources under the Sources drop-down box to browse or search for information sources (There is a Browse Sources tab and a Find Sources tab). Alternatively, you can click on the Sources tab at the top of the page. From here you can choose to browse information sources from a particular country or by language. Once you have selected a country, topic and language from the drop-down menus, you can browse a list of sources relevant to the criteria that you selected. You can find out more information about a source by clicking on the i icon.

Click on the Help link at the top of the page to access a range of video tutorials that will teach you how to use the key features of Nexis including the News search page and Power Search. There are 10 minute in-depth tutorials and shorter 90 second tutorials.  

Nexis can be accessed now via StarPlus (search under the University Collections tab) or from the following link: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/cdfiles/nexis . You will be prompted to sign into MUSE if you have not already done so.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Library 301 Session - Searching For Researching

Become an information literate graduate

301 Student Skills and Development Centre, 301 Glossop Road
Friday, 22 November 2013 from 12:00 to 13:00

This workshop is delivered by The University Library and explores how to find resources for your undergraduate research such as an essay or report.  You will look at the different ways to search for information and how to evaluate your results to get the highest quality information into your work.  You will also learn about plagiarism - making sure you use your own ideas and referencing the works of others properly.


This workshop is open to all current, registered postgraduate taught and undergraduate University of Sheffield students. Please bring your Ucard with you to the workshop.

Monday 18 November 2013

Ebooks

So ebooks, we all know what they are but do you know how to make the most of them? How to annotate online, when to download and how much you can print? The Library buys hundreds of ebooks each year and you can find them all via our Library catalogue StarPlus but they don’t all come from the same supplier. As a result there are lots of different rules governing how you can use them. Here is a quick guide to our main supplies and some top tips on how to make the most of your e reading experience...


Dawsonera:
This is our main supplier. If there’s an ebook you want and dawsonera has it we’ll be buying it from them. Dawsonera allows you two options with ebooks. You can either ‘read online’ or you can download the book onto a memory stick or your computer drive where it will last as a pdf format for 24 hours. This is great if you know you’ve only got a short internet connection.


If you’re reading the ebook online you can also annotate the text, just click on the yellow notes tab. The reader portal recognises who you are each time you log in and your notes will be saved for your next session.


If you want a hard copy of the text Dawsonera allows you to print up to 5% of any ebook per user.


MyiLibrary:
You can generally download or print 10 pages of a MyiLibrary ebook, although this may differ slightly as the publisher sets the limits.


The MyiLibrary software works best if you use the chapter navigation on the left-hand side to navigate the book.


NetLibrary:
You cannot download from NetLibrary ebooks, but you can print a percentage of the book. This percentage is again set by the publishers so will vary book to book, if you click on the print button within a book it will tell you how many pages you're allowed for that book.


If you're using a Mac to view NetLibrary ebooks, you will need to install a PDF Browser plug-in which can be found in the help section.


Taylor and Francis archive:

With these ebooks, you can save or print one chapter, or 5% of the book, whichever is greater.

Tuesday 5 November 2013

myResource Lists

myResource Lists

The Library provides an online reading list service, myResource Lists, with links to electronic resources such as full-text journal articles, ebooks and databases in addition to items physically held in the library stock. You can search for your reading lists by course, lecturer and department. Please see our short introductory video on the myResource Lists homepage

How do I access myResource Lists on & off campus?
You can access these in the following ways:
  • via the Reading List link in your MOLE course menu
  • via the 'Services' menu in MUSE
  • From the Library homepage
Do I need any other usernames and passwords?
Not usually. You will be prompted to log in to MUSE with your University username and password, if not already logged in.
What do I do if I have any problems, or can’t find a myResource list for my course?

Monday 28 October 2013

Searching for Researching Workshop

Become an information literate graduate

On the 29th of October the 301 Student Skills and Development Centre hosts a Searching for Researching workshop. The event will explore how to find resources for your undergraduate research, such as essays or reports.  You will look at the different ways to search for information and how to evaluate your results to get the highest quality information into your work.  You will also learn about plagiarism - making sure you use your own ideas and referencing the works of others properly.

This workshop is open to all current, registered postgraduate taught and undergraduate University of Sheffield students. Please bring your Ucard with you to the workshop. 


Thursday 24 October 2013

Journals

Journals are available in print and electronic format- some titles are only available electronically, some titles are only available in print, and some are a combination of the two. To check our full access to a journal, follow these steps:

·         * Log into MUSE
·         * Click on StarPlus - Library Catalogue
·         * Click ‘Sign in – University Members’
·         * Search for the journal title under the University Collections tab

A ‘View it’ tab under your chosen title record will show electronic access. This will display the years of subscription that the library has – please note that we may have subscriptions from more than one publisher and for different dates. Clicking on the name of a publisher will open the journal’s webpage in a new window. A ‘Get it’ tab will list print holdings available in the Library. Please be aware that most journal titles are reference only and cannot be borrowed from the library.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

StarPlus for all: basics and more

StarPlus, the Library catalogue, can be accessed from your MUSE account (under My services) or from the Library webpages at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/library.

Remember to sign in by clicking on the University members link at the top of the page. This will give you full access to resources and features including the e-Shelf and your online Library account.

Search under the University Collections tab to find: books, ebooks, journals, theses and multimedia.  Enter keywords into the search box then refine your results later.

Use the Articles and Databases tab to search for journal articles from databases.  To find articles that you can access, refine your results to show only Full Text Online.

Top tips

  • Use quotation marks when searching for a phrase, e.g. “global warming”.
  • Use an asterisk at the end of a word to represent alternative endings.  For example, educat* will search for: education, educating, educational etc.
  • Use the e-Shelf to organise, print, email and push your search results into reference management software. Add search results to your e-Shelf by clicking on the star icon (located on the left of each search result).
  • To request a book that is out on loan, click on the Get It tab.
  • Look at the Subject Guides to identify the key databases and online resources for your subject area. Link to the Subject Guides from the home page of StarPlus.
  • Search for and connect to databases from the University Collections tab.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Trial to Drama Online

The library currently has a trial subscription to Drama Online

Bloomsbury Publishing have already uploaded over 700 titles to this database and they will be adding more content during this trial period.
  • Discover - browse works by playwright or practitioner, genre and period
  • Read - view texts in the Drama Online Reader
  • Study - with a personal account, bookmarks and notes can be saved
  • Perform - view information on cast size, gender of roles and performance rights

Access

This trial will end on 29 December 2013.
There is access to the full-text plays without having to login here. However, Bloomsbury recommend that by signing up for free personal accounts, end users will then be allowed to make use of the personalisation tools on the site.
Please tell us what you think of this database by using our feedback form.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Returning students - Library changes


Welcome back! We’ve been working hard over the summer to improve our services and make them even easier to use:

  • There’s no separate Library PIN to remember – the University & Library PIN are now combined into a single PIN. To get your PIN go to www.sheffield.ac.uk.cics/password,  login with your University username & password and choose option 6 to have your PIN emailed to you
  • We’ve introduced unlimited automatic renewals of loans - so there’ll be no fines to pay unless the book has been requested by someone else
  • You’ll receive a weekly borrowing statement by email which will list what you have out on loan. If we’ve had to  revise the date of return because someone else has requested one of your books we’ll let you know, so check your emails carefully
  • If the book you want is on loan, you need to request it online and we’ll email you when it’s ready to collect. Select the IC as your collection site for 24/7 self-service collection
  • Remember to sign in to StarPlus by clicking the University Members link at the top right of the page. When you search for a book in the library it will now display the loan period which applies to you (staff & student loan periods are different)
  • In the latest version of StarPlus, click the View it tab to link to online resources and the Get it tab to see locations of print copies.
  • we’ve updated our StarPlus tutorial to reflect the latest changes

Library Information For New Students


To get you started on finding resources for your studies, check our Introduction to library & computing services web pages or pick up our QuickStart Guide from any library site. Our web pages contain links to our subject guides and a suite of information skills tutorials, together with one-minute videos on a range of topics. Check our one-minute video on how to borrow a book.

You’ll need your UCard and PIN to borrow books using our self-service machines. If you forget your PIN or want to change it go to https://www.shef.ac.uk/cics/password sign in, and follow the instructions.

When you borrow a book we’ll renew it for you automatically unless someone else wants it. We’ll send you a weekly borrowing statement by email, so check this carefully to make sure your books aren’t wanted back. That way you’ll never have to pay any fines!

Remember we’re here to help you, so come and speak to us. Our library HelpDesk can answer your email or telephone enquiries. Just email library@sheffield.ac.uk or telephone 0114 222 7200. You can also get specific subject help from your subject librarian.

Monday 23 September 2013

Welcome New Students

Hello,

Are you from School of English, Music or School of Languages and Cultures? I am your subject specialist and you can find my contact details here: Clare Scott

http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/liaison/arts

Are you from Biblical Studies, History, Archaeology or Philosophy? Amy Collins is your subject specialist and you can find her contact details here too: Amy Collins

http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/liaison/arts

You may want to take a look at our Introduction to the Library and Computing Services web page so you can get to know how to use our Library:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/services/new

Amy and I look forward to meeting you in some special Information Literacy sessions as part of your core curriculum this coming semester.

See you all soon, Clare and Amy