Issue 4 December 2008

Newsletter for staff and students

Issue 4, December 2008

University of Lincoln Library & Learning Resources

Newsletter for staff and students 38,000 more e-books

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e have now got access to many more e-books through a subscription to a new database called 'ebrary Academic Complete'. The ebrary site provides access to the Academic Complete collection of e-books, spanning all academic subject areas, and containing more than 38,000 e-book titles. The records of these books will soon be available through the library catalogue. At the moment, they can be accessed through a link to 'ebrary Academic Complete (e-

books)' on the e-Library on the Portal. If it is not already installed on your computer, you will need to download a special "ebrary Reader" plugin to read these e-books. This can be downloaded from a link on the Portal. Go to the Portal at https://portal.lincoln.ac.uk/Library and click on ‘e-Library’ and ’List of all subscription databases’. Scroll down to the 'ebrary Academic Complete (e-books)' link.

Log on to Blog for the latest news

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o to the Portal and click on Library & Learning Resources to see the latest news from the Blog or locate all blog stories at:

http://blogs.library.lincoln.ac.uk/news/ Items include information about new services and resources, current awareness, items of interest, reviews and much more. Click on the ‘Subscribe via email’ link to get the items straight into your inbox.

What is a blog? ‘A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video….a blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs, either used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs.’ Wikipedia

Inside this issue: 38,000 more e-books

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Log on to Blog for latest news

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Positive feedback for online 2 interlibrary loans You say, we say..

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Learning landscapes in Hull

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Library Tips

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Full-text made easy

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DVD of the week

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New landscapes in Hull—find out more on Page 3

Newsletter for staff and students

Positive feedback for online inter-library loans

T ‘The online inter-library loan system is great. It is saving a lot of time and articles aren't getting lost in the post.’

he new inter-library loan service continues to be popular with our users. Introduced in April 2008, it enables students and staff to make online requests for items such as books and journal articles not held by Library and Learning Resources. Once registered, the service is easy to use and requests can be tracked using the ‘View Requests’

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o help us improve the library services that you need, we carried out a survey in Spring 2008 to find out which service areas and resources you would like us to prioritise for development. The following is a summary of key results by campus, together with our responses.

University Library We are very pleased that 90.5% of respondents think that we provide a good service. These are the areas that you asked us to address: Number of course books, loan periods, range of e-books We say: We will continue to improve access to course books by buying e-books (you now have access to an additional 38,000 titles) and by digitising chapters of key texts. We also use loan periods to maximise access, including placing items in core collection, where appropriate. Cost of photocopying and printing We say: The I.T. Services team are currently reviewing printing and photocopying charges; however, the charge made for student printing is Page 2

option button. Our Secure Electronic Delivery (SED) service enables journal articles to be delivered via email. Since April, over 56% of journal articles have been delivered by SED with an average delivery time of just over 4 days. Many arrive within a matter of hours of submitting the request.

about the inter-library loan service, go to https:// portal.lincoln.ac.uk/ Library and click on ‘inter-library loans’. Please follow the guidelines carefully and download the SED test document before ordering, to ensure a speedy and efficient service.

To register and learn more

You say, we say... the standard rate found amongst other universities, at 5 pence per sheet. In addition, the University does provide one of the most generous initial allocations of printing credit, at £10 per academic year. These credits are to support initial printing requirements and to compensate for any remaining credit when students complete their studies. The charge to the student covers printing costs, and is not used as an income for the University. Time taken to reshelve books and journals We say: This year, we deployed an additional member of staff to help with the volume of returned books during peak periods. We have also undertaken a process review, to identify ways in which we can increase efficiency, and will continue to monitor the situation throughout this academic year.

Riseholme LRC

We are very pleased that 95.5% of respondents think that we provide a good service. These are the areas that you asked us to address: Range of e-books, range of print journals, range of e-journals We say: We will continue to improve access to course books by buying e-books (you now have access to an additional 38,000 titles) and by digitising chapters of key texts. We are reviewing our range of print journals, to identify possible cancellations and replacement titles as the campus portfolio changes. Last year, we started a subscription to Science Direct, and our range of e-journals has improved significantly, although there are still some areas that need developing. Please contact your Academic Subject Librarian if you need advice on identifying relevant journal articles. Library environment – noise We say: We will work with staff and students to remind users of the need to maintain a quiet study environment. Please approach library staff if noise levels are unacceptable,

Newsletter for staff and students

...You say, we say so that we can take appropriate action. Opening hours at the weekend We say: Current use of the library at weekends is light, and library funds to increase opening hours are limited. However, we will discuss this in more detail at the next student panel, to get a clearer view of what is required.

Work academics to promote our range of e-journals. Content and availability of library workshops We say: The Academic Subject Librarian has worked with academic staff to arrange more workshops within timetabled teaching sessions, to enable students to attend.

Holbeach LRC

Hull LRC We are very pleased that 95.3% of respondents think that we provide a good service. These are the areas that you asked us to address: Number of course books, range of books, range of e-books, range of e-journals We say: To increase the accessibility of key texts, all new copies of print titles have been placed in the 7-day loan category. In addition, we have bought e-books as they become available. E-journals – the Academic Subject Librarian has been working with Social

We are very pleased that 96% of respondents think that we provide a good service. These are the areas that you asked us to address: Cost and quality of photocopying and printing We say: Please see the response for the University Library. Also, from September 2008, Holbeach LRC staff have been able to add printer credits to students’ accounts and this has improved the process. Students requested an additional printer copier machine; however, at present, the volume of copying means

“Thanks very much to everyone who completed our survey” Lys Ann Reiners Senior Academic Librarian

that this is not economically viable. Loan periods, numbers of course books, range of print and e-journals We say: We received additional funding from both the library budget and the Holbeach central budget, to support new course developments and improve the book stock. We have bought e-books as they become available. We have also raised students’ awareness of existing information resources, by liaising with academic staff to integrate information skills sessions into the timetable.

Learning Landscapes in Hull

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ollowing the final transfer of Media Technology to Lincoln this summer, space became available on the ground floor of the Derek Crothall Building (DCB) at the Hull Campus.

with data projector and audiovisual playback facilities, ideal for small teaching sessions and self-directed research. The larger part of the space is furnished with more relaxed seating and round tables.

Academic staff at the Hull School of Health and Social Care quickly spotted the potential to provide a flexible teaching and learning space, with the benefit of an adjacent lecture theatre supported by Hull LR staff.

Jenny Dagg, a senior lecturer at the Hull School, explained that the informality of the space and shape of the furniture facilitates the employment of different teaching styles and encourages more interactivity than in conventional seminar rooms.

Faculty staff moved quickly to ensure that the space would be ready for returning students in September. The new space, for up to 40 students, provides a room within a room, comprising a 10 workstation I.T. area,

The adjoining lecture theatre enables students to move quickly between formal presentations and lectures to independent study and group discussion in the new informal space.

The fledgling Learning Landscapes inspired space has been named the Professional Training Suite and will be used primarily for Post Qualifying students and those taking the Employment Based route, with some full-time undergraduate use later during the summer period. The setup of the I.T. area was undertaken by Steve Beales from ICT Services in Hull and Hull LR staff. It is intended that this space will continue to develop with plans to make use of a further adjoining room within the area in due course. Watch this space!

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Newsletter for staff and students

Library tips Log on to www.library.lincoln.ac.uk to renew your books or ring the relevant campus Library or Learning Resources Centre

Always carry your card

Avoid the queue – use self-issue

s a student, you should always carry your student ID card with you on campus especially as you need it to access the University Library. If you forget your card, your name and number will be recorded on entry, and if you do this more than 3 times, we will ask you to either go home and fetch your card, or buy a new one for £5. Always remember to carry your card.

e aim to make our help desk service as speedy as possible, so if you are just returning or borrowing books, the self-issue machines are probably the best choice. There are always staff or student crew available to show you how to use the machines, and please do remember to take your receipt when you have completed your transaction.

All members of staff were reminded about cards over the summer in case they needed a new one. There was a very good response to this. If any staff members still do not have a card, simply bring proof of your status to the ground floor help desk during service hours, and we can make a card instantly. This gives you immediate turnstile access, without the need to ring the bell for entry.

Alternatively, ring the Library and Learning Resource centres, giving your account number and your books can be renewed for you. This is very useful, as online renewals are not possible if your books are overdue.

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Full-text made easy

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t the start of this semester you may have noticed a new addition to the Brayford Library team in the form of ‘Bob’ the Find It robot. Bob has been out and about promoting our new time saving service, FindIt@Lincoln.

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It is important to remember that if a book is requested, it cannot be renewed and needs to be returned to the library as soon as possible.

you whether the article is available on one of the other databases. If you want to find out more about FindIt@Lincoln, database searching or RefWorks then contact your Academic Subject Librarian. Look out for Bob in the future as he’ll be promoting other new resources available from Library & Learning Resources.

FindIt@Lincoln makes it much easier for you to track down full-text electronic journal articles. It saves you time and frustration whilst you look for a full-text article and puts you in touch with a world of information which it may have been previously difficult for you to access. To locate full-text journal articles just click on the FindIt@Lincoln logo when you search an Ebsco database or use RefWorks and it will automatically tell

DVD of the week

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new initiative has been launched in the University Library at Brayford to promote the off-air recordings DVD collection.

Each Thursday a DVD will be promoted via the Library and Learning Resources Blog and will be reviewed by a member of Library staff. University staff and students are invited to submit reviews of any DVD in the off-airs collection. The collection can be found on the ground floor of the University Library and are recognisable by the white DVD cases. You can also search the Library Catalogue at http://www.library.lincoln.ac.uk to find titles. Reviews can be submitted to Daren Mansfield at: [email protected]. The first promoted DVD was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) which you can now read on the Blog.

University Library

Hull Campus LRC

Riseholme LRC

Holbeach Campus LRC

Brayford Pool Lincoln, LN6 7TS Phone: 01522 88 6222

The Derek Crothall Building George Street Kingston Upon Hull, HU1 3BW Phone: 01482 31 1654

Riseholme Park Lincoln, LN2 2LG Phone: 01522 89 5310

Minerva house Holbeach Technology Park Park Road, Holbeach Phone: 01406 49 3007

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