Friday 28 March 2014

Easter vacation opening hours

Well, spring is in the air and we’ve even had a glimpse of sunshine this week. It must be time for a holiday! Today is the last day of term for most of you (apologies for those of you who still have some time to go – we don’t mean to rub it in!) and we hope you’ve got a nice break ahead of you. Some of you will be working hard over vacation, though, and UWTSD Swansea libraries will be open if you’d like to come in to borrow some books or find a place to study. Please check our opening hours under the Notices section of the library homepage, and remember that opening hours can vary between libraries, so do check the details for each library that you plan to visit.

Remember our electronic resources such as e-books and journal articles are available 24/7 and can be accessed anywhere in the world, just as long as you can get online. Could be useful if you’re leaving Swansea for the holidays, or just fancy spending the day in your pyjamas! We also offer extended loan periods over vacation, so any book, DVD, etc. you borrow from today or during vacation will have a due date of the 2nd May. That goes for weekly, two-day and overnight loans too, so now’s the time to grab them!

Pasg hapus i bawb!

Monday 24 March 2014

Desert Island Books...

Image Courtesy of: Savit Keawtavee / Free Digital Photos
 
Here we are again with another instalment of our Desert Island Books series! This time we have contributions from Suzanne Taylor, one of our Assistant Librarians from Townhill Library. Suzanne looks after all library resources for Psychology & Counselling as well as Performance & Literature.
 
Want to contribute your Desert Island book choices? It's not too late! Email me at samantha.scoulding@sm.uwtsd.ac.uk
 
If you were stranded on a desert island which 4 books would you like to have with you and why?
It was difficult to only choose four books that I would want to have with me, should I be marooned on a desert island. Initially, ‘Exotic raw food recipes-75 raw food recipes you can make with tropical fruits and vegetables in five minutes or less’ by F. Patenaude, was high on my list. However, I finally selected the following:
A Survival Guide for Life by Bear Grylls, to help me face the challenges and enjoy the adventure!
The Complete Gardener by Monty Don, so that I could create my own garden and grow my own food. There’s something lovely about planting seeds in warm soil....
Tree Houses You Can Actually Build (A weekend project book) by David Stiles.  I would want to build a high-quality shelter, although creating a tree house in a weekend might be a little hard to achieve!
Staying Sane: How to Make Your Mind Work for You by Raj Persaud. If I only have myself to talk to, I’m going to need a book like this!
If you could bring one of the characters to life, for company, who would you choose and why?
If I were allowed to have one person with me for company, it might have to be Monty Don. His gardening knowledge would be invaluable.
You can have one luxury item on the island with you…what would it be?
There are many items I’d like to have as my luxury item. I did think about a Swiss Army penknife, but am hoping that if I am marooned a knife block, complete with a collection of knives from the ship’s kitchen, would also be washed up on shore, as they would be really useful. Therefore, I think my luxury item would have to be a wind-up radio, maybe in a tasteful retro design. Then I could listen to music all day long, as I merrily hacked through the island’s vegetation and built my tree house.....
You are rescued and can only take one book back with you…which one would you pick?
If I were rescued and was given the choice of taking one book back, I don’t think I would. I’d leave all the books, which would probably be quite tattered by now,  on the island in case anyone else was similarly marooned in the future. Instead, as mementos of my stay, I’d maybe take some of the wood carvings I’d had time to whittle with all those knives....

Friday 21 March 2014

It’s World Poetry Day today, everybody shout, “Hurray!”

Ok, so it’s not up there with “I wandered lonely as a cloud…”, but it does rhyme! Yes, today is World Poetry Day, first established in 1999 by UNESCO to celebrate the linguistic diversity and creativity that poems can offer.

We’ve got tons in the way of poetry here at UWTSD Swansea. As well as all the poetry books on our shelves, we have online access to thousands of poems via our database Literature Online. Just click the link to access the database and see what you can find!

This year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is marking World Poetry Day with an online memorial of First World War poems. They’d like members of the public to get involved by recording themselves reading a favourite Word War I poem and sending it in to add to the archive (details on the website ). You can check out other people’s recordings and choices with the hashtag #WWIpoetry on Twitter. If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at the war poetry on the shelves at Townhill.


Monday 10 March 2014

Desert Island Books...

Image courtesy of: winnond / Free Digital Photos.net
 
We're continuing our Desert Island Books series this week with some fab contributions from Mike Swanson in our IT Services department. Looks like he's given this some serious thought!
 
If you'd like to contribute your literary choices, there's still time, email me at samantha.scoulding@sm.uwtsd.ac.uk


      
        If you were stranded on a desert island which 4 books would you like to have with you and why?
 
J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” {trilogy in one volume}  I have been reading {& re- reading } this since my early teens and I am able to lose myself in the text and in Middle Earth
Quite easily again and again. It simply never disappoints and, although I wouldn’t ever admit to it, I always cry when Sam leaves the shire at the end. {ooh, spoiler alert!}
 
“Dune”  Frank Herbert. I would probably take the first three if I could get away with it. Dune’s mighty sweeping dynastic saga is distracting enough to take your thoughts away from missing family or where the next fish is coming from and how to cook the thing once you catch it. The intrigue, plots,  wheels within wheels, subterfuge, assassination, war and politics keep you gripped throughout the convoluted and complicated plot.  Not the easiest of reads but very enjoyable.
 
“A Short History of Nearly Everything”  Bill Bryson. Mr Bryson is ever amusing and I have frequently laughed out loud in public places (yes, even in libraries) while reading his books, I challenge you to get through “Down Under” without guffawing.   “A Short History..” is Bryson’s description of evolution, geography, chemistry, astronomy, physics and everything in between written in a light and easy style, you can’t read it without learning something and I’m sure there’d be content of use on a desert island in here.
 
While we are on the subject “The SAS Survival Handbook” by Lofty Wiseman is probably the most sensible selection to take along, I think I’d like to survive the Island and maybe escape it so this is definitely on the book list.  I had a copy in my teens and bought one for my son this Christmas.  You just never know when you might need to splint a limb or skin a deer.  This book tells you how.
  
        If you could bring one of the characters to life, for company, who would you choose and why?
 
Why not the doughty Boromir? Heir apparent to the Stewardship of Gondor, High Warden of the White Tower. He is bound to have many stories to tell to while away the long warm, moon kissed island nights while sitting baking fish around the campfire he could certainly build and light from even the dampest beached wood or fallen palm. The capture and preparation of fish and wild pigs would be second nature to this adventurous captain and we need fear no savages or pirates while in his fierce and steadfast company.  Certainly he may not always have your best interests at heart, but this is only because he loves his own city, people and land and would give up anything to preserve them, even his own honour and dignity.  What better companion could you ask for?
  
        You can have one luxury item on the island with you…what would it be?
 
I’m not sure you’d call it a luxury, but a Machete is probably essential; for the cutting of palm fronds for the manufacture of shoes, obligatory grass skirt and dapper headgear, the skinning of wild pigs, raft construction, self-defence from savages. If we really are talking luxuries, I suppose I’d like my Kindle please; and a means to keep it charged.
 
        You are rescued and can only take one book back with you…which one would you pick?
 
“The Lord of the Rings”. I have to admit I do treasure that book.
 

  

Thursday 6 March 2014

World Book Day 2014

Swansea Business School Library Staff
 
In case you didn't know, Thursday 6th March 2014 is World Book Day! People all over the world will be celebrating everything that is great about books and reading. School children in the UK will be dressing up as their favourite book characters...and not wanting to miss out on all the fun, our UWTSD Swansea library staff decided to take matters into their own hands!


Staff from the Griffith Library at Dynevor
 
Staff chose to dress up in a vast array of costumes themed around children's literature, from Harry Potter and Peter Pan...to Mary Poppins and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland...

Townhill Library Staff
 
We also put up some themed book displays on 'World Travel', 'As Seen on Screen' and 'Children's Reading'...not to mention yards of bunting for added decoration! We hope you had as much fun as we did!