Nearly time to move...

We're on the final countdown to our library move! Our new home on the first floor of Swansea Business School is now complete. The carpet has been laid, all the painting and electrics are finished and the new offices have been built. Next comes the complicated bit...moving all the Business Faculty books and furniture! The move officially starts on Monday 9th July when Pickfords will arrive with their heavy duty trucks to spend 10 days with us, after which we will remain closed until both the Owen library at Mount Pleasant and the new library are sorted and ready for visitors. We don't know exactly how long this will take but we'll keep you posted!

So, don't forget that Friday of next week (6th July) is the last day we will be open in Mount Pleasant, so if you wish to borrow any books from us for the summer vacation that will be your final opportunity before we close for the move. All our online resources will continue to be available of course, as will Townhill library and the Griffith library at Dynevor.

A work in progress!

For those of you wondering how we are getting on with preparations for the big library move this summer, here are some photos taken at the new site yesterday! As you can see the builders have been very busy, the old carpet has gone, the lights and ceiling tiles are being replaced and new electric wiring and computer data points are being installed. Most of the painting is done, offices have been constructed and nearly all the new partition walls have been built, so it should be possible to lay the new carpet any day now. 

We have also been busy planning the layout of the new library, the colour scheme, deciding exactly what needs to be moved and where all the shelving and furniture will go. Once the planning stage is complete the hard work will start in earnest! We've got a VERY busy summer ahead! Watch this space for more updates soon...  

Calling all environmentalists!

Anyone with a passion for the environment and sustainability may be interested to know that the fifth joint open lecture to be held by the Old Dy'vorians' Association and Swansea Metropolitan University will be focusing on this very topic!

The lecture, entitled "A Sustainable Wales" will be given by special guest speaker Jane Davidson (former Minister for Environment and Sustainability in Wales) and will take place at 4pm on Thursday 24th May at our Dynevor Campus. Ms Davidson has recieved many accolades for her work in this field and is one of the most influential environmentalists in the UK. She has most recently taken on a new role as Director of INSPIRE (Institute for Sustainability Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness) at University of Wales Trinity Saint David. 

Admission is free and the event is open to anyone who would like to attend (staff, students and members of the public), refreshments will also be provided. Those who would like to come are asked to contact Joyce Wills on 01792 481100 or email joyce.wills@smu.ac.uk  

So if you are interested in achieving a greener future for Wales why not take this opportunity to come along and show your support. We look forward to seeing you there!

Men at Work!

As promised, here are some recent photographs of our new library at Ty Bryn Glas 'under construction'! Workmen have been extremely busy putting up partition walls, re-wiring, painting and decorating to create a lovely space for us and our SMU staff and students. There is still a long way to go before it will start to look like a proper library, but we're getting there...the next big job will be to lay a new carpet!

Keep checking the blog, Facebook & Twitter for regular updates...

The big move!

Image: Ty Bryn Glas

Exciting news! As from this September the Faculty of Business and Management will be relocating to a new site...and we will be opening a brand new library there! Ty Bryn Glas is a substantial building (previously occupied by the Land Registry) and is located just off Swansea High Street, close to the rail station.

All library stock relevant to the Faculty will be housed in a new library on site, whilst stock relevant to FADE students and staff will continue to be based here at the Owen Library in Mount Pleasant. Obviously this will cause some disruption to the library service over the summer vacation whilst the move takes place. Both Mount Pleasant and Ty Bryn Glas libraries are expected to close from early July and will re-open as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and will do our best to address any problems.

More precise information about the new facilities, including opening hours, will be made available nearer the time. In the meantime please keep an eye on the library blog, Facebook & Twitter pages for regular updates.

Pay us another visit here at the blog this Thursday to see the latest photos of our new Ty Bryn Glas library 'under construction'!!

Your Library's Got Talent!

Never mind Britain's Got Talent, watch out Simon Cowell because our SMU library has some homegrown talent of its own! Some of you may remember Matthew Cox who was a library assistant in the Griffith Library at Dynevor until a couple of years ago when he left us to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Well, it seems as though he's doing rather well as he's recently popped up on our TV screens in one of the fabulously funny BBC Wales promotional adverts for the Six Nations.

Have a look at the video here to see our Matthew in action...he's the lead actor with the opening speech.

Well done Matthew...don't forget us when you're rich and famous!

World Book Day 2012

As well as being Saint David’s Day today (come and buy your Marie Curie daffodil here at the Owen Library!) you may be interested to know that it is also World Book Day, when we celebrate all things related to books and reading. Last year the library staff shared some of their favourite reads with you here on the blog and you responded in your droves to let us know what books you loved too. This year we thought we’d go all hi-tech and focus on e-books!

Advances in technology mean that we can now have a portable library in our pocket; we can read our favourite books on virtually any mobile device, anytime, anywhere (I have many of the classics on my iPhone!). But perhaps the most exciting feature of e-book technology is its ability to add fantastic interactive dimensions to the reading experience. We can now see our favourite characters literally come alive on the page, sound effects and atmospheric music can be added, maps and diagrams can be manipulated by the reader, and children can ‘step into’ and actively participate in the fantasy world created by their bedtime stories.

We’d like to know what you think about e-books; whether you’ve used them, what devices you read them on (Kindle, iPad, iPhone), what you like and dislike about them etc. Imagine your favourite book...what interactive features would you like to see on an electronic version? I’m a big fan of gothic literature and I’ve found a great example of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as an e-book for iPad. Have a look at the video above to see some of the fantastic interactive features that are now possible and let us know what you think...

By the way, many of the core textbooks for SMU courses are also available as e-books. Have a look at your subject area on the library webpage to access them for free!

Happy World Book Day from all your SMU library staff.

More good news for researchers of business information!

As readers of this blog will know, SMU Library is currently running a free trial for the Key Note business information database until 7th March 2012. We have now also arranged to run a concurrent, free trial for Passport GMID until 8th March 2012.

Passport GMID is a global market information database and analysis tool containing comprehensive data and reports across all industries, countries and consumers.
Subscribers use the system to support a wide range of business functions and research projects:

Industry analysis
Export and market entry strategies
Trend monitoring
Company analysis
Country profiling
Consumer and household profiling
Lifestyle analysis
Modelling and forecasting
General business reference

A Passport GMID subscription includes:
10 million internationally comparable market statistics on industries, countries and consumers.
18,000 full text market reports, company reports and country reports.
Expert analyst comment on emerging industry trends, country trends and consumer trends.
Details of thousands of information sources to aid further research.
Powerful data analysis functions allowing users to customise data for specific needs.

To access Passport GMID, go to the business subject pages on the library website. Click on the Databases tab in the top left corner of the screen and then find Passport GMID in the alphabetical listing.

We currently subscribe to Datamonitor360 for marketing and company information. Why not compare this service to Key Note and Passport GMID? Never has so much business data been available to SMU library users at the mere touch of a button or two ...

Love your SMU Library on Valentine's day!

We are offering SMU students and staff the opportunity to win a lovely box of chocolates in our Valentine's prize draw! All you have to do is 'Like' us on our Library Facebook page, 'Follow' us on our Library Twitter site or join our Library Blog!

You have until 21st February to do so, after which we will pick one lucky winner at random. We will also include in the draw all SMU students and staff who already like, follow or have joined our blog previously.

Lastly, of course by following us via our Facebook, Twitter or Blog pages in the future you will also find out lots more about the library service and resources that we have to offer you! What's not to love about our libraries :-)

Thinking about libraries for National Libraries Day...

Saturday 4th February is National Libraries Day! It's an opportunity to celebrate libraries and their staff across the UK (see the official website at http://nationallibrariesday.org.uk/)

As part of this we are asking you to think about libraries, and suggest 1 thing that could potentially improve your SMU Library for you. This is open to all SMU staff and students, and we are doing it the old-fashioned way with suggestions boxes at each of our three libraries. So if you have something you would like to suggest, do call in and fill out a slip, we'll be considering all feedback. Also, if you would like to tell us 1 thing you really value about your library that would be useful too!

Finally, please note that the suggestions boxes will be available from today until Wednesday 8th February.

Calling everyone with an interest in market research and company information!

SMU Library has arranged a free, online trial of the Key Note database until 7th March 2012.

Key Note is a leading provider of market intelligence in the UK. Offering a combination of market research and company information on one easy-to-use platform, it is possible to perform a dual search for company information and market research in one simple step.

Market research: analyse every major market sector, including brand strategy, buying behaviour, competitor analysis, market forecasts, SWOT/PEST analysis, etc. All reports are available alphabetically if you click in to the first pod on the main page of the site.

Company information: access to up to 5 years of company financial information for more than 7 million UK companies, including a ‘People Search’ for directors. The key ratios offered are profitability, efficiency, liquidity, gearing and employee performance, as well as company overviews, detailed accounts and performance analysis.

To access Key Note, go to the business subject pages on the library website. Click on the Databases tab in the top left corner of the screen and then find Key Note in the alphabetical listing.

We currently subscribe to Datamonitor360 for marketing and company information – does Key Note provide a better alternative for your needs? Have a look and let us know what you think!

All in a good cause!

Did you know that your university libraries have been busy raising money for good causes? Here's what we've been involved in...

For the past couple of years SMU library staff have been supporting a christmas appeal in aid of Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres. The 'Maggie's Merry Messages' appeal encourages people to put their christmas greetings to one another on a big communal poster, instead of sending cards, and to donate the money they would have spent to the charity. Our library staff have so far raised a total of £230 for the local Maggie's centre at Singleton Hospital, which has helped towards the recent completion of their much needed brand new building!

Students at the Owen Library in Mount Pleasant have also been doing their bit by generously putting their loose change in our collection box for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A total of £65 has so far been collected for this fabulous charity which grants wishes to children with life threatening ilnesses. Your small change makes a big difference to their lives, thank you!

Introducing your subject librarian...

Image: Idea go / freedigitalphotos.com

Hello, my name is Erica Fothergill. I am the Assistant Librarian who specialises in looking after the academic information needs of the students and staff within the Faculty of Applied Design and Engineering here at Swansea Metropolitan University. My qualifications include a BA (Hons) in Information and Library Studies. I am based at the Owen Library on the Mount Pleasant Campus and my contact details are shown on the subject areas for Applied Design and Engineering, Built and Natural Environment, and Computing which are shown on the Library web pages. You are welcome to contact me to find out what resources and services are available to help you with your coursework and research.

Introducing your subject librarian...

Hello, my name is Emily Hywel and I look after the Business Studies resources with Alison Evans. I have a degree in English Literature from Bangor University, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University.

I was a bit of a late starter academically, so after leaving school at 16 I did a secretarial course, then worked as a temp and waitressed over the next few years. It wasn’t till my mid twenties that I decided to do an Access to HE course at my local FE College in Sheffield.

I found studying again after working full-time a real shock to the system. I was also a terrible library user, I didn’t use the catalogue, I wasn’t sure what a journal was for ages, and I never asked for help! Through my own experiences I understand how confusing libraries can be, but it was partly because of these experiences that I decided to train as a librarian after I graduated. My advice to any students who are getting frustrated with their research is please come in and ask us for help. That’s what we’re here for!

As for outside of work, I spend most of my time running around after my 18 month old daughter, who has just learnt how to run, and my three and a half year old son. I also passed my driving test last month - first time! So we’re making the most of the beautiful Gower beaches on any dry days we have!

Introducing your subject librarian...

Hello, my name is Alison Evans. I am a part-time Assistant Librarian based in the Owen Library, and I look after the business subject area with Emily Hywel. I have a degree in history, and qualified as a librarian by completing an MA in Library and Information Studies at Loughborough University. I have worked in academic libraries at the universities of Kent and Reading. I have also spent some time working as a childrens' librarian - a very different experience, at the other end of the education environment and great fun. I'm still trying to figure out how I can sneak a few stories, glue pots and glitter into our user education sessions here at SMU!! I first came to SMU when it was still Swansea Institute of HE. I was then based in Townhill library and helped look after the education and art subject areas. I took a break from (paid!) work when my children were small and came back to SMU in 2009.

I love reading and riffling through books! I get through a huge range of material - anything that takes my fancy, from the big prize winners through to the potboilers I read on the bus. I'm a sucker for history and historical fiction tomes. I'm currently working my way through C J Sansom's Shardlake series - fab writing, with lots of historical mystery, and high (generally grisly) body count. What's not to like?? I've also been known to sneak a peek at my childrens' reads. Having spent two weeks travelling round Scotland in the summer, enclosed in the car with the whole family and a cache of Horrible History CDs, my current party trick is to be virtually word perfect in the wonderful spoof songs from the BBC series. If you've not yet encountered The Viking Song, have a look on YouTube...

Introducing your subject librarian...

Hi, my name is Sam Scoulding and I'm an Assistant Librarian here at the Owen Library on the Mount Pleasant campus. I look after the subject areas of Leisure, Tourism & Sport, Public Services, and Health...so I have plenty of variety! I've been working here for 15 years now (not that I'm counting!) but I haven't always been a librarian...

Having got my B.A (Hons) degree in English Literature from Swansea University in 1996, I first started off as a Library Assistant for Swansea public library service, working in Gorseinon, Pontarddulais, and eventually Swansea Central Library. That was followed by 8 years as a Library Assistant here at SMU (or Swansea Institute of Higher Education as it was then!) until I eventually decided to take the plunge and study for my Postgraduate Diploma in Information and Library Studies as a distance learner with Aberystwyth University. During that time I worked as a Trainee Assistant Librarian here, before I finally qualified in December 2008. So having done my fair share of studying, I like to think I'm in a good position to understand what our SMU students are going through!

Outside of work I enjoy going to the cinema, theatre, walking, and travelling to new places - just as well since I'm a tourism librarian. In fact, I've just got back from a fantastic trip to Croatia and have already got holiday brochures for next year! I could probably get struck off as a librarian for saying this but, I'm not an avid reader...unless you count celebrity gossip magazines!! I am, however, a big fan of social media and am very active on Facebook and Twitter, and also contribute to our official library blog.

So, that's me! Pop in and say 'hi' sometime soon, I look forward to meeting you.

SMU Sustainability Questionnaire

Pop into any of our three Libraries and complete a short SMU questionnaire on sustainability, for your chance to win a prize (to be confirmed).

You can also pick up a free pen and bag in the process!

Have you collected your SMU ID card yet?

Calling all new (and returning) students...if you have completed the enrolment process, either online or in person, we should have your SMU ID card ready for collection at the library on your designated campus. You will need to bring some appropriate photo ID with you, such as your passport or driver's license.

Your SMU ID card will be required as proof of ID when on campus, it will also be your library card, printing and photocopying card, provide door access to certain buildings, and the P number on the front doubles as your username for computers and online access to library e-resources.

Your card will last for the duration of your studies here at SMU and there is a £10 charge for replacement of lost cards, so keep it safe! Also, due to the microchip technology embedded within your new card we request that you don't punch holes in them (to attach to keyrings etc) and keep them as flat as possible. To this end (and because we're feeling generous!) we'll give you a free lanyard and card holder as well.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Introducing your subject librarian...

Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which we will introduce you to the SMU librarians who are here to support your subject areas. First of all, we have Philippa Price who supports Swansea School of Education on the Townhill campus.

Philippa
I have been an Assistant Librarian at SMU for nearly six years now. This is my first librarian position, but not my first job in a library. I spent a brief time as a library assistant at Swindon College, a further education college in, wait for it, Swindon. Before that, I was a library assistant on Five Valleys Mobile Library, based in Stroud. This was an idyllic job that involved being driven round the Cotswolds area and drinking cups of tea provided by our lovely patrons while I helped them choose their books. As wonderful as it was though, overall I prefer working in the higher education sector. Townhill Library is certainly much busier than the mobile library ever was!

To become a librarian, I gained a Masters in Information and Library Studies at Aberystwyth University. Aberystwyth is something of a home from home for me as I also read American Studies there as an undergraduate. It's wet and windy in the winter, but it's a lovely town and I try to go back for visits when I can. Aber gave me a taste for living by the sea, so I'm very pleased to have ended up in Swansea, especially with such a stunning view of Mumbles from work!

Outside of work, I am, of course, an avid reader. (What kind of librarian would I be if I didn't like books?) I've just finished The little stranger by Sarah Waters, which I very much enjoyed. Aside from books, I go swimming a couple of times a week and go to the cinema fairly regularly. In the evenings, when I'm not swimming or at the pictures, I tend to veg out in front of the TV. I'm very excited about the return of Strictly Come Dancing and will be rooting for Jason Donovan to win!

That's me in a nutshell. I've already met some PGCE students at their library inductions and am looking forward to meeting many more Education students over the next month or so. I hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my life. Don't judge me too harshly for being a Jason Donovan fan!