Pancake Day

With today being Pancake Day, we thought we’d highlight that all our libraries hold information about food, ranging in topic from sustainable agriculture, food management and packaging, to nutrition and the history of food.  In our Townhill Library, we even have children’s books about pancakes, such as‘Winnie shapes up’  and ‘Mr Wolf’s pancakes’!

Have we whetted your appetite? Why not visit the library before you make some pancakes of your own!!!!

By the way, if you fancy a singsong today, the National Museum of Wales  has interesting information about the traditions associated with Pancake Day and even a pancake song you can download!

'Stack Of Pancakes On The Table’ Image courtesy of Apolonia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A-Z Of UWTSD Libraries...

Image Courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

We are highlighting the numerous services offered by your UWTSD libraries by working our way through the alphabet…let’s continue our A-Z series with the letter C…

C is for:

• Catalogue: Our library catalogue is web-based so you can search it anywhere, anytime...it’s also mobile compatible so you can access it on the go! Use it to search for titles from our vast range of library stock including; books, journals, DVDs & audio packs etc. The catalogue will tell you how many copies we have and where to find them. Make the library catalogue your first port of call when you receive your course/module reading lists! 
• Computers: All our UWTSD libraries have computers available for you to use. You can log on with your university username and password to access the internet, email, Moodle, Turnitin and various computer software packages that will help with your assignment writing. Many of our libraries also have technicians close by to help with any IT related problems.
•  Copyright: This is an automatic legal right of ownership which allows the creator of a written, artistic or published work to control how it is used.  Copyright lasts for a set period of time and the current UK law on copyright is the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 as amended.  A person may use a copyright protected work only if you have been given permission by the copyright owner or by law. Copyright law provides some exceptions for private study, education and public accessibility and the University also has a range of licenses which allow copyright works to be accessed within certain limits.  For more information, please contact the Library.
• Careers: Many of our libraries display career information and leaflets provided by the UWTSD careers service. We also have vocational books and journals relating to careers in the many subject areas taught within the university.

Green Impact Scheme

 You may have noticed some new posters on the walls in Owen Library, describing how simple changes can make a difference to our impact upon the environment. That’s because we’re taking part in the Green Impact Scheme. Our goal is to make positive changes to the way we work, in order to be more environmentally friendly. We’ve started with small, achievable steps, e.g. cutting back on the amount we print and making sure that we turn off our computers at the end of the day, and the good news is we found that many of the suggested criteria we were already doing!



Alana Smith, the Sustainability Engagement Officer, very kindly agreed to be our guest blogger and explain the Green Impact scheme. Here’s Alana’s explanation:

Alana Smith

Green Impact is an environmental accreditation and awards scheme led by the National Union of Students and working with over 60 universities and colleges, over 100 students’ unions, and ever increasing numbers of community organisations.  The programme helps to raise awareness and promote good environmental behaviour.  Teams of staff members compete to reduce their impact by completing clear and simple sustainability-based criteria for staff to integrate into their day-to-day activities.

Last year, 13 teams of 111 staff members got involved, with 6 teams achieving a Bronze award.  These commitments saved the University more than 14,000 kg CO₂ and roughly £3000 over the course of the year across the institution.  This year, I have recruited over 30 teams across the University, many of whom are working towards Silver and Gold.  My role involves supporting teams in this endeavour and encouraging them to make a significant “green” impact in their offices.

In Owen Library, we have until March to work towards the award. Wish us luck! We’ll let you know how we get on. By the way, we have lots of great resources, both online and on the shelves, if you want to find out more about sustainability and the environment. Just pop into Owen Library and we will help you find them.

 (Image Courtesy of FreeDigital Photos.net 'Ecology Concepts' by Feelart)

A-Z of UWTSD Libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z



Our new series A-Z of Libraries highlights the many varied features and services we provide for our users, today we continue with the letter B…

 

B is for:

·       Blog – All our UWTSD libraries have a strong social media presence (you’re probably reading this via one of them!). Our blogs enable us to highlight important events and services, as well as writing features on topical issues relevant to libraries and Higher education. We encourage comments and interaction with our readers…and even invite the occasional guest blogger to add some variety! Take a look at our blogs here – (Swansea)  http://www.uwtsdswansealibraryblog.blogspot.co.uk/  - (Carmarthen/Lampeter/London) http://uwtsdlibraryblog.blogspot.co.uk/

·       Business Information – Our Swansea Business Campus library provides all the business information you could possibly need, from textbooks on strategic management or how to write a business plan, to newspapers such as the Financial Times and company or industry information via online databases such as Marketline. We even have expert Business librarians to help you find exactly what you’re looking for!

·       Books – Obviously! We stock essential and background texts from all your course reading lists, as well as useful reference books such as dictionaries and directories. We also have many e-books available via our online library.

·        Borrowing – You can borrow items from us ranging from as little as 24 hours up to 6 weeks, depending on the loan category. Undergraduates can borrow up to 15 items at any one time (more than enough to keep you busy!) while Postgrads can borrow up to 20 items. Think of all the money you could save borrowing instead of buying!! ;-)

·         Book club – We may have something in the pipeline, so watch this space…!!! J

A-Z of UWTSD Libraries!

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

                                      

Do you realise just how much your UWTSD library service has to offer? We’re not just about books you know!

Over the coming weeks we’ll be highlighting our vast range of services and attributes by working our way through the alphabet - so let’s start at the beginning…

A is for:

·        Access – We are an access point for all the information you could possibly need during your studies – we even provide 24 hour access via our online library.

·        Artefact Collection – Our library on the Carmarthen campus has a vast collection of educational artefacts for loan from Roman coins and a Hanukah lamp through to bee-bots, play parachutes and puppets. It was originally created for those doing teacher training but resources may also be of use to those doing other courses such as Early Childhood Studies and Youth and Community.

·       Advice – We’re here to help! If you’re struggling to find information for an assignment or you’re wading through a lengthy reading list don’t be afraid to come and ask the library staff for help. Do you know who your Subject Librarians are? Find out – they could be your new best friend for the duration of your studies!

·       Answers – There’s a famous quote by Neil Gaiman that says “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one!” Librarians pre-date Google by many centuries, we’ve been asked loads of questions over the years and are pretty good at what we do – so why not ask us before you resort to asking an internet search engine?! ;-)

New Online Resource now available!

A new database called Sustainable Organization Library (SOL) has been added to our online library resources. SOL is an online library of approximately 10,000 items, including case studies and research papers. The database covers subjects such as: sustainability, responsible business, ethics, corporate governance, development economics and the environment. If you’re looking for some extra resources for your research, why not take a look?