We love databases!

This week we're beginning a series of posts to let you know about the fantastic range of databases which are available through our Swansea UWTSD library website.

Databases are online, organized collections of information. You can access them at anytime of the day or night, through any device with an internet connection! Word of warning though, to benefit from  the material available through the databases, you will need to access them through the library website and our  Databases A-Z list.

We are beginning our series with the database NewsBank.

NewsBank

You may have noticed that we have recently acquired a brand new newspaper database called NewsBank. NewsBank is a database which includes newspapers such as The Times and Financial Times, as well as local newspapers, for example the South Wales Evening Post and the Western Mail. In fact, NewsBank features more than 700 local, regional and national news sources from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Wales. There’s even a map of the U.K., so that you can research by country.

NewsBank also has a section featuring special reports which focus upon topics of current interest. These reports contain content from sources throughout the world to provide a global perspective, current and background information, statistics, maps, images, websites, and suggested search terms.

So, why not have a look and if you would like help accessing NewsBank, your subject librarians will be happy to help!

Interactive Library Tour!

Welcome to all our new UWTSD Swansea students! We hope you're enjoying Fresher's Week and getting to know your new friends and surroundings. We're looking forward to meeting you all in person during the library tours and inductions that have been arranged for you. This is your chance to meet your Subject Librarian (an invaluable source of help and advice!) and to learn more about what the library service has to offer. Many of you will get the opportunity to come and look around your nearest library during the first week of term but, if you miss the 'official' tour, we've put together a fab interactive library tour that you can do on your own! Look out for a series of posters like these in our libraries:

All you need to do is download a free QR code reader/scanner onto your mobile device from any app store and you're ready to go! There is a series of 8 posters to find and a quick scan of the QR codes will give you more information about everything from our opening hours to the name of your Subject Librarian.

We'll also be highlighting useful information about the library service on our Facebook and Twitter accounts too, so make sure you 'like'/'follow' us, it's the quickest and easiest way to keep up to date with everything we have to offer...including news of our exciting 'Golden Ticket' competition!!  

Good news re: Griffith Library opening hours!

As of Monday 21st September, the Griffith Library at Dynevor will open 15 minutes earlier in the mornings, from 8.45am Mondays to Fridays. This will initially be as a trial for the whole of Autumn term, so do come in and take advantage of this! (Please note it will be self-service only until 9am).

Library quote of the day...

“My two favourite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library”- Peter Golkin.

Sounds good to us!

Thank you for voting for us!

The Library and Learning Resources Service at UWTSD Swansea was so thrilled to win the category 'Best Non-Academic Department' at the recent Students' Union Student-Led Teaching Awards event in May.

It really means a lot to the library staff, and we're glad to be able to make a positive contribution to student life here at UWTSD Swansea.

Some of the lovely comments included the following...

"Throughout my time at the university the library staff have been more than just someone doing a job, they have become friends, agony aunts, and provide motivation when you're at a low. Furthermore, this year they have gone above and beyond, to rack articles for my dissertation"

And the staff at our Owen Library in particular received some lovely praise...

"Owen Library. Wonderful people!"

"The staff in the library at Mount Pleasant have been incredible, every one of them. Nothing is too much trouble for you"

So thank you once more and we'll display our certificate with pride!

A-Z of UWTSD libraries...

Well, after a five month journey, we’re finally at the end of our UWTSD library A-Z! We hope you’ve found it interesting and that you’ve discovered lots of new things about your library service. Make sure you pop in next time you’re passing and discover something new for yourself. In the meantime, let’s finish the alphabet...

All images courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

X is for:

eXpertise (OK, so we cheated a bit! Let us know if you can think of something beginning with X!!) – Your librarians have a wealth of knowledge and expertise! If you’re struggling to find information for your projects and assignments, come and speak to us, we can help! We can show you the quickest and best ways to search for up-to-date and relevant subject related information. All you have to do is ask!

Y is for:

‘You said, we did’ – We do our best to take on board all your comments and suggestions and to make improvements to the library service wherever possible. This year, at your request; we introduced laptop loans, we increased the number of e-resources, we improved our library website, and we introduced the ‘suggest a book’ online request form for you to request new titles to be considered for purchase. Thanks for all your feedback!

Z is for:

Zones – We try and offer study space to suit all requirements, that’s why we divide our libraries into appropriate zones wherever possible. We provide quiet study space, groups study space, IT zones and seminar rooms for private group work and presentations. Please respect those around you and select the appropriate zone for your needs.

A-Z of UWTSD libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

Well, this is our penultimate entry in the UWTSD library A-Z...and it’s a double whammy! We’re focusing on letters V and W this week...

V is for:

Value – Your UWTSD libraries can save you a huge amount of money, we’ve done the maths! An average academic textbook costs somewhere in the region of £45...multiply that by 15 (the number of books an undergraduate student can borrow at any one time) and that amounts to £675 worth of books...if you borrowed just 15 books per term, that equals £2025 per year...do that for the duration of your 3 year degree course and that’s £6075 that we’ve saved you! That’s without all the journals, newspapers and e-books that we give you free access to...and then there’s the free WiFi...the expert advice etc...you can’t afford NOT to use the library!

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

W is for:

WiFi – All our libraries are WiFi hotspots, so bring along your laptops, tablets and smartphones and you’ll have wireless internet access, completely free of charge! All you need to know is your UWTSD student ID and password. If you have any problems connecting to the WiFi network we have plenty of IT staff available to help.

Website – Our library website contains all the information you need to know about the library, from opening hours and contact details, to subject guides and inter-library loans. Plus, it acts as a portal to all the electronic content in our Online Library, such as; ebooks, ejournals, newspapers and market reports. So, add the library website to your bookmarks/favourites...you’ll be glad you did!