SMU Library & Learning Resources service is now on Twitter!

If you are a fan of Twitter, you can now follow us on our newly created Twitter account at: http://twitter.com/LibrarySwansMet

Olympic torch date for your diary!

The route the Olympic torch will take on its destination to London next summer has been announced, and Swansea has been revealed as one of the locations it will stop at overnight! Saturday 26th May 2012 is the scheduled date, and more details about the route will be announced later on in the year.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Olympic Games, whether it's the history of the event, the environmental impact, or you just fancy watching 'Chariots of Fire' take a look at our library catalogue for a comprehensive range of titles. We also have e-resources on the subject, for example both journal and newspaper articles are available through the databases JSTOR & Newsbank, and images through the Bridgeman Art Library Digital Image Database.

If you won't be in Swansea next May, you can view the other UK destinations where the torch is heading via the BBC news website - in total it's estimated that it will travel 8,000 miles before reaching London on 27th July, 2012!

Are you looking for past papers?

You can access a selection of previous years’ exam papers from our web pages. From the library homepage (www.smu.ac.uk/library), just scroll down to the Choose Your Subject Area section and click on your subject. The page you’re taken to will have a link to Past Papers on the left hand side (you might have to scroll down a bit to see it).

Don’t forget, the library has lots of books to help you with your study skills too! Just come in and have a look.

Fed up of revision?

Looking for something nice to read between study sessions? Then come and have a look at the Teaching Practice collection in Townhill Library. Our Junior Fiction section has a range of books suitable for ages from children to young adults, so you’re sure to find something to your taste. We have books by Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, Anne Fine, Joan Aiken, Mark Twain... The list goes on! Discover a new writer, or revisit an old favourite from childhood. You might find just what you need to unwind and de-stress during this period of assignment deadlines and exam revision. However, if you feel you can’t tear yourself away from your textbooks just at the moment, don’t forget that at the end of term, students who are returning next year will be able to borrow books over the summer vacation. That’ll give you enough time to read the whole series of the Chronicles of Narnia!

What are your favourite books from childhood? Let us know! I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, is a favourite of mine from our collection. It's a wonderful story of a girl growing up in a dilapidated old castle, surrounded by her eccentric family. I first read it as an adult, though, so I'm not sure it counts!

Best of the Web

Image: Salvatore Vuono / Freedigitalphotos.net

With so much information available on the Internet it can be like searching for a needle in a haystack when you're looking for something specific. It's also difficult to judge the quality and currency of a lot of the information you come accross. This is where your SMU library can help you! Did you know that our library webpage has a listing of recommended websites that you can trust? We've done the leg work for you and made a complete A-Z listing of some of the best sites around...we've even divided them into subject areas for you! Here's just a small sample:

London 2012 Visit Britain Office for National Statistics Department of Health

So, if you're struggling to find your way through a maze of online information why not let us point you in the right direction!

New book in stock - 'Creative CV Guide' by Jan Cole

We have a new book in stock at Dynevor Library which I wanted to draw your attention to, especially if you are in your final year of study on one of our creative courses.

'Creative CV Guide' by Jan Cole is an easy to read, practical book containing advice on putting together a CV. It also gives examples of different types of creative CV's and provides other useful information on finding employment.

We have one reference copy in stock which currently can be found on the 'new books' shelves, and another two additional copies are on order which will be loanable once they arrive.

So if you are starting to think about your career after leaving university, hopefully this is the book for you!

Library opening hours this royal weekend!

As Royal Wedding fever grips the country in anticipation of the 'big day', just a reminder that if you wish to use a SMU library for study tomorrow, both the Owen and Townhill libraries will be open from 12midday until 5pm.

On Saturday, all three SMU libraries will be open as usual from 10-4, then the Owen and Townhill libraries will be open again on Sunday, and Bank Holiday Monday from 12midday until 5pm. Normal term-time opening for all three will recommence on Tuesday 3rd May!

So whatever your plans are for tomorrow...whether you will be glued to the tv watching the proceedings, or if you would prefer to escape from it all, a SMU library will be open near you!