A-Z of UWTSD Libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

Only a few more installments of our of our UWTSD library A-Z left now! But there's still a few highlights to mention before we reach the end! This week we've reached the letter U...

U is for: Using other libraries!

Students and staff of the University may be able to use selected other libraries across the United Kingdom through one of the following schemes...

• Libraries Together Passport

Students and staff can use public libraries and many other university and college libraries in South and Mid Wales through the Libraries Together Passport scheme. Please ask at your nearest UWTSD library / public library for further information and to collect a Passport, or download and print the passport here: Libraries Together Passport 

• SCONUL Access

SCONUL Access is a reciprocal service supported by most of the higher education libraries of the UK and Ireland, and provides borrowing privileges for most:

 academic staff on open or fixed term contracts

postgraduate research students registered for a PhD, MPhil or similar qualification

part-time, distance learning and placement students

full-time postgraduates

SCONUL Access also provides for a reference only service for most:

full-time undergraduate students

staff of a few higher education libraries not participating in the reciprocal borrowing arrangements

Membership of SCONUL Access is open to all full SCONUL members and most of the publicly funded higher education libraries in the UK and Ireland are now members. Please note that some libraries do not offer borrowing to all the types of user listed above. Please consult the list of participating libraries before you travel. Computer access is available at some institutions.

To apply for membership visit the SCONUL Access website and complete an application form.

Further details:
Carmarthen / Lampeter students and staff: sconul@tsd.ac.uk
Swansea campus students and staff: helen.beale@sm.uwtsd.ac.uk 

• National Library of Wales

Anyone with a home address in Wales can apply online for a reader ticket to access the collections of the National Library of Wales. Visit the National Library of Wales website for further details.

• British Library

Anyone can apply for a reader pass to access the reading rooms of the British Library. Please visit the British Library website for further details.

Access to Research – free access to scholarly journals via Swansea Public Library Service

This one is mainly for our final year students! During your years as a UWTSD student, you have access to a huge range of academic books and journals, both online and in the library, which can help you with your assignments and keep you up to date in your field. Unfortunately, though, once you’ve graduated and are no longer members of the university, we are quite limited in what we can offer you. This is quite frustrating for those of you who are keen to keep up that good practice you developed at university and maintain your awareness of current research. Luckily, publishers and librarians have come together to offer a solution via the public library service – Access to Research!

Access to Research offers free, walk-in access to over a million scholarly journal articles across a range of subjects. Public libraries in Swansea are part of the scheme, so you will be able to take advantage of this material at your local library in the area. There is more information on the Swansea Council website and a specially produced Frequently Asked Questions leaflet (there are a few good search tips which can be used with our Digital Library on here too – worth a look even if you’re not interested in the scheme!). If you’re not local to Swansea, you can check the list of participating libraries on the Access to Research website to see if your home library service is a part of the scheme.

This, of course, is in addition to all the great stuff already available to you at Swansea public libraries! It’s well worth joining if you haven’t already. And finally, if you are graduating this year, but would still like to borrow from UWTSD libraries, public library members in South West and Mid Wales can join us through the Libraries Together scheme, which will let you borrow up to five ordinary loans from us at any one time. Just get in touch if you’d like more information.