Easter opening times

The opening hours of our UWTSD Swansea libraries are slightly different during the Easter vacation period. All opening hours for each library are listed below. Please check before you visit. We look forward to seeing you!

A-Z of UWTSD Libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

Hot on the heels of UWTSD Swansea Libraries recent accolade at the Student Led Teaching Awards (“Best Non-Academic Department”), it’s time to highlight some more great things we have to offer! Our library A-Z has reached the letter R this week...

R is for:

·         Research – Make the library your first port of call when beginning your research for assignments, presentations, group work and dissertations. We can provide you with access to a vast selection of up-to-date, relevant, peer reviewed information, both in print and online. We also have Subject Librarians at hand to help if you get stuck! Think of us as one big friendly search engine! Who needs Google when you’ve got us at your disposal?!

·         Reading Lists – Don’t panic! There’s no need to buy everything on your course reading lists, come and borrow the required textbooks from us...free of charge! You can save your bank balance and the environment at the same time! We should have most, if not all, of the items you require.

·         Reference Material – Some of the items in our libraries are marked ‘Reference Only’, this means you can’t borrow them. Why is this a good thing?? It means that we will always have copies of the most essential and in demand texts available for you to use in the library...even when all other copies are out on loan.  

·         Relaxation – Libraries are a great place to relax and enjoy some quiet time in between lectures. Whether you just want to check your emails, read a novel, or catch 40 winks in a comfy chair (yes, we’ve spotted you snoozing in the corner!) libraries are the perfect place to unwind.

World Book Night 2015...

On 23^rd April Carmarthen and Lampeter campus libraries took part in World Book Night – an evening of gifting books with the aim of targeting reluctant readers.  Back in January I had volunteered my services as a Book Giver and was fortunate enough to be accepted.

By the time the books had arrived at the beginning of March, I had forgotten all about the titles etc. so it all came as quite a surprise.  We had been given 24 copies each of Karl Pilkington’s The Moaning of Life and Lynda La Plante’s Prime Suspect.  These were two great titles to receive as it would span the demographic within the university quite nicely.

Preparations were all a bit last minute – World Book Night falling right in the heart of dissertation season was not ideal – but hopefully students would see the books as a suitable dangling carrot – perhaps something to take on that well-earned holiday and read by the pool?

The books were laid out in each campus library on Thursday afternoon and we were pleasantly surprised by the take-up.  Only a couple of copies left on each campus on Friday morning.  Better still, it was good to see that so many had offered their details for the Reading Agency’s marketing survey – the £5 high street voucher was clearly a draw.

All in all, this was a success for us and something we would definitely take part in again.  As an academic library we are here to help students with their research and information literacy skills; but we still uphold the values of all libraries and that is to take pleasure in reading – it can take you off to wonderful places!

If anyone is interested in being a giver themselves they can sign up for reminders now from the World Book Night website. 

Suzy Fisher

Periodicals Librarian

Carmarthen Campus

A-Z of UWTSD Libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

We’re officially at the halfway point in our library A-Z! You’ll have learnt a lot about us by now…but there’s still lots more to say! Let’s continue with the letter M…

M is for:

·         My Account – With your student ID and PIN number you can access your library account to view a list of books you have on loan, when they are due back and any fines owed. Your account also enables you to place reservations and to renew your library loans yourself. So, next time you realise your library books are due but the library is closed, remember to use your online account!

·         Market research – If you’re looking for industry reports, company information or SWOT analysis that’s relevant to a particular topic why not try one of our online databases such as Marketline. We can show you how to use it and take some of the stress out of your research!

·         Meeting place – The library is a social place…so, whether you want to get together with friends to work on a joint presentation or assignment or if you just need somewhere to pass the time while you’re between lectures, the library offers plenty of comfortable seating/study/discussion space. Make it a habit to pop in and make use these facilities, we’d love to see you!

·         Money saving – Have you thought about how much money your library can save you? Instead of paying a fortune to buy all the books on your course reading lists come and borrow them from us. We also pay for expensive subscriptions to journals, newspapers and full-text online databases and make them all available to you free of charge. Not to mention all the expert advice we are able to offer at no extra cost. So, next time you’re passing one of our libraries, why not pop in and save yourself a few quid at the same time?!

A-Z of UWTSD Libraries...

Image courtesy of: Josh Filhol / Library A-Z

Time to continue with our A-Z of UWTSD libraries, we’re almost a third of the way through already! Today we move on to the letter G…

G is for:

·    Group Study – We try and divide our libraries into zones, so there are dedicated quiet areas and also spaces where you can get together and work as a group. In our group study areas you can chat as you work and be safe in the knowledge that you aren’t breaking any rules - nobody is going to shush you! Several of our libraries also have bookable seminar rooms where you can practice your presentations as a group. Libraries aren’t just about silent study these days!

·        Green – Let’s face it, libraries have been at the forefront of recycling and all things green for centuries! Whether it’s books and journals about the environment that you’re interested in, or just doing your bit for the environment by borrowing books instead of buying them, your UWTSD library has got it covered. We’re even taking part in the Green Impact project to find ways of making our service even more environmentally friendly in the future. 

·  Geographical Information – Whether you’re looking for an atlas, Ordinance Survey maps, Lonely Planet travel guides or in-depth country reports you’ll find something to suit all your needs at one of our UWTSD libraries!