UWTSD Swansea Libraries in numbers!

 We have so many fantastic resources and services available through the library, that we decided to look at the statistics behind these resources and services. For example, we calculated that there are over two thousand ebooks available through our catalogue, that  almost 211,000 people visited our four Swansea UWTSD libraries last year and that our blog has received over 60,000 visits as well! We decided that we would like to display the information numerically, as an infographic, and this term  have posted sections of the infographic on our Swansea UWTSD Library Facebook page and on Twitter. However, now we’re revealing the whole poster, in Welsh and in English. We hope you like it!

  If you have any questions about our  range of resources and services, or would like help finding information for your research, please ask and we'll be happy to help!

We love databases!

Carrying on with this series, today we’re taking a look at ‘Bridgeman Education’, a fantastic image resource for UWTSD students and staff alike.

If you are looking for high quality, copyright-cleared (for educational use) images then take a look at our Bridgeman Education database!  It can be accessed both on and off campus, via the library webpages www.uwtsd.ac.uk/library From there click ‘Online Library’, then select ‘Swansea Online Library’ and finally click the button ‘Databases A-Z’.  You’ll see Bridgeman Education hyperlinked in the list.

The database provides access to over 800,000 images, and offers an advanced search function as well as the option to zoom in close, and you can create a slide-show too!

Examples of subjects represented within the database are art and design, photography, fashion, architecture and art history. Over 30,000 artists are included plus 17,000 photographs and 28,000 portraits, as well as lots of other content.

So take a look at Bridgeman Education today! If you have any questions, or need help accessing this or any of the other Art & Design databases, please contact librarians Alison Scanlon or Helen Beale, both based at the Griffith Library. 

We love databases!

Today we're continuing our series promoting the many and varied (full-text) library databases we have to offer, with something for our health based students - CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing & Allied Health Literature).

CINAHL is a valuable research tool that provides full-text access to over 550 nursing and health journal publications, dating back as far as 1981 (that's more than 3.2 million records!). As well as journal articles it also provides access to selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, audiovisual materials, book chapters and more. This fantastic database covers a wide selection of topics ranging from nursing and public health, to social care and child welfare.You can print and email articles to yourself, get help with referencing and citation...and even set up email alerts to bring all the latest research on your chosen topics straight to your inbox! What could be easier or more convenient?

So, next time you're struggling to find up-to-date information for your projects and assignments, remember to give our databases a try! It can save you time, effort and money! You can access all our databases quickly and conveniently, on and off campus, via our Swansea Online Library page...all you need is your UWTSD login and password.

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).

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!

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.

Library and Learning Resources / Information Technology and Systems Survey 2015

It’s that time of year again when we are running our Library and Learning Resources Satisfaction Survey. We value your opinions and would be very grateful if you could complete the survey. It will only take about 5 minutes to complete and we’ll use the results to inform our future service delivery and development. This year we've also included a section on Information Technology and Systems.

The survey runs from today, Tuesday 5^th May until Friday 12^th June. You’ll find the survey on our website, on Moodle or on MyDay. If you complete the survey, you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win one of two  Amazon vouchers, worth £25 and £50. So, go ahead and have your say and you might win a prize!

 (Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Library Easter Vacation Opening Hours

Our four UWTSD Swansea Libraries will be open during the Easter vacation, but do check our opening hours before you make the journey in!

  

A daily dose of festive fun!

 

 

 

Some of you may remember our Twelve Days of Christmas campaign last year...well, this year we've gone one step further and given you some bite-sized festive fun for every day in Advent!

 

We've put together an online Advent Calendar. It's our way of spreading a little bit of Christmas cheer to all the staff and students at UWTSD Swansea!

Behind each door you'll find something new and surprising that you may not have known about your library service, as well as some festive fun to get you in the mood for the holiday season.

 

We'll be sharing useful information, links and contact details...as well as fun videos and photos...our calendar is even mobile compatible, so you can view it anywhere, anytime on your mobile devices.

 

...look out for even more festive fun at your UWTSD Swansea libraries throughout December too...!

 

Happy Christmas Everyone!

A Belated Christmas Present From Us!

Happy New Year and welcome back to all our UWTSD Swansea students!

We have a belated Christmas present for you to help with your studies this year...some new library databases as well as upgrades to some old favourites!

  

Here are the details of the new databases/upgrades:

 

Academic Search Premier (New) *

Art Source (Upgraded)

Business Source Complete (Upgraded)

CINAHL Plus Full Text Unlimited (Upgraded)

Education Source (Upgraded)

Humanities Source (New) *

SportsDiscus Full Text Unlimited (Upgraded)

Databases that have been upgraded will now give you access to even more journal titles as well as more extensive availability of 'full text' articles.

If you want to take a look at our new databases...

Humanities Source:
Humanities Source is a comprehensive database covering more than 2,100 journals, books and other important resources published worldwide in the humanities, with a focus on literary, scholarly and creative thought. It provides indexing and abstracts for articles, essays, and reviews, as well as poems, fiction, photographs, paintings and illustrations.

Academic Search Premier:
Academic Search Premier is a multidisciplinary journal database providing access to over 4,700 journals in all the major areas of academic research.

Links to all these databases are available via the library website in the usual way.
Happy reading!
 

Seasonal reads...

 

If you call in to The Griffith Library at Dynevor, you'll find a gorgeous winter-themed display of books & DVDs next to our counter! These items are all available to borrow if you want to get into the spirit of the season - titles include 'The Snowman' by Raymond Briggs, 'The Polar Express' by Chris Van Allsburg and on DVD 'It's a Wonderful Life' starring James Stewart.

Take a trip down memory lane...

The public are invited to take a trip down memory lane this afternoon and evening, when the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Swansea hosts an archive exhibition focusing on its Mount Pleasant campus.Everyone is invited to attend the event, which is open between 4pm and 8pm.

The archive exhibition will explore the history of the campus through the University's numerous archive materials. It will show some of the history of the Technical College, the first ten years of West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education and a brief summary of the Mount Pleasant campus. West Glamorgan Institute became Swansea Institute of Higher Education in 1992 and Swansea Metropolitan University in 2008. In 2012, the University merged with UWTSD.

A call is also being made for any new contributions to the University's archive. Those with items relating to the campus are invited to bring them to the Open Day.

The University's Mount Pleasant campus has a long history dating back to 1890 when the Swansea Education Committee adopted the Technical Instruction Act of 1889. From the start, the Swansea Technical College was very closely associated with the Swansea Grammar School, sharing premises on Mount Pleasant until the school relocated to a new site in Sketty in April 1951.

The Technical College continued to operate at the Mount Pleasant site and, over a number of decades, the campus developed further with new buildings to meet the needs of increasing student numbers. In 1976, Swansea College of Technology (as it was named then) merged with Swansea College of Art and Swansea Education College to form West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education.

University Archivist Gill Fildes said: "This event is open to everyone. The Archive team would also welcome new contributions to the University collections, so dig out any items you have kept that relate to the Mount Pleasant campus, or the College of Technology, and bring them along with you."

Winner of £20 Amazon voucher!

We are pleased to announce that the winner of our library competition from earlier on in the term (for new students to follow our Blog, Facebook or Twitter sites) is Counselling and Psychology student, Charlotte Adams.

Charlotte's name was chosen at random by Art & Design Assistant Dean Mark Cocks, and her prize was a £20 Amazon gift voucher, presented by Assistant Librarian Suzanne Taylor.

The aim of the competition had been to encourage new UWTSD Swansea students to follow our library social media sites. Our UWTSD Swansea librarians had been busy at their library induction sessions promoting the sites, and again we have been pleased by the increase in followers this year!

If you are reading this post and haven’t signed up to our Blog, followed us on Twitter or liked us on Facebook yet, why not do so now! It’s a great way of finding out more about the resources and services UWTSD  libraries have to offer you.

A reminder - why use your university library?

Again, this is a re-post of a recent post, but what with returning students now back at university, we think it's a good opportunity to remind everyone of what your university library has to offer!

Take a look at this video that was produced by CyMAL to promote university libraries in Wales - you may even recognise one of the locations, as it was filmed here in Swansea!

It gives lots of reasons why you should use your university library - including saving you time and money, providing you with expert help from library staff, as well as access to a vast range of print, and e-resources! So take a look and hopefully you'll be inspired to use your university library this academic year - we look forward to seeing you soon :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol_Nn8Jjhe8

Why Use Your Library?

Take a look at this video that was produced by CyMAL to promote university libraries in Wales - you may even recognise one of the locations, as it was filmed here in Swansea!

It gives lots of reasons why you should use your university library - including saving you time and money, providing you with expert help from library staff, as well as access to a vast range of print, and e-resources! So take a look and hopefully you'll be inspired to use your university library this academic year - we look forward to seeing you soon :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol_Nn8Jjhe8

New students - come and see us at Freshers Fayre on Friday!

Colleagues Emily, Philippa and Suzanne will be representing our Library service at Freshers Fayre this Friday, so do go and say hello, and learn more about the library service and resources we have to offer you!

It's taking place in the main hall up at the Townhill Campus from 11am until 3pm, and there will be lots of stands to browse and freebies to gather! The library will also be giving away some goodies such as pens, notepads, sporks (see pic below!) and chocolates... so make your way to the library stand early to ensure you don't miss out!

A big welcome to all our new international students!

Myself and my colleague Sam are looking forward to meeting the new intake of international students tomorrow, at the UWTSD Swansea International Student Welcome Event. This is taking place this year at our Swansea Business School campus, in the morning. So do come over to our library stand and say hello, and ask any questions you might have about the library service and our resources. We've also got some freebies to give away - see you there!