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!

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.

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

Find out more about your fantastic Swansea Public Library service!!

This is a re-post of an article we originally posted earlier in the summer, but feel is relevant to all UWTSD Swansea students who may wish to find out more, and use their local public library service here in Swansea!

This week we're delighted to introduce another special guest blogger for you - Lizzy Evans, one of the assistant managers at Swansea Central Library! Lizzy started to work for the library service in December 2007, in time for the New Central Library opening. She started working as an Assistant Manager in 2010, having graduated from Swansea University in 2005 with a BA hons in History and Politics. She then went to Aberystwyth to study a MA in Film Studies and has recently submitted her dissertation for the BSc Library and Information Management degree. When not writing assignments or working, Lizzy spends time travelling and going to the theatre.

Your course has finished for the summer, so why not take this opportunity to try a different type of library experience?

At this time of year, Swansea Public LibraryService is inundated with requests for travel guides, guides for days out, starting new hobbies, cooking, crafting, dress making etc. and the beach holiday read… all for FREE! Swansea libraries have a lot to offer you, not only throughout the summer, but all year round.

We hold a variety of events for adults & children. Literacy skills being at the heart of most libraries, Swansea is no different. We hold many events for children which encourage language skills through a variety of activities:

oRhyme times

oWelsh Rhyme Times

oDress Up Story times

oHomework Clubs

o‘Story and Stuff’ craft events

oWii Games

oFamily film showings

oTeen Film Club

oTeen book groups

Throughout July & August we will be holding special events for children like our ‘OZ, The Great and Powerful’ Party on 25^th July and the annual children’s Summer Reading Challenge.

Feel you’re a little old for this? We have a lot to offer you too! We hold a wide variety of events for adults, from guest author events and Family History sessions, to INK our writers group and our book group for which we are holding a special session in August where we are linking up with Radio Wales to join their book group (for more details, click here).

As technology advances, so must libraries, we now have WiFi in the central library and offer a free ebook and e-audio book download service. Libraries still anchor their work in books, be them physical or electronic, however this is no longer a library’s sole purpose, libraries are now so much more.

So, here’s the low down on Swansea’s libraries:

oWe have 17 branch libraries, a mobile service and a housebound service

oFree internet in all branches

oFree ebooks and e-audio books available to download

oOnline catalogue

oOur enquiry service Library Line (@LibraryLine) can help with the most basic or complex of enquiries

oFacebook

oTwitter:Swansea libraries (@Discovermore) and Library Line (LibraryLine)

To join, all you need is to bring down some proof of address and we can register you immediately, once registered you can use all 17 branches and all the facilities. Alternatively, you can register via the Libraries Together Passport scheme. If you’re reading this, you’re more than likely already registered with the Swansea Metropolitan University Library, and therefore you have access to many more libraries both academic and public from Pembroke, to Aberystwyth, to Neath Port Talbot. This is available via the passport, for more information visit www.library.wales.org.

For more information about Swansea Library go to www.swansea.gov.uk/libraries or call (01792) 636464.

Hope to see you soon!

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!

A warm welcome to our new Art & Design Foundation students!

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to all our new Foundation Art students who began their university studies this week!
 

Your library induction session will take place next week, where you will be introduced to the resources and services that your library has to help you with your course.

In the meantime, if you are on the Dynevor campus please feel free to come and take a look around the Griffith Library - you'll find us next to main reception (see photo of library entrance above!)

We look forward to meeting you all soon.

Find out more about your fantastic Swansea Public Library service!!

This week we're delighted to introduce another special guest blogger for you - Lizzy Evans, one of the assistant managers at Swansea Central Library! Lizzy started to work for the library service in December 2007, in time for the New Central Library opening. She started working as an Assistant Manager in 2010, having graduated from Swansea University in 2005 with a BA hons in History and Politics. She then went to Aberystwyth to study a MA in Film Studies and has recently submitted her dissertation for the BSc Library and Information Management degree. When not writing assignments or working, Lizzy spends time travelling and going to the theatre.

Your course has finished for the summer, so why not take this opportunity to try a different type of library experience? 

At this time of year, Swansea Public Library Service is inundated with requests for travel guides, guides for days out, starting new hobbies, cooking, crafting, dress making etc. and the beach holiday read… all for FREE! Swansea libraries have a lot to offer you, not only throughout the summer, but all year round.  

We hold a variety of events for adults & children. Literacy skills being at the heart of most libraries, Swansea is no different. We hold many events for children which encourage language skills through a variety of activities: 

oRhyme times

oWelsh Rhyme Times

oDress Up Story times

oHomework Clubs

o‘Story and Stuff’ craft events

oWii Games

oFamily film showings

oTeen Film Club

oTeen book groups 

Throughout July & August we will be holding special events for children like our ‘OZ, The Great and Powerful’ Party on 25^th July and the annual children’s Summer Reading Challenge.

Feel you’re a little old for this? We have a lot to offer you too! We hold a wide variety of events for adults, from guest author events and Family History sessions, to INK our writers group and our book group for which we are holding a special session in August where we are linking up with Radio Wales to join their book group (for more details, click here). 

As technology advances, so must libraries, we now have WiFi in the central library and offer a free ebook and e-audio book download service. Libraries still anchor their work in books, be them physical or electronic, however this is no longer a library’s sole purpose, libraries are now so much more.  

So, here’s the low down on Swansea’s libraries: 

oWe have 17 branch libraries, a mobile service and a housebound service

oFree internet in all branches

oFree ebooks and e-audio books available to download

oOnline catalogue

oOur enquiry service Library Line (@LibraryLine) can help with the most basic or complex of enquiries

oFacebook

oTwitter: Swansea libraries (@Discovermore) and Library Line (LibraryLine) 

To join, all you need is to bring down some proof of address and we can register you immediately, once registered you can use all 17 branches and all the facilities. Alternatively, you can register via the Libraries Together Passport scheme. If you’re reading this, you’re more than likely already registered with the Swansea Metropolitan University Library, and therefore you have access to many more libraries both academic and public from Pembroke, to Aberystwyth, to Neath Port Talbot. This is available via the passport, for more information visit www.library.wales.org.  

For more information about Swansea Library go to www.swansea.gov.uk/libraries or call (01792) 636464.

Hope to see you soon!

It's National Pet Month!



Muzzie the rescue dog having a snooze in his new home

This year, National Pet Month runs from the 1^st April to the 6^th May, so it’s well underway by now. It aims to encourage responsible pet ownership, draw attention to the work of pet care professional and companion animals, and raise money for pet charities. You can find our more on the official website, which also includes lesson plans and information for schools wishing to take part as well as some tips on getting a classroom pet.

 

We love our furry friends here at the library, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to highlight some of our recent new books which have dogs as their stars. (We’ve got nothing against other pets, but as it happens we’ve had a lot of books about dogs recently!) These are great for the kids and rather lovely for the grown-ups too!

Oh no George! by Chris Haughton

This fun picture book is about George, a pet dog who desperately tries to be good when his owner leaves him alone for the day, but is met by temptation at every turn! Will he manage to resist eating the cake and chasing the cat? Only one way to find out – read the book!

Black dog by Levi Pinfold

This beautiful picture book deals with themes of fear and perception. A big, black dog, which gets bigger as each family member spots him, appears outside a house one night. Only the littlest child is brave enough to go out and meet the beast. The illustrations are stunning and the story great for stimulating discussion with children. Wonderful!

A greyhound of a girl by Roddy Doyle

We have a few Roddy Doyle books in the library and they’re all to be recommended, but this is his most recent. The pets in this don’t feature very heavily, but it’s such a good one that we’ve snuck it in anyway! Don’t be put off that this is primarily aimed at children as there’s plenty for the more mature reader too! It centres round four generations of the same family – one dead, one dying and two living. It’s a beautifully told story about coming to terms with loss and the power of family. It will probably make you cry!

A dog called Homeless by Sarah Lean

Another weepy! This one centres on Cally, who’s trying to come to terms with the loss of her mum. She can’t help but feel that the mysterious Irish wolfhound she keeps seeing offers some link to her mother. Meanwhile, she struggles to fit in at school and makes friend with the boy downstairs, who is deaf and blind. This is really rather a gripping tale!

Sid and the Cwmhendy dog show by Tanya L. James

A lovely, fun one to end with! Sid is a good natured but mischievous Jack Russell, based on the author’s own dog. In this delightful story he’s been entered in a dog show and needs to stay clean and out of trouble. You’ve probably got a good idea of what happens, but it's very charmingly told!

Do any of these grab your fancy? Remember, as with all our books, once you’ve read them, you can give them a five star rating on our catalogue so other library users know how good or bad they are. (Strictly speaking, you can rate them without reading them, but we’d prefer you passed on an informed judgement!)

LGBT resources donated by MetSU

We’re extending a big thank you to the Swansea Metropolitan Students’ Union Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Society today as they have kindly donated some resources to the library. The booklets, reports and guides can be found at Townhill Library as it was felt that they could be particularly helpful for our future psychologists, counsellors and teachers who may come across issues around homophobia in their careers. The donations cover a range of areas including inclusive practice in the workplace, the portrayal of gay people in the media, homophobia in schools and setting up institutional support for gay, lesbian and bisexual people. For the full range, simply type the words donated by the MetSU LGBT Society into our Library Catalogue Quick Search.

Many of these resources have been produced by Stonewall, the charity which campaigns for the rights of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. If any of these issues concern you, or if you’d simply like to find out more about Stonewall’s work, you can take a look at their website: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/. You’ll find material about Stonewall’s research, access to publications, details of key legislation and information about campaigns. For information and advice closer to home, check out the MetSU LGBT page which links through to information on the main NUS site.

100 years of Aston Martin!

This year Aston Martin, makers of high performance cars, celebrate their hundredth year!

 

To commemorate their centenary, they’ve chronicled one hundred years of manufacture, design and racing with a series of vintage photographs and a video on their website.  Not only do they feature lots of fantastic cars, they’ve added dramatic footage of an Aston Martin being landed on top of the 1,000 ft Burj Al Arab hotel’s helipad in Dubai! 

 

You’ll find Aston Martin at: http://www.astonmartin.com/en/aston-martin-centenary

If you’re interested in racing cars, car design and production, we have many automotive resources in the Owen Library at Mount Pleasant.  We recently added the Motor Sports Association’s ‘Competitors and Officials’ 2012 Yearbook’ to our shelves; you can also view it online through the Websites section of the Applied Design and Engineering’s link on our Library Home Page.  While you are there, why not take a look at the other websites we’ve listed, e.g. SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers)?

 As well as having a range of books and journals in the Owen library, we also subscribe to a database called IEEE / IET Electronic Library (IEL)  (available through our Applied Design and Engineering’s Databases link).  IEEE / IET Electronic Library (IEL) is an excellent resource which contains technical literature covering electrical engineering, computer science and electronics, conference proceedings and standards.  (To make it easier to say, IEEE is often referred to as ‘I-Triple E’.)

If you need any help accessing any of these or any of our other resources, please don’t hesitate to ask!

 

 

Introducing your Swansea Met library - Townhill Library

You may remember our series of blog posts last academic year in which we introduced your Swansea Met subject librarians. This year, we thought we'd tell you a bit more about our four Swansea Met libraries. Here we go!

Townhill Library

Welcome to Townhill Library! You’ll find us on the beautiful Townhill Campus where you can enjoy stunning views of Mumbles and Swansea Bay. It’s not all about the location, though; you’ll find plenty of books, journals and other resources here to help you with your studies.

You’ll find all sorts on our shelves, but we mainly support the subject areas of Education, Performing Arts and Psychology & Counselling. If you’re looking for something less academic, we have an excellent collection of novels and poetry books for you to browse and borrow. We like our classics, of course, but we have lots of books published during this century too! Take a look at our themed book display for inspiration. You’ll find it on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs and the theme changes regularly.

We also have a Teaching Practice collection on the first floor. There you’ll find picture books, junior fiction (including teenage and young adult fiction) and non-fiction books in Welsh and English. This collection is primarily for our trainee teachers to use on school placement, but any Swansea Met student or member of staff is welcome to borrow Teaching Practice books.

If you’re looking for somewhere to read the latest copy of The Stage, or just kick back with a book, we have a comfy seating area on the ground floor. We have study spaces on each of the three floors in the library, but the best spot must be on the first floor by the window where you can take in that beautiful view of the bay!

You’ll find an open access computer suite on the top floor and some PCs on the ground floor. You can of course print and photocopy in the library (for a small charge!). You’ll find our photocopier on the ground floor with our journal back issues.

Our term time opening hours are:-

Monday – Thursday                        8.30am-9.00pm

Friday                                                8.30am-7pm

Saturday                                10am-4pm

Sunday                                   12pm-5pm

And as if all that wasn’t enough, we’ve also got some lovely members of staff to help you find your way around! Just ask at the counter if you’ve got any questions about the library or need help finding a book. You can borrow and return books and DVDs at counter too, or use our self-service machine if you’d prefer. If you’re struggling with our online resources or just don’t know where to start, Assistant Librarians Suzanne Taylor and Philippa Price will be happy to help. You can contact Townhill Library on 01792 482113, or just call in and see us during opening hours!

Swansea Met closed due to snow!

Swansea Met has announced that it will be closed today (Friday18th Jan), so that means the libraries are closed too, sorry. Our online resources are still available, of course, so please take a look at our databases and ebooks if you have any studying to do. Online resources are accessible from the library website. Find ebooks using the Library Catalogue Quick Search near the top of the homepage. To access online journal articles, try the Digital Library by clicking the blue link on the homepage, or our databases, which you can access by clicking on your subject area near the bottom of the homepage.

If you are planning to visit one of our libraries over the weekend, please phone before you set out as some or all libraries may be unable to open if there is still a lot of snow around. Contact numbers for each library are on the website and below:-

Griffith Library (Dynevor) 01792 481030
Owen Library (Mount Pleasant) 01792 481141
Swansea Business School Library 01792 481023
Townhill Library 01782 482113

You could also try Swansea Met's main switchboard on 01792 481000. Stay safe everyone!

Education on the Web – NFER’s guide to help you search effectively for online information about Education

We hope that all you Education students out there are already aware of the fantastic resources that the library has to offer you. You’re probably pretty familiar with our e-books and our online databases which let you find and access thousands of journal articles on and off campus. What about the rest of the web, though? There’s lots of information out there, but finding relevant and accurate sources can be tricky. Luckily, the NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research)  has produced a document to help!

Education on the Web: a Tool-kit to Help You Search Effectively for Information on Education does exactly what it says on the tin! It’s a free guide which systematically guides you through the process of finding literature through databases, websites and search engines. As well as helping you search for information, the guide also recommends good websites for different purposes, looks at using Web 2.0 tools for research and offers advice for sifting through the results of your literature search. If you’re embarking on a dissertation, research project or assignment, it’s well worth a look!

Remember that there’s plenty on offer in the library too, be it on the shelves or online. If you need any help finding or accessing resources for Education, just get in touch with Philippa Price or Suzanne Taylor at Townhill Library. Check Moodle for Philippa and Suzanne’s contact details, or give them a ring at Townhill Library on 01792 482113. We’re happy to help!

National Stress Awareness Day

Today is National Stress Awareness Day! We thought we would bring this to your attention, as we understand that being a student (or member of academic staff) can bring along its own set of stresses.

For more information about the day and the organisation behind it see the following link:

http://www.isma.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-day/

Also don't forget the library is here to help you, with its resources and services to make your student/staff life that bit easier. We have four libraries at Swansea Met, and amongst many things can offer you physical space/peace to work, knowledgable subject librarians to guide you through our resources both print and electronic, and also convenient access to the latter off-campus 24/7.

So do pop in to your nearest Swansea Met library and see what we have to help you :-)

A right royal read!

The bunting has come down (until the Olympics!), the Union Jack-inspired party food has been eaten and we’ve all raised a glass to the Queen in her 60^th year on the throne (or at least enjoyed the extra day’s holiday she’s given us!). Whether you’re a royalist, a republican or something in between, there’s no denying the history behind the royal family. If the Jubilee celebrations have got you thinking about the long line of kings and queens that came before Elizabeth II, why not come in and find out a bit more?

A quick glance at the history section in Townhill Library reveals The Jubilee Years 1887-1897, looking at the period between Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, at 942.081 HOW (plenty of other books about Victoria and the Victorians at this number too!), Elizabeth I at 942.055 NEA, William the Conqueror at 942.021 DOM and Alfred the Great at 942.02 BEC. Further afield, our old favourites, National Archives, have launched an online exhibition looking back at Queen Victoria’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees. It features 60 congratulatory messages from all over the world and links to other Diamond Jubilee resources.

National Pet Month

Hank the rescue cat in his new home

The special occasions seem to be flooding in thick and fast at the moment! We are currently in the middle of National Pet Month, which this year runs from 7^th April to 7^th May. You can find out more from the official website which has lots of resources and a “National Pet Month in a Nutshell” link to explain a bit more about the cause.

Since next Monday (30^th April) also sees the start of RSPCA week, we at SMU Libraries thought this was a perfect excuse to indulge our love of animals and point you in the direction of Swansea’s RSPCA centre, Llys Nini. The centre takes in unwanted or abandoned cats, dogs and smaller pets such as rabbits and ferrets, looking after them until a new home can be found. The Llys Nini website has details of the work they do and how you can help through donations, volunteering and visits. You could have a look at the RSPCA’s main website too, where you’ll find information about national campaigns and links to educational resources for use in schools.

If you’re looking for a pet to bring some furry companionship into your life, why not consider adopting one from Llys Nini? You can visit in person (details on their website) or have a look to see who catches your eye on their dog blog, cat blog, or small animals blog. Each blog has pictures of the pets in need of a good home, as well as some background details. So it doesn’t get too sad, there are also links to success stories where you can read about pets in their new homes!

Lest we forget, there is also plenty of information about pets available from your SMU library service. A search for pets on our library catalogue will show you just how much we have to offer! We have resources ranging from junior fiction books about animals (I can recommend The world according to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney) to photography books with a pet theme (try Pets by Sue Packer). Come in and take a look!

Step back in time with the National Archives

Are you a history teacher, history student or history buff? If so, you might be interested in the National Archives website, and especially in the Education section. It’s filled to the brim with lessons, topics, podcasts, film clips and resources for video conferences and virtual classroom sessions. There are primary and secondary resources for historical periods from 1066 until the present day and there is lesson material appropriate for key stages 1 to 5. You’re bound to find something useful no matter which age group you’re teaching or what topic you’re covering.

The National Archives website is well worth a look even if you’re not in the business of history education. It’s full of interesting stories and fascinating resources! At the moment, for instance, the Education section is featuring ‘Cats, mice and votes for women’, which uses newspaper reports and other contemporary documents to look at the tactics used by the suffragettes and the police during the suffrage movement.

The National Archives homepage is a gateway to all sorts of information, from family history to newly released documents that shed light on the workings of government and the secret service. Go on, have a look!

Three sleeps to go!

Christmas day is nearly upon us and SMU will soon be shutting down for the festive period. In line with the rest of the university, the libraries will be closed until the 3rd January. That's no reason not to catch up with your studies on Boxing Day, though, as our online resources are available from our website throughout and can be accessed anytime, anywhere, just as long as you have an internet connection and a valid username (the P-number on your ID card) and password.

We wish you all the very best over this vacation period, however you choose to spend your time, and look forward to seeing you all back again in 2012! Good tidings to you all!