Category Archives: Academic Services Team

Need Some Exam Tips? Try Lynda!

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Looking for some exam tips? Why not try Lynda, our brand new online learning platform, which has two video playlists specifically aimed at giving examination advice.

Lynda.com is a learning platform which has over 5000 video tutorials used to develop creative, software, technology and business skills for learning and teaching. Available to all students and staff, Loughborough University has purchased a subscription from Lynda.com to enhance your digital skills and personal development. Normally costing £250 for an individual annual subscription, you can use Lynda.com for free right now.

To access Lynda, sign In at the top right of the page, click Sign in with your organization portal and simply enter ‘lboro.ac.uk’ in the box asking for your organisation URL. This will direct you to the Loughborough University sign-in page where you enter your University credentials.

Spotlight on… resources for your assignment

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Abhi Sharma, Books HD, from www.flickr.com, used under a CC-BY 2.0 licence

Reality hits as your assignment deadlines approach!  Quality information resources are one of the foundations of highly marked assignments, so come along to the stand to discover how to:

  • identify the sorts of resources you will need for your assignment
  • discover which databases can help you find high quality resources quickly in your subject
  • search the databases or sources effectively
  • evaluate which books or articles would be appropriate for an academic assignment

When: Tuesday 7th November, 12-2 and Thursday 9th November, 2-4

Where: Pilkington Library foyer

Find out more via this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=364CfEeMrmk&rel=0

Struggling with the Academic Scholarship Test?

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If you have been struggling to answer the questions in the Academic Scholarship Test or have reached the stage where you have failed to reach the pass mark on 5 occasions and it won’t let you attempt it again, help is at hand.  Not only can you revisit the support that your School has provided within the relevant module, you can also visit the Library’s Learn page on ‘Avoiding Plagiarism’ to:

  • Watch a lecture capture of the Library’s Know How session on ‘Plagiarism and how to avoid it’
  • View the slides from a session on ‘Plagiarism and how to avoid it’
  • Read an advice sheet on ‘Understanding Plagiarism’
  • Visit the complementary section for advice on ‘How to reference’.

Once you feel confident enough to have another go at the test, contact your tutor or module leader (it varies according to your School) to ask if the test can be reopened for you.  Please note that each School will have its own procedure for this.

Spotlight On… Your Library

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The Library is here to support all new and returning students in their learning and research needs. Come along to our stand to find out:

  • What we can provide
  • How to use e-books
  • What types of information resource you might need to use
  • How to find the books, articles and other resources you need
  • Where the resources are in the building or online
  • Who can help you throughout your time at Loughborough

When: Tuesday 17th October, 12-2pm and Thursday 19th October, 2-4pm.

Where: University Library foyer, Loughborough campus.

Why: Find out in this short video (https://youtu.be/BEQx1MmZ_yY)

Get the Know How Sessions, 16th & 17th October

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Next week we will be running two more of our ever-popular Get the Know How study skills sessions here in the Library.

On Monday 16th October we will be presenting advice on Plagiarism and how to avoid it. This workshop explains what plagiarism is, why people plagiarise and offers help on how to avoid plagiarising.

On Tuesday 17th October we will be running the session Referencing and citation explained. Do your referencing and citation skills need improvement? Good quality bibliographies and correct referencing in your assignments can lift your assignment marks. Come and learn how to cite different types of resource for your assignments.

Both sessions are being held in Library Seminar Room 1 between 1-1.50pm. Owing to the popularity of these sessions we recommend that you book your place in advance. To do that, please visit the link below:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/eventsandworkshops/

Can’t Make It to the Library? Drop In On Your Academic Librarian

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It’s a busy time for staff as well as students, and while we try to answer every question at our information desks, sometimes you might need a little more specialist help – and that’s where our ever-helpful team of Academic Librarians come into play!

Our Academic Librarians are available to assist all University staff and students, offering specialist 1-2-1 advice on any information related query including academic skills, referencing, conducting a literature review and getting published. They have all developed expertise in the subject areas of their Schools and are happy to help.

Teaching and departmental commitments mean they’re not always in the office, but don’t worry – most of them run specialist drop-in sessions in their departments across campus, where you can just pop by and ask them any question about any issue or problem with your studies.

We run the sessions on the following days during term-time:

Monday:

12.30 – 1.30 Civil and Building Eng / Civil Foyer [Ginny Franklin]

2.00 – 3.00 PHIR / Herbert Manzoni, Near admin office [Sharon Reid]

 Wednesday:

12.00 – 1.00 Social Sciences / Brockington U305 [Nathan Rush]

Thursday:

10.30 – 11.30 English / Martin Hall break out area [Jen De Lilo]

11.00 – 12.00 Computer Science / Haslegrave, ground floor [Charlotte Greasley]

12.30 – 1.30 AACME / S Building foyer [Ginny Franklin]

12.30 – 1.30 Wolfson & Chemistry / Mezzanine seating area STEMLab [Alison Ashmore]

Or by Academic Librarian name:

  • Alison Ashmore Academic Librarian for Wolfson School & School of Science – Chemistry Drop-in hours: Thursdays 12.30-1.30, Mezzanine seating area, STEMLab
  • Jen De Lillo Academic Librarian for School of English, Arts and Drama – English Drop-in hours: Thursdays 10.30-11.30, Martin Hall break out area
  • Ginny Franklin Academic Librarian for Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering. Drop-in hours: Mondays 12.30-1.30 in the atrium (Sir Frank Gibb) and Academic Librarian for Aero, Auto, Chemical and Materials Engineering. Drop-in hours: Thursdays 12.30-1.30 in the S Building foyer.
  • Charlotte Greasley Academic Librarian for School of Science – Computer Science Drop-in hours: Thursdays 11.00-12.00 in Haslegrave, Ground Floor
  • Sharon Reid Academic Librarian (PHIR) Drop-in hours: Mondays 2.00 – 3.00 in Herbert Manzoni, Near admin office
  • Nathan Rush Academic Librarian (Social Science and Psychology) Drop-in hours: Wednesday, 12.00-1.00, in Brockington U305

Further contact details can be found on our web page:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/learningsupport/academiclibrarians/

Important! Last Chance to Save Your RefWorks References

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Are you a RefWorks user? If so, it is important that you act now in order to ensure that you do not lose any of your work.

From the end of October 2017 the University will no longer be supporting RefWorks; so it is vital that you make provision to migrate any references you have in RefWorks to a new platform.

The University is now recommending Mendeley as our chosen referencing software. If you choose to use Mendeley migrating your references from RefWorks to Mendeley is a simple process, details of which can be found on the Referencing Software pages on Learn:

http://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3539

These pages have further details about Mendeley, with videos and guides, informing you about the functionality of Mendeley and how to get started using it.

The Library is also running an introductory workshop on 9th November, 2-3.30pm.

Go to the Library website to book your place:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/eventsandworkshops/

Alternatively contact your Academic Librarian for further details about workshops and Mendeley:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/staff-researchers/about/librarystaff/

Get the Most Out of Your Library – Get the Know How

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We start a new semester with a new season of our popular Get the Know How sessions aimed giving students a gentle but effective introduction into some of the finer points of studying and learning here in the Library.

Our first session – Getting the most out of your Library – is next week, Thursday 12th October, from 1pm to 1.50pm in Library Seminar Room 1. This session will introduce you to the various Library services and facilities available to help you get the most of your studies at University.

Owing to the popularity of these sessions, we require that people reserve their place online. Please follow the link below in order to book.

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/eventsandworkshops/listing/getting-the-most-out-of-your-library.html

Introducing Mendeley Workshops

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Do you need a tool to help manage your references? If so, Mendeley can help! We’re running two introductory practical workshops this summer which will explain the purpose of referencing software, help you to set up a Mendeley account,  add references to it and organise them into folders. You will also learn how to export references into a document and create a bibliography.

The sessions are available on the following dates:

  • Wednesday 12th July, Seminar Room 2, 2-3.30pm
  • Thursday 24th August, Seminar Room 2, 9.30-11am

To book a place on either session, log in to Learn: http://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=5792

Please note that these workshops are aimed at new or novice users of Mendeley and will not cover advanced features.

Important Information for RefWorks Users

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Do you use RefWorks as your favoured referencing software? If so, it is important that you act now in order to ensure that you do not lose any of your work.

From September 2017 the University will no longer be supporting RefWorks; so It is vital that you make provision to migrate any references you have in RefWorks to a new platform.

The University is now recommending Mendeley as our chosen referencing software. If you choose to use Mendeley migrating your references from RefWorks to Mendeley is a simple process, details of which can be found on the Referencing Software pages on Learn:

http://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3539

These pages have further details about Mendeley, with videos and guides, informing you about the functionality of Mendeley and how to get started using it.

The Library is also running introductory workshops throughout the Summer:

  • 27th June; 9.30-11am
  • 12th July; 2-3.30pm
  • 24th August; 9.30-11am

Go to the Library website to book your place:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/eventsandworkshops/

Alternatively contact your Academic Librarian for further details about the workshops and Mendeley:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/staff-researchers/about/librarystaff/