Library STEM Subject Guides

Finding the right sources of information for any subject can be tricky, given the vast amount of resources there are available to you via our vast range on online resources. This is especially true of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (or STEM) disciplines. With that in mind, our Academic Librarians have created a set of online guides tailored to these subject areas.

You can find the complete A-Z list of all the guides by following this link:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/subjectguides/

Each link gives you a concise run-down of everything you need to know about finding information for your subject, including the contact details for the Academic Librarian responsible for the School/Department concerned.

Be sure to visit and bookmark the links for future reference – you’ll certainly find them useful!

CiteULike Reference Software News

Important information for people using the CiteULike reference software – their website is closing! If you are a user of the site, you have until 30th March 2019 to download your saved citations.  After that date CiteULike will no longer be accessible.

Loughborough University has an Institutional subscription to Mendeley, which is our recommended reference management software. Check out the videos on Learn (https://learn.lboro.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3539) to discover how Mendeley can help you in your studies.

Dawsonera Ebook Platform Downtime, Saturday 9th February

In order to complete some planned system maintenance, Dawson Books have advised us that their Dawsonera Ebook platform will be unavailable for a brief time this Saturday (9th February) between 8pm to 11pm.

Dawson Books apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any queries about any of these planned sessions, please contact Dawson Books by email at help@dawsonenter.com

Get the Know How for Semester 2

All set for Semester 2? If your answer is the wrong side of “maybe”, let us help you give your academic skills a timely boost through one of our range of ever-popular Get the Know How sessions at the Library.

Ranging from handy tips on essay & report writing to developing your critical thinking and introductions to referencing & bibliographic software, there’s something for every academic occasion that will stand you in good stead for the duration of your course.

Each session runs for between 50 – 90 minutes, depending on the subject matter, and they’re hosted in Library Seminar Room 1. However, as these courses have always proved extremely popular in the past, we are asking that people register for them first via Learn Module LBA001. To do that – and to look at exactly what courses are on offer and when – visit this link:

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

British Standards Online New Feature – Tracked Changes

British Standards Online has launched a new tracked changes feature to some of its key standards.

You’ll now find it easy to identify what’s changed between different versions of standards at a glance, using a clear colour-coded system: green equals an addition, red equals a removal.

To find out more, visit the BSOL website here – https://bit.ly/2DJjCDK

Printer Credits – Not Just to Go, But On the Go

Need to buy some printer credits for your coursework in a hurry? Of course you can buy them from us at our Level 3 Enquiry Desk, but what if it’s after midnight and the desk is closed?

You can still buy printer credits on the go and at any time of the day or night via IT Services ePayments SafeCom system online, using a debit or credit card (minimum £5), which are instantly allocated to your user account. If you are off campus you will need to use the VPN service before you can use the ePayments systems (and if you haven’t already downloaded the VPN, we recommend you so, because you can also use it for all sorts of off-campus access).

For further details visit the IT Services website here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/it/student/printing/print-credits/

Need Some Exam Tips? Ask Lynda!

Looking for some more exam tips? Why not try Lynda, our online learning platform, which has two video playlists specifically aimed at giving examination advice, as well a plethora of academic and learning advice and support.

Take a peek these:

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.

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.

Database Trials – Women & Social Movements and Revolution & Protest

We’re trialling two resources from the Alexander Street stable of databases for the next couple of months that should interest social science and politics students.

Women and Social Movements, International (1840-present) is a landmark collection of primary materials on the subject. Through the writings of women activists, their personal letters and diaries, and the proceedings of conferences at which pivotal decisions were made, this collection lets you see how women’s social movements shaped much of the events and attitudes that have defined modern life.

Secondly, we have Revolution and Protest Online, which explores the protest movements, revolutions, and civil wars that have transformed societies and human experience from the 18th century through the present. Organized around more than thirty events and areas, representing a variety of time periods, regions, and topics, this collection will include at completion 175 hours of video, 100,000 pages of printed materials (personal papers, organizations, government documents, journals, reports, monographs, and speeches), and more than 1,000 images.

To begin searching WASI, go to http://search.alexanderstreet.com/wasi , and to sample RPO visit https://search.alexanderstreet.com/revo – access to both databases is via IP address and the trials run until 6th March.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn ( s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk) with your comments.

Exam Support Resources On Campus

Worrying about your exams? Don’t panic – there are a wide range of resources available on campus to help you through the stresses and strains of the exam period, ranging from a wide variety of study spaces (that’s right, not just us!), IT help and personal and medical advice if things are getting on top of you. Visit the University’s one-stop exam support page here – https://www.lboro.ac.uk/students/exam-support/ – for more info.