CAB eBooks Trial

Those of you with a subject interest in:

• Agriculture
• Animal and Veterinary Sciences
• Environmental Sciences
• Human, Food and Nutrition Sciences
• Leisure and Tourism
• Plant Sciences

may want to take part in our trial of CAB eBooks which runs until 31st of May 2008.

To access CAB eBooks please click here  http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/.  Access is via IP address.  If you’d like to try CAB eBooks off campus you will need to log in using the VPN (Virtual Private Network), your Athens login will not work.

Please let me know if this package would be useful to you and feel free to pass on any comments on format, accessibility etc.

Life-changing books: recommendations from 17 leading scientists

A great book has the power to move, inspire or even change lives. New Scientist has compiled a list of the books that have left a lasting impression on some of the world’s top scientists, including Oliver Sacks, Michio Kaku, Jane Goodall, and more. Choices include The Naked Ape, Alice in Wonderland and Catch 22. Have a read through the list and see if you agree.

Spiral Digital Respository

Spiral, Imperial’s new Digital Repository, was officially launched last month. Spiral is designed to provide a central point for collecting published research output throughout the College. Its main purpose is to increase visibility and access to Imperial College London research.

The interface to Spiral is fully integrated with the Staff Publications (Sympletic Publications) system. To upload your papers log in to the Publications system and click the blue  button adjacent to the relevant publication details.

Before uploading your papers, please make sure that you have checked the publisher’s copyright policy or the copyright transfer agreement.
You can contact the Spiral team,  spiral@imperial.ac.uk, with any questions.

Easter vacation book loans

If you’re wanting to borrow books over Easter, then you might like to check out the loan arrangements for the vacation on the Library website.

24 hour opening in the Central Library begins on Monday

From Monday 3rd March, the Library will be open 24 hours a day. There are a few exceptions: the Library will close overnight on Fridays, from 23.00-09.30, and the Library will close over Easter, from 17.30 on Thursday 20 March and reopen at 09.30 on Monday 24 March.

Full details of opening hours and which services are available when are here.

Central Library closed 15-16 December

There will be disruption to library computer systems during the weekend of 15 and 16 December. This will affect some of our sevices including the library catalogue and MetaLib.

The Central Library will also be closed for the whole weekend due to a total power / lighting shut down. 

Studying over the vacation

As the end of term is fast approaching its a good time to post a reminder of how you can access library resources over the vacation. Firstly, the Central Library is open until Friday 21 December from 09:30 to 17:30 so you can still come to borrow books, use the computers and find a quiet corner to study.

If you want to keep your library books over the vacation please make sure you renew them before you leave College. This will stop you from getting any unexpected fines on your return in January.

Libraries close from Saturday 22 December and re-open on Wednesday 2 January 2008.

All our online resources are still available to you even when the library is closed. The new library website provides the best access to these from the Digital Library page.

Most problems with passwords and access to online resources can be avoided by setting up the Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your home PC or laptop. The ICT website has all the instructions you need to do this, or check the library Password and Access page.

If you’re away from London over the holiday and would like to use other university libraries please see our Using other Libraries page. During the vacations, when it’s a quieter time, many university libraries will allow you access to study and use print resources (most will not allow you access to online resources). I’d advise you to call the library you want to visit in advance, just in case!

Finally, please have an enjoyable and relaxing vacation.
Happy holidays!

Reminder – Olivia Quizzes

The end of term is fast approaching – don’t forget to complete the quizzes on Olivia – our Online Virtual Information Assistant on WebCT http://webct.imperial.ac.uk by midnight on the 14th December.  After this date the quizzes will shut down and you will no longer be able to access them.  Don’t worry – they do not go towards your course mark - but they are there so that I can ensure that you understood everything I taught you during your Information Literacy training at the beginning of term.

Incase you have forgotten how to access the quizzes -

• Log into WebCT (link shown above)

• Click on Olivia: Biochemistry (2007-2008)

• On the left hand side of Olivia you will see a Course Tools menu

• Click on Assessments

• Click on the quizzes to activate them

There are 3 quizzes to be taken -

• Referencing quiz

• Plagiarism

• unit 1 information quiz

Make sure you read and understand the relevant Olivia units before taking the quizzes.

Remember: Once the quiz is activated it will only be open for an hour so make sure you complete the quiz in time.

Need help using library resources? Come to our free training courses

The library’s Learning & Research Support Programme is running a series of training courses starting next week on the following topics:

Business and related subjects using EBSCO Business Source Complete

Ebsco provides access to a wealth of business information including company and country reports and full-text journal articles. This session is for business and non-business students who need to find business information for their projects.

All subjects using CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts)

CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) covers major areas of research, including environmental sciences, materials science, biological sciences, engineering and computer science.

All subjects using Web of Science

This multidisciplinary database covers a wide range of subjects including science, engineering, humanities, medicine and social sciences. It also includes cited references for all articles.

Medicine and related subjects using PubMed

This is the most comprehensive source for biomedical articles. This session is for students who need to find information in medicine and related subjects.

Engineering using Compendex

This is the most comprehensive database for engineering information and is a key resource for all engineering students.

Intelligent use of the Internet – learn which sources on the Internet to trust

We all use the internet but we don’t always know how reliable it is. This session will show you how to decide whether the information you find on the internet is valuable research or just plain rubbish!

Cross-search multiple databases using Metalib, the library’s portal

This information portal provides access to databases and electronic journals subscribed to by the Library. Many of the resources can be cross-searched, where a single search is carried out on more than one database.

RefWorks – learn how to store your references and create a reference list

Reading & Note Taking – learn techniques for improving your reading and note taking skills

Drop-in sessions: Hammersmith Campus Library – More information coming soon.

Timetable
Web of Science
Monday 29 October – 12:00 – 13:00
Friday 16 November – 13:00 – 14:00

CSA
Thursday 1 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Tuesday 20 November – 13:00 – 14:00

Reading & Note Taking
Friday 2 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Friday 7 December – 13:00 – 14:00

Intelligent use of the Internet
Monday 5 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Friday 23 November – 13:00 – 14:00

Compendex
Tuesday 6 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Thursday 29 November – 13:00 – 14:00

Metalib
Friday 9 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Monday 26 November – 13:00 – 14:00

RefWorks
Monday 12 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Tuesday 4 December – 13:00 – 14:00

EBSCO Business Source Complete
Tuesday 13 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Friday 30 November – 13:00 – 14:00

PubMed
Thursday 15 November – 12:00 – 13:00
Monday 3 December – 13:00 – 14:00

All sessions are in the training room on Level 5 of the Central Library.

To book please complete the booking form to register for any of these sessions.

Olivia quizzes

Well, thats the Information Literacy teaching over for this year!  It was very nice to see you all.  Don’t forget – everything I have shown you (and more)  is all on Olivia – our Online Virtual Information Assistant via WebCT http://webct.imperial.ac.uk

But I am also here to help you – so if you need help finding a book, searching a database or creating your reference list just get in contact – j.garthwaite@imperial.ac.uk ext 49307

Also, remember to do your Olivia quizzes by the end of 14th December 2007.