LibCast, Library & Historic Collections podcast magazine
episode 1
Introduction and welcome from the Acting
Librarian
Exam period
Extended library opening times
Dealing with noise
Past exam papers database
Finding information
Look up an information guide
No books on the shelf? Use ebrary
Listen to a library podcast
Ask an Information Consultant or Advisor
Introduction and welcome from the Acting Librarian
Hello, I’m Wendy Pirie. Welcome to the very first episode of LibCast, the podcast magazine
from Library & Historic Collections at the University of Aberdeen.
Our plan is to publish around seven episodes of LibCast a year to coincide with important
times in the University calendar, such as exam periods, graduation, the start of the new
academic session, and provide short features about specific relevant library services and
resources.
With exams imminent we are concentrating on library support for students in this episode but we haven’t forgotten the researchers! For them we have included a section on finding
information.
We hope that you enjoy this AudioPOD and become a regular listener to LibCast.
Exam Period
Extended library opening times
Thanks to library staff who volunteered to work longer hours, we are pleased to report that the
Queen Mother Library will stay open until 11pm, Sundays through to Wednesdays, for the
exam period.
Dealing with noise
Our libraries are full to bursting over exam time so we ask everyone to respect other library
users and study quietly. Library staff will talk to students who are making too much noise, so
let us know if you are being disturbed. We know stress levels are high for students facing
exams, so please work with us to promote a peaceful study environment.
The good news is that we have relaxed the rules on the use of mobile phones within Queen
Mother Library and you can now stand in the stairwells to make and receive calls. We ask you
to make your conversations as brief and quiet as possible because noise travels from the
stairwells into the study areas where other library users are trying to study. You should not
make or receive calls when on a study floor.
Texting on your phone is permitted on study floors except in the Silent Study areas. These
areas are marked by a red triangle on the reading tables. Please remember to change your
phone settings to silent so that others are not disturbed by noisy key strokes and incoming
text alerts.
You may like to listen to music while you are revising – and that is no problem at all, as long
as you remember that a lot of noise can come from earphones when you play music on your
MP3 player at high volume. Turn down the volume so that you do not disturb other students
around you.
A simple rule for using the library is to ‘treat others as you would like to be treated yourself’.
Past exam papers database (Helen)
There are hundreds of past examination papers on the database and they cover most
subjects. Links to the search page are available from the Library Home Page, and the Student
Resources web page under Library Services. The URL for the database is
www.abdn.ac.uk/library/examdb/.
The best way to search for exam papers is to select the relevant department name and
search for either the course code or course title. The database will list up to a maximum of
100 papers so you may need to further narrow your search to a specific academic year.
Help on searching for past examination papers is at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/examdb/help/.
Finding Information
Ebrary (Claire)
Are you aware of our electronic books collection called ebrary? We have around 30,000 full
text items including books, reports, maps and music materials available from any PC that can
access the web. The subject coverage is extensive and searching really is quick and easy.
We have two guides on using ebrary – one on using the collection on-campus, and the other
giving instructions on setting up your computer for off-campus access.
You can do all kinds cool things like scribble notes on the pages and highlight parts of the
text! And you can store favourite books on your virtual bookshelf!
So, if the libraries are too busy for you or the text book you wanted is out on loan try
accessing ebrary – you may find something that is just right for you.
Listen to library podcasts (Ann)
Have you ever wondered what was in the Queen Mother Library Basement? Would you like
an overview of the library services and facilities available to you while studying here? Are you
worried about using the self-issue and return machines in QML?
Of course if you wanted answers or help with any of these you can speak with library staff but
if you prefer an alternative approach how about using one of the library podcasts to find out
more? We have a series of podcasts (we call them AudioPODS) that you can view on a PC or
download to an mp3 player. You can listen to the audiofiles or, if you have an enhanced
system that allows you to view graphics, you can listen and look at photographs, floor plans
and web links associated with the AudioPOD topic.
You can find out more about our AudioPODS on our library web pages at
www.abdn.ac.uk/library/podcasts
Information Consultants and Advisors
Do you feel a bit lost when faced with finding information for an assignment or when you need
to do some detailed research in a new topic?
The library has a team of Information Consultants and Advisors who can help you develop
your information finding skills, provide tips on how to evaluate the information that you find,
and give guidance on compiling a good bibliography.
The Information Consultants and Advisors are the library subject specialists. They give
lectures and hold workshops as part of your normal undergraduate and postgraduate
programmes and offer extra bookable workshops on using important resources such as
ebrary and Web of Knowledge.
Claire, Elaine, Gilian, Mel and Susan are happy to help you find information – but we can’t
write your essays, dissertations or lab reports! Check the library web pages at
www.abdn.ac.uk/library/ic/index/ to find the best person to speak with for your subject area.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about the resources you should be using
and how to get the best out of them.
Library Information Guides
We know that you may be stressed about your course with too much to think about – how are
you supposed to remember library procedures?
To save you worrying we produce a lot of guidance and support material in both print and
electronic format. We even produce podcasts for some services so that you can listen to the
information and, if you have a new generation player, view pictures as well as listen.
For more information on library guides go to our web pages at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/guides
or pick up paper copies from any of our libraries.
Conclusion
That concludes episode one of LibCast, the podcast magazine from Library & Historic
Collections at the University of Aberdeen. I you would like to know more about library services
and resources please check our web pages at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/
We hope you enjoyed listening today and we look forward to meeting up with you soon in
another of our podcasts.
Goodbye!