Explore Cities around the world with Passport

A group of skyscrapersWe have added trial access of the Cities module to Passport until 19 December.

Passport Cities allows you to analyse market information at city level, through a selection of cities from across the globe. The database covers 850 cities and features in-depth city reviews, regularly updated reports and breaking news analysis. Reports cover the economic make-up, demographic trends, level and distribution of household income, consumer spending preferences, cities infrastructure and affordability at the city level.

Access is available on-campus and off-campus. To find the module, please go to the Economies section of Passport and select Cities.

Help us to decide

Please send your comments on this resource to Gordon Connell, Liaison Librarian for Economics – g.connell@reading.ac.uk

Sophie Dorman, E-resources Team

Finding the most useful resources in your subject – info tip

If you’ve ever felt a little overwhelmed by the range of resources that the library has on offer then you might like to take a look at your very own subject guide! Every subject has a liaison librarian, and they have put together a guide for each subject with lots of helpful information and advice.

subject resources link on library webpageWhere do I find my subject guide?

To access the guide for your subject just click on the “Explore your subject guide” button in the Subject Resources section of the Library homepage.

What will I find there?Fine art subject guide

Each guide is set up in a similar way. It will show you how to find books, reference materials, journal articles, electronic resources and other helpful websites that relate specifically to your subject.
You can find out the latest new books that have been bought, which databases will be the most helpful in your research, and also who your liaison librarian is and how to contact them, so you know who to come to for more help! There’s also our useful guide on citing references in your work.

How do I find the type of information I need?subject guide tabs

The subject guides are divided into several sections, each with its own tab at the top of the page.
The Dictionaries and Encyclopedias tab gives links to online dictionaries and encyclopedias as well as highlighting key print titles that are in the reference section in the Library. There are links to general resources such as Credo Reference or Oxford Reference and more specific resources for your subject. It is far more reliable to use these sources than to use Wikipedia for your work.

The Books tab gives you tips on finding books using Enterprise and lists Call Numbers for particular topics within your subject area as well as telling you about new books that have been purchased for your subject.

The Journal articles tab gives you tips on finding journal articles on Summon and gives links to the key databases in your subject.

The E-resources tab will point you toward the key databases, but also suggests other useful resources, such as image databases or company financial databases that may be relevant to your subject.

The Websites tab gives you a list of websites that have been checked by subject specialists and could be useful for your work. There are also hints about how to evaluate a website, so if you run an internet search you can be more confident you are using reliable information.

The Citing references tab points you in the right direction for getting help with referencing and avoiding plagiarism. It also links to our information on using EndNote, bibliographic software which can take the hassle out of referencing.

Your librariansContact us!

We want to help you find the information you need. Please contact your subject liaison librarian if you are stuck.
The subject guide has links to their email address and office hours. You can also check out the Help tab for more advice.

This is one of a series of tips to help save you time and effort finding or using information

This tip was written by Karen Drury and Ruth Ng, Liaison Librarians.

Get your facts straight with Statista

We currently have trial access to the Statista until 14 December.

A computer screen showing line graphs and tables

Statista is the largest data aggregator for statistics. It contains over 1 million statistics from over 18,0000 sources (including both national and international data). There are over 60,000 topics in 20 multidisciplinary categories ranging from agriculture to marketing and consumer and demographic data. It also includes industry reports.

Access is available on-campus and off-campus. To gain off-campus access, please select ‘login’, then ‘campus access’ and select University of Reading from the drop-down menu.

Help us to decide

Please send your comments on this resource to Tim Chapman, Liaison Librarian for Agriculture, Policy and Development (t.j.chapman@reading.ac.uk) or Gordon Connell, Liaison Librarian for Economics and the ICMA Centre (g.connell@reading.ac.uk).

Sophie Dorman, E-resources Team

Weekend study space / Library refurb progress

Weekend Library study space

Students studying in the URS BuildingStarting this Friday (17 November), students will be able to make use of additional study space in the URS building over the weekends. Rooms 2s14, 2s21, 2s25, 2s26 and 2s27 will be open for use from 18:00 on Fridays until 08:00 on Mondays, during term time. These rooms had to be closed when the Large Lecture Theatre in URS was reopened in September. They will still be closed on term-time weekdays but will be open for use over the weekends and also during vacations and summer terms when the lecture theatre is closed.

The Library also has arrangements in place to open up space in the Chancellor’s Building on Saturdays and Sundays between 10:00 and 18:00 if the Library@URS reaches capacity. Users are requested to talk to Library staff at the URS Ground Floor Information Desk if they are having difficulty in finding a space.

Library refurbishment progress

Work has begun on the installation of the cladding towards the front of the University Library. Over the next weeks, the contractors will be installing cladding brackets and rails on the exterior walls, which will involve heavy drilling. Occupants of Edith Morley, Whiteknights House and URS buildings may experience a higher than usual noise level, but are advised that the noisiest drilling work will finish by 10:00 every day.

Meanwhile, work continues inside the Library with the focus on the internal and service works on the Basement, Ground and 1st Floors; surveying and ductwork on the 4th Floor; works to the roof and 5th and 6th Floor plant room; and, weather proofing of the north, east and south sides.

The path diversion in place outside the Library will continue and we will keep you updated on the progress.

Stay up-to-date 

Keep checking the Library blog for the latest refurbishment news and updates. For more information on the Library refurbishment, please see our dedicated project page: www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator
and University Communications

More Library study space at weekends

Students studying in the URS Building

Weekend group study rooms include sofas and easy chairs.

We’re providing more Library group study space for students at weekends within the URS building, plus an option to open more space in Chancellor’s building on request!

Weekend/vacation/summer URS group study rooms

Due to fire safety limits on URS building occupancy, certain group study rooms had to be closed when the University brought the Large Lecture Theatre back into use in September 2017. However, from Friday 17 November 2017 we have arranged for weekend reopening of those study rooms whilst the theatre is unused. Rooms 2s14, 2s21, 2s25, 2s26 and 2s27 will open at 18:00 on term-time Fridays and close at 08:00 on Monday mornings.

These rooms will also open during vacations and summer terms, ensuring the maximum study space capacity can be used at exam revision time.

Ask for extra weekend space in Chancellor’s building

Even with the full complement of study space restored to around 800, we appreciate that the URS building may still become very busy at weekends. Although RUSU’s The Study and The Study @ TOB2 also open weekends, other additional campus study space available weekdays may not.

Therefore, we have arranged that if URS study space reaches capacity on a Saturday or Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00, the senior library supervisor will be able to request the Chancellor’s building be opened as well. So please ask at the URS Information Desk if you think you need more space.

More information 

Details of URS and Library building weekend opening hours are available online.

All the latest Library refurbishment news is available on the Library blog. For more information on Library refurbishment, please see our dedicated Library Refurbishment Project page.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator

Referencing headaches? Online tools can help – info tip

Do you struggle with referencing? Have you been Laptop, book and glassesmarked down for incomplete or inconsistent references? There are some online tools that can help!

Why use online referencing tools?

  1. You can use them to store accurate details of publications to use in your assignments.
  2. They can save you time compiling, checking and correcting references – just insert the citation and a bibliography is created automatically. You can also reformat your citations in a different style at the click of a button.
  3. You can add notes to your references, to remind yourself of specific parts you might want to use.
  4. Some allow you to store PDFs of the sources with your references, so that everything is together and in most cases available on any computer.

If you use an online tool you still need to know when to include a citation, and understand the principles of referencing. You can find help on this in Study Advice’s referencing guide or referencing video tutorials. You also need to be aware of which style your department requires you to use – consult your course handbook for details.

Which one should I use?

If you are an undergraduate or masters student…

… we recommend using EndNote Web. This online resource can be used on any computer (including your own PC or laptop) and is free to use.

You can get accurate reference details into it by: using the Online Search facility with the Library catalogue; the export option from Web of Science or EBSCO resources; or by importing records from Summon and other databases.

Once the EndNote toolbar is installed in Word, you can insert citations from EndNote Web into your assignments and it will automatically build the bibliography at the end. Select from a list of common referencing styles (including the University’s own ‘Harvard for Reading’ style) to format your bibliography.

EndNote Web is fully supported by the Library, so if you need 1-1 help, there will be someone here who can help.

To get started, come along to a workshop, try our step-by-step guide to using EndNote Web, or watch an introductory video.

If you are a research postgraduate or member of staff…

… we recommend using Desktop EndNote. This can be installed free of charge on any University-owned computer, and is already available on most campus PCs. A personal copy can be purchased at the discounted price of around £98.

References can be easily captured from many databases, and you can use the ‘Find full-text’ feature to automatically attach article PDFs to those references. A very large number of referencing styles are provided, including those for specific journals. You can download other ones from the EndNote website, or create your own by editing existing styles. It is also possible to share your EndNote library by synchronising with an EndNote Web account – useful for collaboration.

Find out more by coming along to a workshop, trying our step-by-step guides, or watching a brief introductory video.

Other options

There are a number of other referencing tools available, including Mendeley, Zotero and Word’s own referencing facility. Although we do not provide support for these, we have provided links to online guidance and videos via our Managing references guide.

Help

If you need help with using EndNote, or with any aspect of citing references, contact your subject liaison librarian who will be happy to help.

This is one of a series of tips to help you save time and effort finding or using information.

This tip was written by Jackie Skinner, Library Web Manager & Liaison Librarian.

Feedback and Experience Scheme: 14, 15, 16 November

Fancy a free trip home? Come to the the 2nd Floor of the URS Building on Tuesday 14 or Wednesday 15 November 11:00-13:00 or Thursday 16 November 14:00-16:00 to chat with students representing Global Recruitment and find out how you can share your story at your former school or college and hTypography students on a laptopave your expenses paid.

Global Recruitment say: “Share your story through the Feedback & Experience scheme. The Global Recruitment (UK) office are running an activity this year for current undergraduate students from the UK to return to their former school/college to share their experiences of living and studying at the University of Reading with other students. You get to pick the day and time you go back, and we’ll pay your travel expenses!*

The school visit should take place ideally at some point before July 2018 with the opportunity for the school to arrange a campus visit or join us on one of our Open Days.

Information and guidance for the scheme will be provided. This is a fantastic opportunity to help others by providing information and guidance to your younger peers who face the same questions you had about University. It will also enhance your CV, through the development of presentation and work experience, and it also counts towards the RED Award – an employability skills certificate awarded alongside your degree.”

*Reasonable travel expenses will be paid in line with the University of Reading policy.

To express an interest in taking part complete the sign up form or if you have further questions, contact Reena via email (reena.kaur@reading.ac.uk).

Katie Moore
for Reena Kaur, Assistant Student Recruitment and Access Officer

Book it, Borrow it! Introducing Course Collection.

What is Course Collection?SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Course Collection consists of high demand and essential reading list materials suggested by your lecturers and is located on the ground floor of the URS Building.

Most items are available to borrow but a few items can only be used within the section.

So how does it work?

  • Borrow 2 items at a time
  • 6-hour loans
  • Overnight loan on items borrowed after 16:00
  • Weekend loans on items borrowed after 16:00 Friday

Book the book!

Did you know you can book Course Collections items for use on a specific day? Book up to two items on our Library catalogue up to seven days in advance. Just click the “Book a Course Collection Copy” link.

bookingsChoose to pick up your book between the following times:

  • Daytime: 10:00 – 11:00
  • Overnight: 16:00 – 17:00

Items booked for collection between 16:00 – 17:00 on Friday will be due back the following Monday at 10:00.

Remember to always check your receipt for the return time!

Fines for overdue Course Collection items are 80p per hour or part of an hour.

Holly Thomas, Library User Services

 

 

Refurbishment: Covered walkway over Library entrance

Scaffolding bridges grey hoarding infront of building

Work on a covered walkway up to the entrance should take place before the Library opens at 09:00.

From the week beginning 6 November, contractors aim to work early in the morning to build a covered walkway up to the Library building door. They will cease before the Library opens at 09:00, so access to all your books will not be compromised.

This work completes precautions to safely separate us from refurbishment works soon progressing to the front of the building. Hoarding has already moved forward, with paths moved to where bike shelters used to be. Alternative bike racks are by the URS building, in Palmer quad and outside Whiteknights House.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator

 

Library recall notices – check your clutter!

If you’re using Office 365 to access your University email account remember to check your clutter folder regularly. Some Library communications such as urgent recall notices maybe sorted into your clutter folder, so please be vigilant.

To ensure these emails are automatically sorted into your Inbox in future, either right click on the message and choose ‘Mark as not clutter’, or just drag it to the Inbox. These recall notices are important reminders that you need to return checked out items sooner than the original due date, otherwise fines of 80p per item per day will be incurred on your account. Find out more about borrowing from the Library here.

Holly Thomas, Library User Services

 

 

Help stop Library@URS desk hogging!

Library's 'Looking for study space?' card in red and greyPlease help us share study space in the URS building fairly. It is fine to pop over to the Library building for a book and return to your desk within a short time. However, we think it unfair for students to reserve desks with their belongings for long periods when other students want to use that space.

If you find unattended study places apparently ‘booked’ with clothes, stationery and the like, please ask Library staff for support at either the URS Reception desk by the main entrance or the URS Information Desk next to the Course Collection on the ground floor. We will give you a timed warning card you can place on the abandoned stuff. Put the belongings to one side and sit down. If the owner returns within the hour, they are entitled to the space back. If not, you can sit there. Also ask staff to help explain, should anyone returning after an hour complain.

Where unattended stuff hasn’t been moved overnight, staff will remove it to URS Reception. If it is not claimed by the next morning, it will be taken to Palmer Reception, the centre for all lost property in the University.

Rachel Redrup, Marketing Co-ordinator for
Sue Egleton, Head of Systems and User Services.

OECD books and papers – try it now!

Open laptop with notepadWe currently have trial access to OECD books and papers, until 30 November. Access is open from on- and off-campus for books and papers.

This OECD database gives access to the publications of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Energy Agency (IEA), OECD Development Centre, International Transport Forum (ITF), Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) and the Sahel and West Africa Club. This includes access to all book and paper content from 1998 onwards. Books include monographs, series publications, conference proceedings, policy reviews, guidelines and manuals, reference books, statistical annuals and other items published in book form. Papers include journals, other periodicals, annuals and outlooks and working papers.

Help us to decide

Please send your comments on this resource to business liaison librarians Karen and Ruth – karenandruth@reading.ac.uk

Lucy Ardill, E-resources Team
http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/librarynews/
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