Category: Learning

Professional Pathways to Library Services

WordPress User [abc27] Graduation, Information Skills, Learning Leave a comment

As the academic year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the wonderful contributions made by our Professional Pathways students during their work placements with us in the Library.

This year we were delighted to welcome three students who worked across different teams within Library Services and quickly became integral members of staff.

Our Placement Students

Tayyibah Shabbir, Communications, Quality and Marketing team

Tayyibah brought a unique blend of psychological insight, first-hand experience as an Aberystwyth student, and a genuine passion for reading; qualities that made her an invaluable addition to our service. Her love for libraries was also apparent right from the start and we hope her time with us has helped nurture that passion!

Tayyibah quickly became a driving force behind several of our initiatives. She coordinated creative book displays in the Hugh Owen Library to mark key events such as University Mental Health Day and Valentine’s Day, bringing both awareness and a sense of fun to our spaces.

  • University Mental Health Day books display
  • Valentine’s books display on Level F, Hugh Owen Library

Her understanding of the student experience also proved instrumental in the launch of our AU Library News newsletter. Tayyibah helped shape content that resonated with students throughout the academic year, ensuring that our communications remained timely and relevant.

Her analytical skills truly shone in her work on service evaluation and user experience. Tayyibah assisted with data collection through a variety of research techniques, including helping with our What Students Think About Noise in Libraries workshop and conducting observational studies at our Library Floormaps kiosks. The insights she gathered have already helped us identify areas where some students need more support in navigating the library. Thanks to her recommendations, we’re now developing new resources to make finding books and using our services even easier.

Tayyibah’s achievements were recognised at the Professional Pathways celebration event on 11th June, where she was invited to present on her placement experience.

Tayyibah Shabbir receiving her certificate for successfully completing her Professional Pathways placement from Professor Anwen Jones, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) 

Kirill Kulikovskii, Academic Engagement team

Kirill Kulikovskii, a Computer Science student, had his Professional Pathways placement with the Academic Engagement team in the Library. He developed a Python script for use to identify broken links across a range of resource types in Aspire Reading Lists which have now been fixed. He also liaised with IT staff to arrange for the script to be added to the University’s company portal so it can be downloaded and used by staff to check for new broken links occurring in the future.

Kiril’s app in the University’s Company Portal

This was a really successful placement and Kirill was nominated and shortlisted for the Undeb Aber Student Staff Member of the Year Award 2025.

Ewan Price, Digital Skills team

Ewan Price completed his Professional Pathways Placement with the Digital Skills Team. He firstly created a series of DigiTips to help students and staff develop their digital skills, Ewan’s DigiTips ranged from using graphs in Excel to being more effective in Teams through using commands.

You can read all our DigiTips here!

Ewan also helped maintain our Digital Skills Library through checking all the resources to make sure they were still appropriate and applicable to our users – staff and students alike.

Lastly, Ewan’s biggest project was to create a brand-new SharePoint site “Digital Essentials for Staff” to help new staff navigate all things digital they may need to know when they begin working at Aberystwyth University. Ewan successfully harvested resources, mapped a logical layout for the site and worked collaboratively with the other members of the working group to decide on content and design. He also developed his facilitation skills and communication skills by liaising with stakeholders at the university to collect feedback to improve the resource before it will be launched.

Ewan was a great asset to the team over the last few months and made completing these projects possible with his expertise in Computer Science and a new perspective to how we deliver our resources.

Looking Ahead

We are incredibly proud of what our Professional Pathways students have achieved during their time with us. Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to learn, as well as their individual skills and insights brought fresh perspectives and energy to our work. It has been inspiring to watch their confidence grow as they took on new challenges, collaborated with colleagues, and saw the positive impact of their work on library users.

We wish them the best of luck in their future careers!

Unlock the Power of Healthcare Knowledge with Your Library Databases!

WordPress User [sia1] Information Skills, Learning, Research, Teaching, Uncategorised Leave a comment
Pixabay

Navigating the world of healthcare can feel incredibly overwhelming. The feeling of being time-poor while juggling personal commitments, lectures, and clinical placements can be intense. So, when it comes to research for assignments or understanding complex conditions, it can be hard to know where to start.

Rather than time spent on endless online searches that can lead you down rabbit holes of questionable websites and outdated information, your library invests in premium healthcare databases like CINAHL, MEDLINE, British Nursing Database (and many more!) for a reason – they are goldmines of credible, peer-reviewed research specifically for healthcare.

Our Database Search page is fully integrated within our main library search tool and can be found at the top of Primo, so no need to remember any separate URLs.

The Database Search is divided up into different subjects so you can browse resources applicable to your course. Alternatively, you can search by key terms and draw results from the whole of the collection.

Befriend these databases for:

  • Reliable, up-to-date evidence: These databases curate information from reputable journals.
  • Targeted Information: Use specific keywords and filters to pinpoint articles directly related to your topic, whether it’s wound care, mental health nursing, or diabetes management.
  • Evidence-Based Practice at Your Fingertips: These databases help provide the foundation for understanding the “why” behind the practice, helping deliver the best possible services based on solid research.
  • Academic Success: Using credible sources from these databases will strengthen your arguments, demonstrate critical thinking, and ultimately lead to better grades.
  • Expanded knowledge: Broaden your understanding of healthcare topics for career preparedness.

Don’t know where to start?  

  1. Sign in to Primo – your library catalogue.
  2. Search in the ‘Database Search’ for your database – follow any off-campus notes if needed.
  3. For further information and support, see your LibGuide or contact your librarian.

Happy researching!

Fiction in Translation

WordPress User [abc27] Learning Leave a comment

Literature in translation is a great way to get a glimpse of other cultures. Translated works are generally shelved with works in the original language, so if you are looking to broaden your reading horizons, don’t be afraid of exploring sections of languages you don’t speak (yet!).

If you have moved to Aberystwyth for study or work and don’t have knowledge of the Welsh language, translations found in in the Celtic Collection can be a good way into the literary culture of Wales. Classics of Welsh literature (Kate Roberts, Islwyn Ffowc Elis, Saunders Lewis, the Mabinogion) have been translated widely (including editions in French, German, Italian, in addition to English).

Contemporary Welsh language novels also find an international audience. Recently, Manon Steffan Ros’s novel, Llyfr Glas Nebo has already been translated into Polish, Catalan, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Turkish and Korean with translations into a dozen more languages in preparation. You can find the author’s own English translation of Llyfr Glas Nebo (The Blue Book of Nebo) shelved with the original in the Celtic Collection.

The Celtic Collection is inherently international in nature, featuring materials about and in the languages of Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Cornwall and Mann. A particularly intriguing aspect of the collection is translations of works in other languages into Welsh. In the collection you can find works by Albert Camus (Y Dieithryn = L’Étranger), Jean-Paul Sartre (Caeëdig ddôr = Huis clos) Franz Kafka (Metamorffosis) among many others. Also, in Hugh Owen Library, Asterix the Gaul speaks Welsh and Irish and Tintin speaks Breton.

A university library is always a mirror of what is taught and researched at that institution. In addition to the eight languages that are taught between the departments of Modern Languages and Welsh & Celtic Studies, you will also find translations of literature from many other languages currently or previously researched at the university.

Here’s a selection of our favourites:

Pop in to the Hugh Owen Library to see our literature in translation display on Level F this month.

Visit Primo, the library catalogue, to search our library collections

AI and the Library. Week Seven: The Ethics of Using Generative AI (Part Two)

WordPress User [sif4] Help & advice, Information Skills, Learning, Research Leave a comment

Be transparent about your AI Usage

Before we get properly underway, let me just reiterate that you must always follow any university and departmental guidance on using AI tools in assessed work.

In our last post on the ethics of using generative AI, we started looking at the importance of understanding the responsibilities that come with using these tools. The key message in that post was the need to familiarise yourself with Aberystwyth University’s guidelines on AI usage.

This week, we’re covering another important topic: being transparent about your use of AI tools in assessed work.

As generative AI becomes more widely available, universities are emphasising the importance of academic integrity and clear disclosure when using these technologies.

Using AI can be a valuable aid in research, brainstorming, and drafting, but it’s essential to be upfront about how and where you’ve used it.

Being open about your use of AI tools is vital for maintaining academic integrity. Transparency shows your commitment to honesty and ethical study practices.

Key Takeaway: Why Transparency Matters:

  • It demonstrates your academic honesty.
  • It reflects your commitment to ethical study practices.
  • It highlights your critical thinking skills.
  • It reinforces your professional accountability.

How to Acknowledge AI Usage:

Academic departments and module coordinators will be best placed to advise you on how you should acknowledge AI outputs. These might include:

  • AI tool-use statements.
  • Advice on correct referencing and citation practices for AI outputs.

You can find additional help and support on using AI here: Artificial Intelligence  : Information Services , Aberystwyth University