Libraries Week 2022 – Students

The theme of this year’s Libraries Week is the central role that libraries play in supporting life-long learning.

Today, we are focusing on the ways the library offers a range of learning opportunities for Aberystwyth University students, beyond their courses and outside of the teaching rooms.

Library tours If you’re new to Aberystwyth University, firstly, welcome! Secondly, come on a library tour! Our friendly staff are here to show you around and introduce you to your library. There’s no need to book in advance and everyone is welcome – times and other information here.

You’ll see our virtual tour of the Hugh Owen Library below and here’s our handy A to Z of Library services to get you up to speed.

Software and IT services Take a look at our webpages for some of the IT Services and resources available. If you need help or advice, you can contact the Service Desk team online or by phone.

Fiction and reading for pleasure There’s no shortage of books in our libraries and if you’re looking for something to read – that’s not a course textbook – we can help! Browse Primo the library catalogue online to find books and ebooks, take a look at our Contemporary Fiction collection by the Enquiries Desk on Level F, browse the shelves from classmark PN or in the Celtic Collection. We also have graphic novels and lots of non-fiction and poetry.

Visit Primo, the library catalogue to have a look.

Contemporary fiction collection in the Hugh Owen Library

Linkedin Learning All AU students have free, unlimited access to thousands of expert-led online courses from Linkedin Learning. Here’s a small selection of courses that might spark some new hobbies or interests and help you develop new skills put together by Laurie Stevenson, Student Digital Champion:

Extra-curricular activities for students collection This is a collection of courses containing a variety of skills and creative activities you might be interested in learning alongside your studies, as a break from assignments or to fill a moment of boredom!

 Laurie Stevenson

Learn Welsh Fancy learning or improving your Welsh whilst you’re at Aber? Look no further than the Celtic Collection! The collection contains hundreds of books to help you learn and develop your Welsh language skills, from complete language courses and grammar books to fiction with helpful vocabulary.

Find it on Level F:

Welsh-language learning resources in the Celtic Collection

Library Guides Familiarise yourself with the library’s range of LibGuides. Not only will you find your specialist subject guide to help you find resources for your subject, but also a range of guides to help you make the most of the library, develop your information literacy skills and enhance your employability.

These guides have been compiled by your Subject Librarians who are here to help you with academic and specialist resources for your studies. They can help you to find and evaluate the information that you need and help you to reference it correctly. Find the contact details for your subject on the Subject Librarians page

Borrow DVDs You can borrow DVDs for free from our large DVD collection on Level F. Take a look through what we have on Primo, the library catalogue

DVD collection

Read Well – Wellbeing collection The library’s Wellbeing Collection is here to help you understand and manage many common mental health conditions or difficult feelings and experiences. You can have a look at the list of titles included in the collection on the Read Well reading list which is organised by topic areas to help you find what you need.

Watch this short video to learn more:

Libraries Week 2022 – Staff

The theme of this year’s Libraries Week is the central role that libraries play in supporting life-long learning.

Today our focus is on all Aberystwyth University staff as we showcase some of the library’s resources that can help staff to unlock and fulfil their potential at every stage of their lives and careers.

Gale OneFile News Online access to news coverage, including professional trade press, Gale OneFile News lets you browse and search 2,300 major newspapers, including thousands of images, radio and tv broadcasts and transcripts.

Digimap Digimap offers full and comprehensive Ordnance Survey map data and historic maps as well as geological data. It is a fascinating resource and very useful for local history researchers as well as Earth Sciences. You just need to have an Aberystwyth University email account to register to access it.

Image of a map of Aberystwyth in 1880 from Digimap
Image of a map of Aberystwyth in 1880 from Digimap

Box of Broadcasts Are you carrying out some research? Take a look at Box of Broadcasts (BoB) – an on demand TV and radio service for academic use by staff and students, allowing access to two million broadcasts from over 65 free to air channels. BoB also now includes the BBC’s archive of historic radio and television programmes.    

The Workstation The Workstation is a 24-hour work and study space for both staff and students in Aberystwyth town centre. The Workstation has PCs, facilities for printing, WiFi and a bookable meeting room. You can find The Workstation next to the Wetherspoons by Aberystwyth Train Station and you will need your staff ID card to get in.

Careers Services for all AU staff  Did you know that Aberystwyth University staff can also make use of the University’s expert careers services? Take a look at our Employability LibGuide to get started.

Reading for pleasure The library has large collections of fiction, non fiction and poetry in both English and Welsh for your reading pleasure. Take a look at our Contemporary Fiction collection near the Enquiries Desk on Level F or browse the shelves from classmark PN (or the library catalogue, Primo) and the Celtic Collection.

English literature books on Level F of the Hugh Owen Library

Learn or Improve your Welsh The Celtic Collection contains hundreds of books to help you learn and develop your Welsh language skills, from complete language courses and grammar books to fiction with helpful vocabulary.

Effective Study Collection You may also find some of the titles in our Effective Study collection useful to help you develop your study or professional skills, such as how to make an effective presentation or tips on managing your research.

Linkedin Learning All AU students and staff have free and unlimited access to the wealth of expert-led courses available online through Linkedin Learning.

Here’s a small selection of courses that might be of interest to AU staff produced by Jeffrey Clark, Student Digital Champion:

Personal and Professional Development collection – This collection contains a series of courses designed to aid staff members with developing their professional and personal skills.

Jeffrey Clark

We wish you an enjoyable Christmas break!

We are so lucky here in Aberystwyth with lovely rolling hills and great walks. It seemed fitting for our last team meeting of the year to escape the screens and get together outside before the Christmas break with a team walk and coffee catch up at Nant yr Arian.

This term has been busy and has passed really quickly! It’s been a great mix with online as well as face to face teaching sessions and providing support. We’ve loved being back on the Hugh Owen Level F enquiry desk, helping with many varied questions and queries.

We are here until the Thursday 23rd December, if you need any help contact us at librarians@aber.ac.uk After the break we’ll be back on the Tuesday 4th January.

There will be some computer rooms and study spaces available over the Christmas break, more details can be found here: News Item : Information Services , Aberystwyth University.

We would like to wish everyone a lovely break and look forward to helping and supporting you in 2022!

(From left to right; Joy Cadwallader, Abi Crook, Sioned Llywelyn, Lloyd Roderick, Anita Saycell, Sarah Gwenlan)

New Dissertation and News and Media LibGuides

Our Subject Librarians have published not one but two new LibGuides to help you with your studies and what comes after.

Dissertation LibGuide

Whether you’re planning ahead for your dissertation or part way through it and regretting every decision you’ve made, this guide can help you!

In one easy-to-follow and simple guide, you will find all you need to understand and manage the dissertation process from finding information sources and developing your searching techniques to evaluating and referencing the sources you use.

For help and advice for every stage of your dissertation, from concept to conclusion, take a look our our Dissertation LibGuidehttps://libguides.aber.ac.uk/dissertation.

Screenshot from the News and Media LibGuide

News and Media LibGuide

Our News and Media guide is a clear and comprehensive resource to help you navigate the tricky world of news and media throughout your time at University and beyond.

  • Protect your image online
  • Define key concepts such as free speech, misinformation, disinformation and censorship
  • Learn how algorithms are used to target people on social media platforms
  • Understand concepts of selection and bias
  • Explain what fake news is and how to recognise it

Our News and Media LibGuide is here to help you help yourself stay safe and savvy: https://libguides.aber.ac.uk/newsandmedia  

See all of our subject and study support LibGuides here

New Copyright LibGuide

As a student, do you want to know how copyright affects how you might prepare for and write your assignments? Perhaps you are a lecturer, and you want to know if showing a film or television programme during a lecture or seminar might be breaching copyright legislation? Or are you a researcher looking to protect your own work from being used by others without your permission?
Answers to these and many other questions about copyright are dealt with in our new Copyright LibGuide. The LibGuide offers not just a comprehensive overview of the current copyright legislation but also practical advice on common copyright scenarios that you might encounter as part of your work here at Aberystwyth University.
The LibGuide is available in Welsh and in English.


(Engraving by William Hogarth. In the Public Domain)

Read More

New! Employability LibGuide

Our library services are not just here to help you get your degree. They can also help you get the job you want after you graduate! 

Students practising presentations

Aberystwyth University Subject Librarians have prepared a new Employability LibGuide. This is your guide to the books and resources that can help you write a winning CV, and to specialist advice and tools to help you Research the company or organisation you want to work for

You can use the guide to:

  • Find Resources on different companies, Industries and general careers advice 
  • Discover tools for developing essential digital and information skills to enhance your graduate prospects 
  • Research your chosen career path and prepare for job applications and interviews 

The library’s resources can help you secure the job of your dreams as you develop your employability.

Take a look at the guide here: https://libguides.aber.ac.uk/employability  

Module co-ordinators: already know what you want on your new reading list?

This summer we will create and populate your new Aspire reading lists on request.

If you email the content to librarians@aber.ac.uk before July 19th your reading list will be created and published before the reading list deadline.

Please include

  • Module code and title
  • Which books are Essential – the Library will order an ebook or multiple print copies if an ebook is not available
  • Which books are Further reading – the Library will order one print copy
  • Any chapters or articles you need digitising
  • Any section names to group them under

Books will be purchased, digitisations processed and you will be contacted if there are any issues.
Find advice for preparing your Aspire reading lists for the new academic year: https://faqs.aber.ac.uk/en/2978

books on a shelf

Meet the Team!

Over the last 18 months we have all been working online via Teams with students and other colleagues. It was great for us as a team to finally all meet up face to face, enjoy a walk along the prom and have an outdoor meeting to help plan our activities for 2021/22 (we even had the dolphins for company!).

We are all looking forward to meeting you in the next Academic Year, and in the meantime please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any help.

librarians@aber.ac.uk
01970 621896

Subject Librarians
Left to right: Anita Saycell, Lloyd Roderick, Simon French, Abi Crook, Sarah Gwenlan, Connie Davage, Non Jones, Joy Cadwallader. Not pictured: Alex Warburton

Welcome to the Librarians’ Blog!

Casgliadau Collections Sign In the Hugh Owen Library

Direct from the Hugh Owen Library, it’s a big hello from your friendly band of librarians.

We want to welcome you to the newly restored Librarians’ Blog where you’ll find more on how your library supports learning, teaching, and research here at Aberystwyth University.

The blog will be updated regularly so make sure you subscribe. And don’t forget, we love talking to you, so if there are any library matters that you need help with, do get in touch:

If you want a sneak peek at some of the things we can help out with, take a look at our purpose-built Library Guides: https://libguides.aber.ac.uk/