Do you want to develop your academic writing skills, learn about using the library and its resources, get to grips with referencing, or improve your employability skills?
Good news! These topics and more are covered in the Semester 1 AberSkills programme, which is available for free for all students at Aberystwyth University.
AberSkills Workshops take place throughout the academic year and are a mixture of face to face and online sessions. Most sessions are offered in both Welsh and English.
All workshops are listed on the AberSkills website. Take a look to see what’s available and book your place in a click.
If you miss a session and want to catch-up, academic skills and library workshop teaching materials for 2023-2024 are available on Blackboardunder Organisations. 2024-2025 workshop teaching materials will be uploaded soon after the session.
LibKey Nomad is a downloadable browser extension that automatically provides instant links to articles from journals if your library subscribes to them. LibKey Nomad’s one-click access to articles referenced on scholarly websites and search engines will make your research and finding sources faster and easier.
Using LibKey Nomad is simple. Visit the download page and add the extension to your browser of choice. After installation, you will be prompted to select your institution. Simply select Aberystwyth University and LibKey Nomad will then notify you of articles available through the library wherever you may roam online.
LibKey Nomad will also enhance your experience on popular sites like PubMed, Wikipedia, Scopus, Web of Science and more.
Comparison
Here’s an example of a reference list on Wikipedia before LibKey Nomad is installed and after (scroll across to compare):
References on Wikipedia before and after installing the LibKey Nomad browser plugin
You can see that LibKey Nomad adds a link to the article if the library has access to it. Clicking on the link takes you directly to the source.
Find out more about LibKey Nomad in the video below:
If you have any questions or feedback about LibKey Nomad, please email us on librarians@aber.ac.uk. As always, if you need help finding resources for your studies, please get in touch with your Subject Librarian.
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 our Lifelong Learning students and external users.
Lifelong Learning
LibGuides Our Lifelong Learning LibGuide is your complete guide to library and learning resources for your subjects. Here you’ll find details on key resources and guidance on how to use the library and who to contact for help.
The Lifelong Learning LibGuide homepage
Effective Study Collection The Effective Study Collection is designed to help you develop your study skills. It covers topics including how to research, writing skills, academic writing, time management, communications skills and some general guides to help you research and study in the arts. If you are returning to education after a break, have a look.
Study spaces and IT facilities at the library Don’t forget that Lifelong Learning students can also make use of the library’s facilities, such as quiet study spaces, computers, excellent WIFI and printing and copying facilities. Browse our A to Z of library services here.
The Celtic Collection The Celtic Collection contains approximately 25,000 books relating to Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The collection contains material on all subjects relating to Celtic countries, and is a wonderful resource for all researchers and enthusiasts.
Learning Welsh or looking to improve your skills? You’ll find everything you need to help you practise and develop your reading and speaking skills – from graded novels with vocabulary to grammar books.
Find the Celtic Collection of Level F of the Hugh Owen library:
Some of the Welsh-language resources in the Celtic Collection
Digimap Digimapoffers 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.
Linkedin Learning All AU students and staff have free and unlimited access to the wealth of expert-led courses available online 24/7 through Linkedin Learning.
Here’s a small selection of courses chosen by our Student Digital Champion, Urvashi Verma, that may be of interest to Lifelong Learning students.
Lifelong Learning CollectionA collection of courses and short videos to help you develop your study skills and improve your time management skills.
Urvashi Verma
External Users
Our libraries welcome different categories of external users, from Aber Alumni and retired staff members who are keen to maintain their access to library resources, students at other institutions who are visiting Aber and need a place to study or local residents.
Special Collections External users can apply to use the library’s IT facilities and study spaces, and can also arrange to view items in our beautiful special collections.
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.
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.
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 collectionThis 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 theCeltic 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.
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 LibGuide: https://libguides.aber.ac.uk/dissertation.
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
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)
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.
