Tag: resources

Looking Back and Moving Forward: A Year in Review from Your Library

WordPress User [abc27] Help & advice, Information Skills, Learning, Research, Teaching

Presenting our Library Action Plan 2024 – 2025

As another academic year draws to a close, we’re excited to share some of the milestones and key developments from your Library Services in 2024–25.

It’s been another busy year for the library as our users continue to borrow thousands of books and ebooks, access thousands of journal articles, and make use of our expanding range of digital resources and physical spaces. Reading lists remain a core part of your academic work and our library staff are always working to make sure the books, articles, and resources you need most are at your fingertips. Our Subject Librarians continue to provide specialist support and advice to all staff and students and our Resource Discovery team help facilitate and disseminate the University’s world-class research.

Browse our Library Action Plans to find out how Library Services have supported your teaching, learning, and research at Aberystwyth University over the past year.

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Rather than time spent on endless online searches that can lead you down rabbit holes of questionable websites and outdated information, your library invests in premium healthcare databases like CINAHL, MEDLINE, British Nursing Database (and many more!)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!

Welsh-language Music Day

WordPress User [abc27] Learning Leave a comment

Today, 7 February, is Welsh Language Music Day – a day which celebrates all forms of Welsh Language music. Whether you’re into indie, rock, punk, funk, folk, electronica, hip hop or anything else, there’s incredible music being made in the Welsh language for you to discover. Find out more about the day here with links to Spotify playlists. 

Our librarians have curated a Box of Broadcasts playlist of some of their favourite documentaries and performances to get you on track with music in Welsh

https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/playlists/194552

Click on the image or link above to see the playlist

AI and the Library. Week Five: Using AI to Develop Smart Keyword Searches.

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

Here at the library, we’re big fans of Primo, the library catalogue. With Primo, you’re not just able to find the books on our shelves, you’re also getting access millions of digital resources, all ready and waiting at your fingertips.

But with so many resources available to you, searching the library catalogue can sometimes feel frustrating. If you use too broad a search (e.g. “history”) then you are inundated with results. Too narrow a search term (“Neo-Gothic architecture in rural Chile”) and you’ve got nothing!

So what can you do? Our advice as subject librarians is to start by building a keyword vocabulary. Having a clear set of keywords will make your searches more targeted, helping you focus on the most relevant and useful resources. It’s a simple step that can make a huge difference in your research journey!

How Can AI Help You Build a Search Vocabulary?

An AI tool like ChatGPT can suggest smarter keywords, synonyms, and related concepts to make your searches more effective. Let’s look at some examples.

1. Smarter Alternatives to Broad Terms.

[Prompt] Suggest some keyword alternatives for “Climate change”

The AI might respond with:

  • Global warming.
  • Climate crisis.
  • Greenhouse effect.

2. Investigating Causes.

Want to explore what drives climate change? Try:

[Prompt] Provide me with a list of keywords for some of the main causes of climate change.

The response:

  • Carbon dioxide emissions.
  • Fossil fuels.
  • Industrial pollution.
  • Methane emissions.

3. Exploring Impacts.

    Do you want to focus on how climate change affects the planet? Use:

    [Prompt] Suggest keywords for the main impacts of climate change.

    Response:

    • Sea level rise.
    • Melting polar ice caps.
    • Extreme weather events.
    • Biodiversity loss.
    • Ocean acidification.

    4. Looking for Solutions

    For mitigation strategies, try:

    [Prompt] Suggest keywords for how climate change can be mitigated.

    Response

    • Renewable energy.
    • Carbon sequestration.
    • Climate change policies.
    • Green technology.
    • Sustainable development.

    Putting It All Together

    Finally, combine these ideas for a more complex search. For example:

    {Prompt] Suggest a set of keyword searches to find resources on the effects of methane emissions on biodiversity loss and what can be done to mitigate those effects.

    The AI might help you craft a search that looks like this:

    • Methane emissions and biodiversity.
    • Impact of methane on Arctic ecosystems.
    • Methane mitigation technologies in permafrost regions.

    By using AI to build a targeted keyword vocabulary, you’ll spend less time searching and more time discovering the resources you need.

    [Responses listed above were created with ChatGPT].