library
news
September 2012
W
elcome to the autumn
edition of the Library
newsletter.
I am very pleased to report that we have
just received our highest rating ever in
the National Student Survey, achieving
a satisfaction rate of 86%, and remain
committed to continuing to improve
and tailor our collections and services
to meet the needs of our diverse user
community.
Further improvements have been
made to the wifi coverage in the Library
over the summer and, following user
feedback, we have provided additional
study spaces in Silent and Quiet zones,
many of which are equipped with power
sockets.
We have also been busy upgrading and
improving our Library catalogue, making
it easier and quicker to discover the
full range of materials, both print and
electronic, to which we provide access,
including materials held on reading lists
in Aspire.
You can read more about other changes
and enhancements to services,
including the preparation of our Special
Collections for their forthcoming move
to The Keep, the re-launch of Sussex
Research Online and our new Hive
Scholars in this edition of the newsletter
and we’d be happy to receive your
feedback via Twitter (www.twitter.com/
sussexlibrary), our Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/sussexlibrary) or
our instant messaging service.
Kitty Inglis, Librarian
Special Collections prepares to move to The Keep
Special Collections will be moving from
its current home on the top floor of the
Library to The Keep, a new purposebuilt archival resource centre, in
summer 2013.
The Keep is a partnership project
between the University of Sussex, East
Sussex County Council and Brighton
& Hove City Council and is situated in
Woollards Field, next to the Brighton
Aldridge Community Academy. For
the first time, researchers will be able
to access the archives and historical
resources of Brighton & Hove and East
Sussex Record Office, alongside the
University’s own collections including
the papers of Virginia Woolf, Rudyard
Kipling and the Mass Observation
Archive. The University’s collection of
3500 Rare Books will also be moving
to The Keep, which will provide storage
facilities for over 10 miles of archives
and books.
Alongside new state of the art storage
facilities, The Keep will provide research
areas for individuals and groups wishing
to consult the collections, with access
to digital archives as well as original
material. Learning and multifunction
rooms will also be available for teaching
sessions that incorporate the use of
archival materials. The University
Special Collections will continue to be
cared for by University staff.
Special Collections will be closed for
the duration of the University Christmas
vacation (13 December 2012 – 8
January 2013), to get our collections
ready for the move to The Keep. It is
hoped that we will move into the new
building over Summer 2013, meaning
that we will be unable to guarantee
access to the collections from the end of
May 2013 until the opening of The Keep
in Autumn 2013.
New Library catalogue
The new look Library catalogue enables
you to search for books, e-books,
journals and DVDs in the Library and
jump to the Electronic Library for online
articles, databases, newspapers, books,
law reports.
The catalogue will now tell you if a book
or DVD is on a reading list in the Aspire
reading list system and enable you to
view other items on that reading list. You
can sort search results, save results to
lists, export or print the lists you save,
access your account to reserve items,
renew your loans and view your fines.
You can also suggest books for the
Library to purchase, or place a request
for an inter library loan. You can even
use the catalogue on your mobile! This
catalogue will continue to develop so
please send us your comments at
[email protected].
1
library news
EThOS: Electronic Theses Online
Access 50 years of Sussex Doctoral
Research from your desktop
The Library, working in partnership with
the British Library, has now digitised
1,500 Sussex doctoral theses, making
them publicly available online. The
Library’s print theses collection holds
the majority of doctoral theses since the
University opened in the early sixties;
25% of the collection has now been
digitised and made openly available on
EThOS (ethos.bl.uk). Where this is the
case a link to the EThOS search page
appears on the Library catalogue record.
Searching the EThOS database of
over 250,000 thesis records from
117 participating higher education
institutions does not require registration.
However, if you would like to download
the full-text, you will be required to
register. Theses that are available for
immediate download are free at the
point of access.
Replacing the previous British Library’s
Thesis Service (supplying microfilm
copies via interlibrary loan), EThOS
has significantly improved access
to this important body of research.
Already popular with researchers, initial
statistics show that Sussex users
have downloaded an average of
27 theses per month from other
universities, compared to 5 or 6
requests per month through the
previous microfilm lending service.
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us ne
t
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s
Mo dy Z
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Although, print theses submitted
before October 2009 can still be
consulted in the Library, Sussex
students are increasingly accessing
the full text online via EThOS. About
30% of recent downloads by Sussex
researchers were for Sussex theses.
Coming Soon
EThOS also acts as a central hub
repository for electronic theses
produced at UK Higher Education
institutions. With around 500 e-theses
already uploaded to the University of
Sussex’s institutional repository, Sussex
Research Online, e-theses submitted
from October 2009 will soon be added to
the EThOS database.
Silent study
For further information on accessing
theses, see the Library Guide, Theses
and Dissertations - www.sussex.ac.uk/
library/guides.
Many users feel that the use of
phones and other mobile devices,
loud talking and food consumption
is unacceptable and makes it hard
to study in the Library. Please show
consideration for others and choose
an appropriate study area.
Silent
individual study
Phones/mp3
players etc.
Talking
Eating or
drinking except
for bottled water
A quiet word
Careers and Employability Centre
Among the many changes that have
happened in the Library over the past
year, the Careers and Employability
Centre has ‘landed’ and can now be
found on the ground floor near to the
Q section and the adjacent social
study area. Turn right after the entry
barriers, go past the book sorting
room and you will find our resources
area and members of the Careers and
Employability Centre team ready to
assist you.
Previously in Falmer House, moving to
the Library has proved a great success
with students and staff. We have seen
a 60 per cent increase in the number
of students attending interviews with
Careers Advisers and a similar increase
in numbers attending workshops and
other events.
2
We look forward to welcoming you to the
Careers and Employability Centre.
We can help you to find part time work
or work experience. We can show
you how to make a good application
and how to prepare for interviews. By
registering with ‘Sussex Plus’ we can
provide you with an e-portfolio in which
to record, reflect and present your skills
to prospective employers and course
providers.
You don’t need to have a career idea
to come and see us. We are here to
help you to explore all your options
and make the most of the opportunities
that you will have whilst studying at the
University of Sussex.
For more information please go to our
web site at www.sussex.ac.uk/careers
Social study
Quiet group
work
Quiet study
Quiet individual
study
No phone calls. Phones to be kept
on silent
All mobile devices must be
inaudible to other users
No eating/drinking except for
bottled water
library news
Keep hydrated
The Microform Reading
Room has moved
The Library’s microform collection
of newspapers, archival papers,
manuscripts, reports and other research
materials has moved to a new home
ready for the start of term.
The new location is part of the Group
Study Room 1.8, on the First Floor, with
the entrance straight ahead of the front
staircase. All materials as well as the
microform scanners, connected PCs
and desks will be moving.
Copy cards
Due to a reduction in costs Library
photocopying cards will, in future,
include £1.00 credit.
Cards are available from the dispenser,
close to the Information Hub, on the
Ground Floor at a cost of £3.00.
The cost of photocopying will remain
the same, at 5p for A4 black and
white copies and 10p for A3. Colour
photocopying remains at 50p for each
A4 photocopy and £1.00 for an A3
photocopy.
You asked, we did! In response to your
requests, we are pleased to announce
that a new water fountain has been
installed in the Library. It is located on
the First Floor by the computer cluster
next to the main staircase.
If you’d like to read about hydration and
cognitive performance, why not have
a look on the Electronic Library at the
Journal of The American College of
Nutrition, October 2007; 26 (suppl 5) at
www.jacn.org/content/26/suppl_5/549S.
full.pdf+html
All microform is searchable using
the Library catalogue and items will
be clearly labelled inside the room.
Examples of some of our collections
include:
•Older issues of the Times, Times
Educational Supplement, Times Literary
Supplement and Le Monde
•Specialist publications such as Variety,
Newsweek, Time Magazine
•UK and US radical newspapers from
the 19th and early 20th centuries:
The Charter, Northern Liberator, The
Masses, The New Masses and others
•Archival material such as the Virginia
Woolf manuscripts and papers from the
Mass Observation Archive
Please see our guide to using the
Microform collections at
guides.lib.sussex.ac.uk/microform
or ask at the Information Hub if you
need any help at all with using the
materials and equipment.
Sussex Research Online
Wake up!
Don’t spill the coffee
Our policy regarding foodstuffs in the
Library is very simple: everything except
bottled water is prohibited. The reasons
for this are also straightforward:
1. Computers and keyboards are easily
damaged by spillages.
2. Food and food fragments attract
vermin to the Library.
3. Damage to books and furnishings is
expensive for us and for you.
4. Eating noise and food smells distract
those trying to study.
Sussex Research Online (SRO)
provides information about the research
produced and published at Sussex.
It includes information about journal
articles, conferences, books, DPhil/
PhD theses and more. For many items,
where copyright allows, the full text
of the research is publicly available,
making it easier for anyone to access
the research carried out at Sussex. SRO
also provides publication details for
the academic profiles on the University
website. The site currently has records
for over 22,000 items of research. If you
have any questions you can contact
[email protected].
Have a look now at sro.sussex.ac.uk.
3
library news
ID cards
Chat for longer
Remember, you need your University
ID card to enter the Library. Please
ensure you have it with you to save
the disappointment of being refused
entry. Only five cardless visits will be
allowed per year.
We have extended the hours for our “Ask us a Question”
instant chat service. It is now available from 9am until 7pm
on weekdays and from 1pm until 5pm at weekends during
term time.
No smoking
The Library aims to provide a pleasant
and healthy working environment for
users and staff alike.
With this in mind, smoking is not
allowed anywhere on the main Library
steps at the front of the building.
“Ask us a Question” is available both on and off campus
and is for everybody to use. Ask your questions using
instant messaging via the box on the Library home page
or in our online Subject Guides and a member of the
Library will be on hand to answer your question. We can
guide you through a search, help with finding material in
the Library or explain our many services.
So let your fingers do the talking and will we give you a helping hand.
Suggestions
Contact us with your suggestions or
comments about library services.
Forms are available in the Library or
on the Library web pages.
www.sussex.ac.uk/library
Access to the Library
The main entrance to the University
Library may be unsuitable for users
with mobilty problems. There is,
however, an alternative entrance that
is located at the north end of the
building - follow the signs to IDS.
This allows entry, via a phone link, to
the ground floor.
Please contact Library Membership to
arrange alternative access.
T +44(0)1273 678487
E [email protected]
Term-time hours
Monday 8.30am (24 hours)
to Saturday 7.30pm
Sunday 12.30pm – 7.30pm
For vacation and bank holidays,
please check the Library web
pages as they will vary.
Contact details
Postal address:
University of Sussex Library
Brighton
BN1 9QL, UK
T +44 (0)1273 678163
F +44 (0)1273 678441
E [email protected]
www.twitter.com/sussexlibrary
www.facebook.com/sussexlibrary
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New Research Hive
Scholars
The Library has three new Research
Hive Scholars: Charlotte Morris, Frank
Verano and Rachel Wood, all currently
registered doctoral researchers at
Sussex. Their role is to support the
research community at Sussex and
they’ll be on hand to:
Open up your Research
Want to open up access to your
research? The Library will be running
a series of events and drop-ins for
academic staff and researchers as
part of Open Access Week. Look
out for publicity or contact library.
[email protected] for more
information.
• Advise on how to make the most of
the space available within the Research
Hive, the Library’s dedicated space for
researchers
• Provide informal guidance to individual
researchers
• Organise events and activities to
support you as a researcher
The Scholars will be available over the
course of the year, so get in touch by
email or check their website to see when
they’ll be in the Hive.
W: www.sussex.ac.uk/library/
researchhive
E: [email protected]
T: www.twitter.com/sussexreshive
Literature-searching
workshops for postgrads
We will be running bookable workshops
during this term, aimed at supporting
taught postgraduate students. These
workshops will cover;
• Developing your search
• Keeping up to date with research
• Managing your references
• Exploring the range of resources
available to you
Keep an eye on the Library website for
dates and times.