What are the key steps to a successful routine for referencing? Of all the enquiries we get in the Library, referencing is the most common.
Referencing is the acknowledgement of the sources that you use in your work. You must reference all sources that you use in your assignment, project or dissertation, including words and ideas, facts, images, videos, audio, websites, statistics, diagrams and data.
Over the next two weeks weeks we’re focusing on referencing, giving you the routine for success. As a novice, you might need a little help to understand the steps and techniques for your referencing style.
Hopefully you are feeling settled at the Walton Library and finding your way around. During your induction session you may have heard Library staff mention reading lists and STC books. This blog post breaks these terms down to help you get the most out of the Library.
What are reading
lists?
When it comes to reading lists, the clue is in the name.
They are materials your lecturer(s) have selected to help you understand your subject
– and are not necessarily books! Reading lists can contain journal articles,
websites and other media, such as podcasts and videos. The material on your
reading list is broken down into essential,
recommended or background
reading for your convenience.
Not all reading lists look the same. Some lists are divided into the above categories, and some are divided into weekly or even daily reading. Speak to your lecturer if you have a query about the content on your module’s reading list.
Where are they?
There’s more than one way to access your reading list. If you use the Medical Learning Environment (MLE), you can access your reading list from the “Reading” tab on the “Learning Materials” window. These are embedded in each Case. See below for reference:
A reading list on the Medical Learning Environment (MLE).
You can click on the items within the reading list and it’ll take you directly to Library Search, where you will be able to see the item’s location and availability.
If you use Blackboard, once you’ve logged in, you will see that the “Reading Lists” link is on the “Overview” page for each module you’re registered on. See below for reference:
The location of a module’s reading list on Blackboard.
You can also access your reading lists from the Library
homepage. Follow this
link and click the green “More information for students” button.
If you’re having a technical problem when using your reading list, email: med-reading-lists@ncl.ac.uk and we’ll investigate the problem for you.
What is the STC?
The Student Texts Collection (STC) at the Walton Library.
If you’ve been to the Walton’s service desk asking for a
stapler, you may have heard the staff directing you to the STC. STC or Student
Texts Collection is a separate room, located next to the printers and the
self-issue machine, which contains our high demand texts. Many of these will be
essential on your reading lists.
These books are available for short loan only – four hours during the day,
unless you take them out four hours before the Library closes, when you can
loan them overnight (providing you return them before 9:30AM the next weekday
and 10:30AM on weekends!)
These short loan books are perfect if you’re on the go. You can issue one before a lecture and then return it just after! They’re also ideal if you only need to use a short section of a book: you can copy up to one chapter or 10% of a book (whatever is greater) using the photocopier.
How does it work?
Just like long loan items, STC books are on Library Search. However they can’t be reserved if all the copies are out on loan. STC books need to be checked out and returned from your account using the self-issue machine in the STC room.
STC books are listed separately on Library Search.
If
you have any further queries about the STC, you might want to check out our
Library FAQs here.
Desk staff at the Walton can also be called upon to lend a hand if you’re
stuck.
Wishing a Warm Walton Welcome to all new and continuing students in the new academic year!
Just as you are settling into life at University we thought that you might benefit from this list of tips of how to make the most out of your time in the Walton Library.
The Library opening hours change throughout the year, but during term time, we are open normally until 22:00.
Resources
Use your Reading Lists as a great starting point for finding academic material. They can be accessed via your VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), which is either Blackboard or the MLE, depending on the course you are studying.
All academic resources that we purchase will be available via Library Search. It is the most prominent element on our colourful website and it will show you books, articles, journals in both physical or electronic format, databases and others.
Use keywords to find the titles that you need and Library Search will tell you whether we have them or not, whether they are available on the shelves, in which library and part of which collection they are. If a book we have in stock is NOT currently available on the shelves, the best thing you can do is to log in with your student ID and password and place a reservation:
Reserving is in your best interest because this is what will prompt a current reader of the book to bring it back so that you can use it. So remember: Shy bairns get nowt.
Specialist help
There are subject-specific guides that give you information directly relevant to your course. You can find them by selecting your course in Subject Support, on the Library website.
Want to ask us a question?
Library Help is the place you seek. You can browse our FAQ database by topic or search it by using keywords. You can also send us an email or chat with us. Library Chat is monitored 24/7, so as long as you have access to the internet, wherever you are in this great, big world, you can contact us.
Although the Library holds copies of all Newcastle University PhD theses and copies of theses written for other research degrees, you may find you need a thesis from elsewhere. If this is the case, our Theses and Dissertations guide is a good place to start. This tells you what print and electronic theses we hold and where to find other UK or international theses.
Ethos
Ethos allows you to search the details of 500,000 UK theses from over 120 institutions, from the 1970s to date. The full text of about one fifth of these is available for immediate download to registered users, and in other cases, you may be able to request a copy in digital or other format (for which there may be a charge).
Can’t find the theses you’re looking for? If all else fails, it may be worth checking to see if an institution has its own repository.
National Poetry Day marks its 25th anniversary this year with a mass participation campaign that highlights poetry’s power to harness the truth about life.
In commemoration of the event, Teaching Fellow Sue Spencer will be returning to the Law Library and Walton Library to take poetry off the shelf and share some meaningful conversations about the truths that really matter.
Drop in for a one-to-one chat and she’ll offer a listening ear and a poem to inspire, soothe and comfort you!
Wednesday 2nd October, 3-5pm Law Student Common Area, Newcastle Law School
Thursday 3rd October, 4.40-6.30pm Walton Library, Newcastle University Medical School
Whether you’re a fresher or a final year student we want to help you get the most from your Library. From discovering resources to finding the right study space, to where to go to get help with your coursework. We’ve made a short video so if you’ve only a few minutes to spare it’s all you need to get started….
Looking for something to read this August – whiling the time away with your toes between the sand, the sound of waves splashing, and the sun warming up your bones? I know a summer read is normally something a bit fluffier, however you might want to read one these top reads that were recommended at two conferences I attended recently here on campus (Professional Services Conference and the SAgE PGR Conference). All three books are conveniently available for you to loan from Newcastle University Library…click on the book cover to take you to the library catalogue entry:
A new search service, Library Hub Discover, has just launched, replacing the old COPAC database (which enabled you to search across UK academic and research libraries) and SUNCAT (which searched for journals elsewhere).
Library Hub Discover offers a new and improved interface to search across the catalogues of 100 UK and Irish academic, national and specialist libraries, with many more libraries due to be added soon.
A new related service, Library Hub Compare, enables you to analyse and compare library collections and identify relative strengths. So, if you want to assess which libraries in a region have particularly strong holdings relating to your research area, this is a neat way of doing it.
Although it’s now the summer vacation, it is time for our academics to start thinking about the reading lists for 2019/20. So, what resources are you going to recommend to your students to support your teaching? How will you ensure the Library has what you need in stock?
Use the Library’s Reading Lists to create, manage and update your own lists online. Or, you can send your list as an attachment to your Library’s Reading List team using our submission form.
Why use this service? Well, your lists will help the Library to order the correct number of copies of the titles you want to recommend, to decide on the appropriate loan periods of those printed books and enable access to electronic resources for your students. CLA scans (digitised book chapters and articles) can easily be requested through Reading Lists too. There’s no need to email us or fill out a separate request form; simply tag the item on your list and leave it to us.
Benefits for you include:
Your book orders and scanning requests will be dealt with seamlessly by a dedicated team of Library Staff.
It is an effective and efficient way of getting your Reading Lists to your students via Blackboard, alongside your teaching materials.
You can add resources from Library Search, any database or while you’re browsing the Web (via the “Cite it” tool).
You will provide accessible information to your students about their required reading, with live links to Library Search, eBooks, full-text journal articles and book chapters.
You can organise the resources to suit your needs, e.g. by week, topic, lecture or seminar.
You can tag the items on your Reading Lists so your students can clearly see what is essential, recommended or background reading.
In tagging each item, the Library can ensure appropriate stock provision for your students based on module numbers.
You can notify the Library and your students of any changes you wish to make to your lists automatically.
Reading Lists can boost student engagement with your subject and you can see the access statistics for the items on your list, providing valuable insight on how the students are using the materials listed.
So, Reading Lists are a great way to let your students know what they need to read, and to keep the Library informed too; they are the wise choice.
You can find information about creating and managing your Reading Lists, and making resources available to your students here. And if you have any questions about this service, please do contact us at readinglists@ncl.ac.uk
