The Blogworm

Web of Knowledge: logging in problems NOW FIXED

2012-02-13T11:10:00.003Z

THIS PROBLEM SHOULD HAS NOW BEEN RESOLVED.
If you still can't access the database, you may need to clear you cache and cookies first and then re-open your browser: http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/faq/answers.html#Q6.5
Apologies for the inconvenience this has caused.

There is currently a problem with access to Web of Knowledge. This is an issue that all Web of Knowledge subscribers are experiencing and is not unique to Aston. The database suppliers are looking into this as a matter of urgency and this blog post will be updated as soon as the problems have been resolved. In the meantime, you can still access Web of Knowledge on-campus via http://webofknowledge.com/, however, you may first need to clear cache and cookies: further information available in the FAQ: http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/faq/answers.html#Q6.5 and then close and re-open your browser.

You could also try using another similar database for your research such as Scopus.

Open Access - Snippet No. 2

2012-02-09T09:59:00.002Z

Visibility

Without Open Access, the only way to see academic work is by paying for subscriptions to journals or by paying a fee to view an article.

This has the effect of restricting access to all bet the minority who can afford to pay for access.

In a survey conducted at the beginning of the millennium more than half research-based institutions in lower-income countries had no subscriptions to international research journal.

Unsurprisingly, researchers in those countries rank access to research literature as one of their most pressing problems.

In other surveys it was found that also in the wealthier world, researchers find increasingly difficult to access the material they need.

Swan, Alma (2011) Open Access: Impact for researchers, universities and society. RLUK.

Libraries Supporting Research

2012-02-08T17:22:00.002Z

Research Libraries UK (RLUK) has recently published Re-skilling for Research, a major report on the changing needs of researchers and the effect on the Information Specialist role within libraries. The information needs of researchers are always changing and this report will be a useful tool to ensure that libraries can stay ahead of the demands placed on them.

This short extract from the 112-page reports highlights the importance of on-going dialogue between researchers and libraries:

"Libraries, and their staff (including [Information Specialists]) who have a responsibility to support and provide services for researchers, face a huge challenge that could be turned into a huge opportunity. ... Libraries will need to respond to this challenge by developing a unique role in consultation with their institution for the part they will play in the support of meeting researchers' information and related needs."

At Aston University Library & Information Services, we are always looking for ways to maintain this dialogue with researchers. The activities we are already involved with include: at School and subject group levels, Information Specialists attend School Research Committees and staff meetings; individual researchers are always welcome to make an appointment to see their Information Specialist to discuss their needs on a one-to-one basis; in summer 2011, we ran a series of Research Bites, which were very well received; and AURA makes Aston's research freely and easily available to everyone and is managed by the Repository Officer (Erica Wine).

If you have any comments or suggestions for research support that you would like to receive from your Library & Information Services and your Information Specialist, from suggesting a topic for Research Bites 2012 to a whole new approach, don't hesitate to comment on this post or contact us directly.

Open Access - Snippet No. 1

2012-02-03T12:06:00.006Z

Open Access benefits:

- Researchers gain from the increased usage and impact of their work.

- Their institutions benefit from the aggregated usage and impact of their researcher and the increased presence that Open Access brings.

- Society benefits from better technology transfer, better diffusion of know-how and better-informed populace

- Open access encourages collaborative endeavours by making research visible to new communities.

From: Swan, Alma (2011) Open Access: Impact for researchers, universities and society. RLUK.

Full Time MBA project workshop

2012-01-27T09:51:00.000Z

We welcome MBA students to the Library today (Friday 27th January) at 2pm who will be attending a library workshop on supporting their research for their dissertation project.

The library workshop will be taught in the Library Seminar Room, 2nd floor of the Library Building and is being recorded for Aston Replay.

Datastream and 3000Xtra

2012-01-27T09:46:00.001Z

Will you need to use the stock data database Datastream for your project? Are you registered to work in the ABS Trading Room with Reuters 3000xtra database? Would you like further help extracting data?

Thomson Reuters are offering Question and Answer sessions for students using the Datastream and Reuters 3000xtra database. If you are having problems extracting data and would like advice please feel free to sign up for one of the Q&A sessions:

· Client trainers from Thomson Reuters will be holding online Q&A sessions to answer your questions regarding data on DataStream

· No need to have the product in front of you, just the question that you want answering

· No need to join a conference call, they will use Adobe chat… however, if you really want to talk to a trainer they will provide a number to call

· To sign up, emailknowledge.networkuki@thomsonreuters.com stating the date, time and product session as well as your University email address.

Leave the rest to Thomson Reuters! They will email you with the login details for the 1 hour sessions.

Dates and Times are:

Datastream

Tuesday 7^th February 2012 – 2:00pm

Thursday 16^th February 2012 - 11:00am

Reuters 3000xtra

Thursday 9^th February 2012 -3:00pm

Wednesday 22^nd February 2012 -3:00pm

Kind Regards

Nicola Dennis

Business Information Specialist

Attention All MSc Pharmacy students

2012-01-26T08:51:00.002Z

Clare Langman, Information Specialist for Pharmacy will be holding Literature Searching Workshops on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st February to support you with your Research Proposals. They will be held in the Seminar Room, 2nd Floor of the Library. Look on Blackboard to find out which session you should attend.

Contact Clare for further information c.langman@aston.ac.uk

Subscribe to LIS Podcasts on iTunes

2012-01-23T12:29:00.005Z

In October we announced the introduction of LIS podcasts. Several podcasts are now available covering topics such as reservations, missing books, what are journal articles and selecting keywords when searching for articles.

Podcasts can be accessed via the Library website at http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lis/podcasts/ and it is also possible to subscibe to our Podcasts at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/aston-university-library-information/id483594428

MyiLibrary - Are you seeing a "Flow Control Warning" message?

2012-01-16T13:40:00.002Z

The publisher Pearson has decided to set restrictions on access to their e-books on the MyiLibrary platform to no more than 3 simultaneous users. If you see a message on this platform that says: "Flow Control Warning: This book is currently being viewed by another patron. It will become available when the patron has finished viewing the selected book," you will need to exit the platform and try to access it again at a later time.

Are you interested in any topics related to "Social Responsibility"?

2012-01-13T11:31:00.000Z

Dear Students,

The Library is pleased to announce a new subscription is now available to a web-based magazine called Ethical Corporation.

The e-version of the Ethical Corporation magazine contains the world’s largest archive of business sustainability articles. There are currently over 7,000 available to search and browse. There is also access to weekly web-only opinion to the monthly magazine and database – 7,300 searchable CR related articles. Finally, there is access to podcasts from key personnel within the Corporate Responsibility industry.

Access is available through the Aston e-Library and then choose Find Resource. You can either search for the resource in the Name search box OR choose the Business category and the Full Text Journals sub-category.

Please note: If you are trying to access this resource from a computer based off the University campus you will need to choose Login on the top of the screen and type in the required email and password. You can find these details via our Library Matters module on Blackboard and the menu item Passwords and Logging on. Alternatively, please ask at the Library Help Desk.

Kind Regards

Nicola Dennis

Business Information Specialist

Datastream and 3000Xtra

2012-01-10T14:20:00.001Z

ABS Students,

Will you need to use the research database Datastream for your dissertation? Are you registered to use the ABS Trading Room? Then you might be interested in the Question and Answer sessions run by the company Thomson Reuters that provide the two resources; Datastream and 3000Xtra.

How does it work?
All your data questions are answered using interactive Adobe e-training sessions

What you need to do!
To sign up email knowledge.networkuki@thomsonreuters.com and state the date, time and session you would like to enroll on to. Include your email address. They will email you with the rest of the information.

3000xtra
Wednesday 25-01-2012 at 3pm

Datastream
Thursday 19-01-2012 at 11am

Nicola Dennis
Information Specialist

2012-01-10T13:09:00.002Z

Are you working on an essay or a project at the moment? Do you need to find information on a topic? The Library has a lot more than books, check out our latest podcast which will tell you all about journal articles, what they are and how to find them. Journal articles contain high quality, detailed research on a topic. Impress your lecturers by referring to them in your written work.

Go to http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lis/podcasts/ to listen to the podcast.

Library 24 hour opening starts Tuesday 3 January

2012-01-03T15:40:00.004Z

Dear staff and students,

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

The Library is open 24 hours from today, Tuesday 3 January until Friday 20 January for the examination period. Please check the Library web site for opening hours. We hope that you can make good use of the Library during this period. If you need a quiet place to study, please remember that the third floor is for single silent study at all times. If you have any problems with noisy neighbours in the Library, or if you need help with finding resources, then please do not hestitate to speak to staff at the Help desk on the Ground floor or email: library@aston.ac.uk

Please be aware that as of 01 January 2012 it is a University requirement for all staff and students to visibly display their uniCARDS within campus buildings (including the Library) during 'out of hours' periods. Lanyards (and clips) for ID badges are available at Security, the HUB and the ARC.

The 'out of hours' periods during vacation are between the hours of:
6pm - 8am Monday - Friday
6pm - 8am Friday - Monday

The 'out of hours' periods during term-time are between the hours of:
8pm - 8am Monday - Friday
6pm - 8am Friday - Monday

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

Best regards
Lydia Matheson
Public Services Co-ordinator (Customer Experience)
LIS

Library Christmas vacation opening hours

2011-12-14T14:46:00.003Z

Season's Greetings from Library staff.

The Library is open: Monday 19 December to Thursday 22 December: 08:00 - 23:00
The Library is open: Friday 23 December: 08:00 - 13:00
The Library is closed: Saturday 24 December until Monday 2 January inclusive
The Library is open: Tuesday 3 January onwards from 08:00 and will be open 24/6 up until Friday 20 January

Please see the Library web site for the Christmas vacation opening hours
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lis/openinghours/

If you have books on loan, then please make sure you return them by 22 December, or renew them each week online via My Library Record on the Library Catalogue. Books which can't be renewed can be posted back - fines will accrue on overdue books so keep an eye on your Aston University email.

Please note: the out of hours book return box is closed when the University is closed for holidays (from Friday 23 December until the Library re-opens on 3 January).

We wish you all a very good break.

24/6 Library Opening Hours Sunday, 27 November - Friday, 16 December

2011-11-25T12:09:00.003Z

During the postgraduate examination period, the Library will be open for 24 hours, 6 days a week from Sunday, 27 November 2011 to 22:00 on Friday, 16 December 2011.

Throughout 24/6 the Library is open all the time from 11:00 on Sunday mornings through to 18:00 on Saturday evenings.

For full details of the 24 hour opening times, please see our opening hours web pages.

Please remember you will need your uniCARD to swipe in at all times and third floor is for silent study.

If you have any queries or comments about this, please add them below or email library@aston.ac.uk

Have you discovered Zetoc yet?

2011-11-18T10:22:00.001Z

The Zetoc database gives access to the British Library's Electronic Table of Contents (ETOC): over 28,000 journals, 45 million article citations and conference papers covering subjects in science, technology, medicine, engineering, business, law, finance, the arts and humanities, covering the years from 1993 to date and updated daily. The database has recently been re-engineered: corrections have been applied, duplicates deleted and additional Abstracts added. In addition, the service has been re-branded, including improvements to the records display.

Some of the most useful aspects of the Zetoc database are the functionalities for Search Alerts and Journal Table-of-contents RSS feeds, offering a convenient way to stay up-to-date in your subject area. This is an important way for researchers to save time without compromising knowledge of their subject area. If you would like further advice on making use of these excellent tools, please ask at the Help Desk or contact your Information Specialist.

You can provide feedback on the Zetoc service directly, or let us know what you think by commenting on this post.

Win a £30 Amazon voucher - SCONUL Access Scheme Survey

2011-11-17T15:57:00.006Z

Do you use other academic libraries? Would you like to? Can you get what you need?

The Higher Education library community wants to provide the best possible service to students, researchers and staff who, for all sorts of reasons, wish to access other academic and specialist libraries.

Please help us to develop the services and access you need by completing this short online survey - it should take 5-6 minutes.

You can access the survey here http://www.sero.co.uk/sconul_access.html

*WIN VOUCHERS* Prize Draw for SIX winners of £30 Amazon vouchers - optionally provide your email address at the end of the survey to be entered in to the random draw.

Data Protection - Sero Consulting is registered with the Information Commissioner and undertakes that your data will be held securerly and will not be disclosed in any way that can be traced to an individual.

The survey closes on Friday 9th December.

Additional message for Aston University students and staff:
If you would like to use other academic libraries, then please request your SCONUL Access card at the Help desk in the Library between 9:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday.

Aston e-Library: failed to load custom tile

2011-11-15T17:11:00.001Z

We have become aware of an intermittent problem with Aston e-Library. Some users have been getting an error message when searching by topic using the default search box within Aston e-Library.

failed to load custom tile

We have contacted our provider to try to resolve this problem as quickly as possible, but it is only affecting some users, so we have not yet identified the exact nature of the problem. If you experience this problem, please can you e-mail us to tell us:

which web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer 8) you are using to access Aston e-Library
which operating system (e.g. Windows 7) you are using
which device (e.g. smartphone, laptop PC, Mac) you are using.

In the meantime, we suggest you try using a different web browser to access Aston e-Library. As the problem appears to be intermittent, this has been an effective solution for some users! If you are using Internet Explorer, for example, you could try Mozilla Firefox instead.

Are you a final year undergraduate business school student?

2011-11-15T13:19:00.003Z

Dear final year business school students,

Are you free next Wednesday 23rd November between 2.30pm and 3.30pm?
Then please book a place on a Library Research Skills refresher session to help you locate academic journal articles, company information or market research data.

To book a place email l.a.matheson@aston.ac.uk by Monday 21st November.
Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thank you,
Lydia

Lydia Matheson
Business Information Specialist, LIS

Making library resources mobile!

2011-11-11T14:21:00.001Z

Did you know that many of the resources available to you via Aston University Library & Information Services are available from your mobile device as well?

This summer, we launched a mobile version of the Library Catalogue, making it easier than ever to find books as you navigate the Library shelves. This is accessible through the usual web browser on your mobile device.

Many of our resource providers have developed mobile versions of their interfaces as well. For example, you can access the Web of Knowledge, EBSCOhost, IEEE Xplore and JSTOR when you're out and about using the mobile interfaces provided. Sometimes, free registration is required for access to the mobile version. Comment on this post or ask at the Help Desk if you have any questions about this.

Some of our providers have created apps for you to download. Elsevier provide apps for ScienceDirect and Scopus Alerts. To download an EBSCOhost app for iPhone or Android, access EBSCOhost as normal and click the link at the bottom of any EBSCOhost page to email yourself the download instructions, access key and a link to the app store. The RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) have an iOS app for their journals and for ChemSpider.

Library Prize Winners

2011-11-10T15:47:00.004Z

Library Matters Live
1795 of you attended a Library Matters Live Induction session.
Thank you for your participation and feedback.
The following students won prizes:

Hayley - a £150 Waterstone voucher donated by Scopus.
Nikol - £50 John Smith's voucher donated by John Smith's campus bookshop.
Jayniz - £100 Bullring voucher donated by Aston University LIS.
Nabila - iPad donated by Emerald

Library Laptop Survey
607 of you completed the survey.
Thank you for your participation and feedback.
Findings will be shared soon.

Anish was the lucky winner of a Kindle, donated by Proquest.

Aston students only: Win a Kindle!

2011-11-03T17:17:00.006Z

Can you spare 2 minutes to fill in our online survey about library laptops?

If so, then you will get the chance to win a Kindle.

Complete the survey by 09:00 on Tuesday 8th November.

The survey is now CLOSED.

ABS PhD students- refresher session

2011-10-31T15:04:00.000Z

The Library welcomes ABS PhD students in to the Library on Wednesday 2nd November for a library workshop on "Reassessing information literacy skills". The workshop is open to any ABS PhD student who would like to come along for a refresher and ask for help with their information searching. Content could include:

Accessing resources off-campus
Searching individual databases effectively
Setting up search alerts
Citation searching
Accessing PhD Thesis from other Universities

The workshop is being held in the Library Seminar Room, 2nd floor of the Library Building and will run from 2:00pm. The information specialist leading the session will be Nicola Dennis.

Downloading PDFs from Business Source Premier EBSCOHost on a MAC

2011-10-27T12:30:00.004+01:00

If you are having problems downloading PDFs from Business Source Premier / EBSCOhost and you are using Safari 5.1 on a MAC, then you may need to install a plug-in.

Please see the following instructions from EBSCOHost to help resolve this problem:

Why am I receiving a "Plug-in not found" error when opening a PDF on a Mac using Safari?
http://support.ebscohost.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?id=5765

Lydia Matheson
Business Information Specialist

Problems accessing e-resources

2011-10-26T12:05:00.002+01:00

Unfortunately there are on-going problems accessing some resources off campus. The problems appear intermittent and are not affecting everyone. We apologise for this and are trying hard to resolve the issues, but need more evidence of where problems are occurring. If you experience any difficulties please email details to library@aston.ac.uk stating what you were trying to access, whether you are off or on campus, and please send a screenshot of any error message if possible.
Thanks for your help

Update on Aston e-Library problem with accessing individual resources

2011-10-18T15:55:00.002+01:00

We are pleased to report that the problem with the Find Resource option within the Aston e-Library has now been fixed. We apologise for any inconvenience this problem has caused. If you are still having problems please email library@aston.ac.uk

Aston e-Library: Problems accessing individual resources

2011-10-17T10:30:00.005+01:00

We are currently experiencing some problems with the Aston e-Library which is affecting access to the Find Resources part of the service. Staff are working to resolve the problem and LIS will let you know via the Blogworm when the service is fully available again. In the meantime please use the electronic resources webpage to link through to databases.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Are you studying BMM646 as part of your MSc in Marketing Management?

2011-10-14T16:18:00.002+01:00

We welcome students studying MSc Marketing Management (Supervisor Group 2) and (Supervisor Group 1) students to the Library on Monday the 24th October.

Students will be attending an Applied Research Methods workshop run by the Information Specialist, Nicola Dennis as part of their preparation for researching information for assignments, presentations, group work and the MSc project at the end of the programme.

Students will be using the Library Seminar Room on the 2nd floor of the Building between 2:00pm - 5:00pm.
(Supervisor Group 2) 2:00-3:30
(Supervisor Group 1) 3:30-5:00

Proquest access problems

2011-10-10T15:21:00.000+01:00

There are currently intermittent problems with accessing the Proquest database. Proquest are working to try and resolve this and we will update this post as soon as it's been fixed.

Are you studying BHM330 Applied use of online research methods?

2011-10-07T16:03:00.002+01:00

We welcome students studying MSc Human Resource Management & Business, MSc Organisational Behaviour, MSc Organisational Psychology & Business, MSc Work Psychology & Business and MSc Social Responsibility and Sustainability to the Library on Monday the 17th October.

Students will be attending an Applied Research Methods workshop run by the Information Specialist, Nicola Dennis as part of their preparation for researching information for assignments, presentations, group work and the MSc project at the end of the programme.

Students will be using the Library Seminar Room on the 2nd floor of the Building at 9am, 10:20am and 11:40am depending on their assigned group.

Study spaces within the Library Building

2011-10-07T15:46:00.006+01:00

Group Study Spaces
Most of the group study spaces are located on the ground floor of the Library Building. Using the large study tables or the comfortable seating areas, you can work in groups to discuss your assignments, prepare presentations and plan tasks. feel free to use the whiteboards provided to make notes of your discussions. The 1st floor contains quiet study carrels and group study spaces in the Learning Development Centre.

Flexible Study floor
The 2nd floor of the Library is a Flexible Study area. During the examination period and throughout term three, the 2nd floor will be for silent study only. During the rest of the year, it will be available for use as group study space.

Silent Study
We have designated the 3rd floor as a Silent Study area, where noise must be kept to a minimum, so as not to interfere with individual quiet study. If you need to talk to someone, please move to a group study area or to the stairwell. If you are working in a silent study area and are disturbed by noise from others, please contact a member of Library staff who will deal with the problem immediately.

Introducing.... Podcasts!

2011-10-07T09:58:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, Aston University Library & Information Services published the first podcast in a new series covering a range of topicsrelating to library services and research skills.

The first podcast includes a welcome to LIS by Nick Smith, Director, and answers a number of frequently asked questions to help new students in particular make the most of the services and facilities provided by LIS. Future episodes will include introducing your Information Specialists, using Google, Aston e-Library, and searching effectively for journal articles.

Keep an eye on the podcast webpage to pick and choose the podcasts most relevant to you, or subscribe to the whole series by RSS. Subscription via iTunes is coming soon!

We'd love to hear your feedback on this new initiative. Please comment on this post, or send us an e-mail to let us know what you think, or to suggest topics you would like us to cover.

Datastream and 3000Xtra

2011-10-04T17:07:00.004+01:00

ABS Students,

Will you need to use the research database Datastream for your dissertation? Are you registered to use the ABS Trading Room? Then you might be interested in the Question and Answer sessions run by the company Thomson Reuters that provide the two resources; Datastream and 3000Xtra.

How does it work?
All your data questions are answered using interactive Adobe e-training sessions

What you need to do!
To sign up email knowledge.networkuki@thomsonreuters.com and state the date, time and session you would like to enroll on to. Include your email address. They will email you with the rest of the information.

3000xtra
Wednesday 5-10-2011 at 3pm
Wednesday 26-10-2011 at 3pm

Datastream
Tuesday 4-10-2011 at 2pm
Thursday 20-10-2011 at 2pm

Nicola Dennis
Information Specialist

Web of Knowledge: not displaying results in Internet Explorer 9

2011-10-03T14:58:00.003+01:00

There is a known problem in IE9 where search results are not displaying in the database Web of Knowledge.

Web of Knowledge have told us that enabling the compatability mode as follows in IE9 should resolve this problem:

•Click on Tools menu.
•Click on Compatibility View Settings.
•Type 'webofknowledge.com' in the text-box and click on Add.

If you have any further problems with this database, please contact us at library@aston.ac.uk with screenshots of your problem if appropriate.

Library Matters Live Sessions

2011-10-03T10:29:00.001+01:00

Dear Students,

The Library Matters Live timetable for this week (3rd October - 7th October) has changed to due to clashes with your programme timetable. Please view the Library Matters Live webpages to see the changes and make a note of your session.

If you haven't attended a Library Matters Live session and your degree is not listed on this week's timetable please ask for assistance at the Library Help Desk, Ground Floor of the Library Building.

Saving PDFs in Science Direct

2011-09-28T16:37:00.004+01:00

It has come to our attention that the database Science Direct isn't working as it should in newer versions of internet browsers. If you are trying to save a PDF in this database and don't see the save icon from within the PDF screen, you can save it by right clicking on the PDF link from the journal article results page and saving it as a target or link.

See this short screencast as an example of how to do this in Internet Explorer: http://screencast.com/t/quBJHsYVyTG

If you have any further problems, please contact us at library@aston.ac.uk

Aston University Library & Information Services welcomes you!

2011-09-26T15:52:00.000+01:00

This week and next, Library & Information Services will be running a programme of Library Matters Live sessions for students new to Aston University. All new students will find their Library Matters Live session listed on their timetable or check the website. This is an opportunity for you to meet the library staff, find textbooks and reading material for your modules and have a go at using the self service machines, printers and photocopiers.

As well as learning to make the most of Aston University Library & Information Services to support their studies, you will be able to collect your Library Matters Live Goody Bag. Completed Library Matters Live evaluation forms will also be entered into a prize draw to win:

iPad donated by Emerald
£150 Waterstones Voucher
£100 Bull Ring Voucher

We look forward to meeting all new students, and to supporting your studies!

Welcome to All New International Students

2011-09-19T16:08:00.002+01:00

Library & Information Services would like to welcome all new International Students. You are invited to an International Student Library Orientation session on Thursday 22nd September in the Library. Drop in anytime between 10.00 - 17.00 to find out how the Library can support you during your time at Aston. We look forward to meeting you then!

Lost your saved e-shelf items from the old Aston e-Library interface....?

2011-09-13T11:17:00.002+01:00

You can retrieve your saved items from the e-shelf in the old interface by sending them to your email address. Instructions on how to do this are available here.

Evidence-based Learning and Teaching

2011-09-13T08:59:00.004+01:00

Attention All Teaching Staff. The Teaching Bite this week will focus on literature searching, current awareness and social networking in the field of Learning and Teaching research.

Lunch will be provided from 12.30 in the 2nd floor Meetings Room of the Library and the presentation will begin at 1.00pm lasting for 30 minutes, with time for discussion afterwards.

Please email library@aston.ac.uk if you would like to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Information Specialists Team

We say goodbye to..... Roger Hart

2011-09-09T10:58:00.001+01:00

For many returning students there will be a familiar face missing from the Library Reception desk this year, following Library Attendant Roger Hart’s retirement from Aston University at the end of August. Roger says he will really miss meeting the new students this year, but is looking forward to spending more time travelling around the country in his new camper van. We are sad to see him go, and wish him a long and happy retirement.

New Aston e-Library interface now live!

2011-09-02T12:35:00.006+01:00

The new-look Aston e-Library is now available with the following new features and improvements:

Search response time: instantaneous search results

Coverage: the new index includes the great majority of relevant electronic resources
Ranking quality: using the new service's proven algorithms and deploying the same evaluation method on all relevant results

See this webpage for a basic guide to the new interface.

Please contact library@aston.ac.uk if you have any queries about the new interface.

Teaching Bites 2011

2011-09-02T11:10:00.002+01:00

Attention All Teaching Staff

This September, Library & Information Services will present a number of short, informal seminars on topics relevant to supporting Learning and Teaching across all disciplines. Whether you want to find out how information literacy can be embedded into your modules, or you would like to know how you can jazz up your learning and teaching materials by using some of our Open Educational Resources databases , you will find something for you.

• Lunch will be provided from 12.30pm
• All seminars will start at 1.00pm.
• They will be held in the Library Seminar Room, on the 2nd floor of the Library.
• Presentations will last 20-30 minutes to be followed by discussion/questions.

A full programme is available from the following library web page: http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lis/additional-information-for/staffinfo/teaching-bites-2011/

Please feel free to book online via the web page or email library@aston.ac.uk stating the full list of sessions you wish to attend.

Introducing the Library Catalogue direct to your mobile device

2011-09-01T14:03:00.007+01:00

LIS is pleased to announce that from the beginning of this academic year the Library Catalogue will be available in mobile format.

You will be able to access your library record, search for and reserve items in the same way as the standard Catalogue but the format will make it easier to use on your mobile device.

Want to give it a try? Then go to http://m.library.aston.ac.uk/ and let us know what you think.

Research Bites 2011: update

2011-08-23T15:55:00.004+01:00

This summer, Library & Information Services presented a series of Research Bites: short, informal seminars on topics relevant to researchers at all levels. Topics included Advanced Literature Searching, Journal Quality Measures, Keeping Up-to-Date, and Company and Industry Research.

If you have been unable to attend one or more of the Research Bites 2011 seminars, don’t worry – you can review all the content, including a Lecture Capture (Aston Replay) version and the PowerPoint slides for each seminar, via the Research Bites 2011 website.

We’d also be very grateful if you could take 5 minutes to complete our survey. The survey centres on the Research Bites 2011 seminars but we’d like to hear from you, whether or not you attended any of these seminars, and even if you haven’t heard of them before! Click here to take the survey.

The Library has closed at 16:00 hours today

2011-08-10T16:01:00.001+01:00

Wednesday 10th August the Library has closed at 16:00 hours. The Library will re-open tomorrow morning as normal at 09:00.

Library has closed at 16:00 hours today

2011-08-09T17:35:00.003+01:00

Tuesday 9 August the Library has closed at 16:00 hours. The Library will re-open tomorrow morning as normal at 09:00.

New Database: JISC e-Collections

2011-08-03T15:14:00.007+01:00

The Library now has access to new database JISC e-Collections. This online resource gives you access to 3 different sets of data:

JISC MediaHub is a new multimedia platform offering a wealth of digital image, film and sound collections accessible from a single interface. The new platform offers access to free-at-the-point-of-use images, film and sound content licensed for educational and research use, via an easy-to-use interface.

JISC HistoricBooks contains the full text or page images of over 350,000 books published in England from 1475 to 1900. The service draws together content from two of the best-known and longest-established early book collections (EEBO and ECCO) and well as additional unique titles from the BL 19th Century Collection.

JISC JournalArchives consolidates journal archives from many different publishers to provide a single platform for simple and fast cross-searching and full text access across more than 450 journals. More titles will be added this year to bring the collection to over 600 titles.

To log in to these resources, search for Aston University and enter your network username and password. Please comment on this post or email library@aston.ac.uk if you have any further queries about this service.

Aston e-library downtime: Friday 29th July

2011-07-26T10:11:00.004+01:00

Aston e-Library will be unavailable on the morning of Friday 29th July from 9.30-12while we carry out essential maintenance work. Please use the electronic resources webpage during this time to link through to databases.

New interface for Web of Knowledge

2011-07-19T17:00:00.004+01:00

On 17th July 2011 the new Web of Knowledge (WoK v5.3) became the primary platform. This means that all your links to Web of Knowledge will take you directly to the new version.

New features in version 5.3 include:

All terms are searched - no stop words
Linguistic search assistance: lemmatization (word stemming) and spelling variations
Left hand truncation
NEAR/x operator
All results returned
Abstract preview

The old version (WoK v4.10) is now the secondary platform and can still be accessed until the end of 2011. If you prefer the old version, please use the following url: webofknowledgev4.com. A link is also available from WoK 5.3 to WoK 4.10, located towards the right hand side of the screen in Wok 5.3.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the new interface.

2011-07-14T15:23:00.006+01:00

Aston e-Library currently down

We are currently experiencing some problems with the Aston e-Library which is affecting access. Staff are working to resolve the problem and LIS will let you know via the Blogworm when the service is available again.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Aston e-Library upgrade: save your e-shelf items!

2011-07-11T14:22:00.002+01:00

Aston e-Library will be upgraded during the summer vacation. Any items saved in the “My e-Library” part of Aston e-Library will not be migrated to the new interface. This includes articles that you’ve saved from results lists, favourite databases and e-journals and any alerts you may have set. For information on how to send lists of articles from your e-shelf to your e-mail address, please see this webpage. The new service will go live at the end of August.

2010 Journal Citation Reports have been published

2011-07-01T17:04:00.003+01:00

By compiling articles' cited references, the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) help to measure research influence and impact at the journal and category levels, and shows the relationship between citing and cited journals. The results are published each year, and the 2010 results have now been released.

You can now find out the 2010 Impact Factor for your journals - that is the average number of 2010 citations to articles published in your journal title during 2008 and 2009. Remember that you should compare Impact Factors only between journals within the same subject area - JCR can help you do this as it provides subject category lists and rankings. There are other metrics within the JCR as well, so you can get a more rounded picture of the quality of your journals.

Find out more about journal quality measures by coming along to the Publish or Perish: but Where? seminar as part of our Research Bites 2011.

Library free trial to Perfect Information has now ended

2011-06-30T11:39:00.003+01:00

This is just to let you know that the free trial to Perfect Information has now ended.

There are several alternative resources you can use for business information including:

FAME, ORBIS, Business Source Premier. You can use the Aston e-Library to explore what's available.

Alternatively, please contact Nicola Dennis (N.Dennis@aston.ac.uk) or Lydia Matheson (L.A.Matheson@aston.ac.uk) for advice on using LIS business information sources.

Thank you and regards

Lydia Matheson,
Information Specialist,
LIS

Aston e-library downtime: Wednesday 6th July

2011-06-28T17:08:00.002+01:00

Aston e-Library will be unavailable for approximately 3 hours between 10am and 1pm on Wednesday 6th July while we carry out essential maintenance work. Please use the electronic resources webpage during this time to link through to databases.

Summer Vacation Library Opening Hours

2011-06-24T11:11:00.003+01:00

The Library will close at 10pm this evening (Friday, 24th June) and it will re-open at 12pm tomorrow.

Summer Vacation Library Opening Hours
Saturday, 25 June – Saturday, 1 October

The Library is open:

9am-9pm Mondays to Fridays
12pm - 5pm Saturdays and Sundays

Research Bites 2011

2011-06-21T17:19:00.002+01:00

This summer, Library & Information Services will present a series of Research Bites: short, informal seminars on topics relevant to researchers at all levels. Whether you want a quick refresher on a single topic or a comprehensive updating of your information and research skills, you will find something for you.

Topics to be covered include:

Advanced Literature Searching
Publish or perish: but where?
Keeping up to date
Copyright and Intellectual Property

Seminars will be held in the Library Seminar Room on Wednesdays through July and August starting at 12:30pm. Please bring your own lunch but tea and coffee will be provided.

View full programme and further information

9th edition of Gerry Johnson's Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases

2011-06-20T15:03:00.003+01:00

Dear Students,

The Library has received 30 copies of the 9th edition of the Johnson, Gerry, et al (2011) Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases. 9th ed. Harlow: Financial Times / Prentice Hall. There is one copy in the short loan collection on the ground floor and 29 copies on the 3rd floor. All at shelved at class number 658.4012 JOH.

Please note that the title has changed from the 8th edition published in 2008 which was entitled Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. In order to see all editions on the Library Catalogue we recommend that you use keyword search and type in Johnson Exploring Strategy and scroll down the list.

Booking research time on Datastream

2011-06-20T09:28:00.001+01:00

Datastream Booking Information
The Library provides access to Datastream via a single computer on the 1st floor of the Library. In order to try and balance student’s requests to access the Datastream database, the Library has provided a booking diary which students can find next to the computer. The information provided by the computer requests that students only book ONE HOUR slots with the potential to remain on the database if there are no bookings made after that hour.

Unfortunately, students are block booking up to FOUR hours at a time which is preventing other students having access to the software. Please be aware that over the next few weeks there will be increasing pressure from students wanting to use the software and you may find that the Library has reduced your booking to the requested ONE HOUR.

If you are a student struggling to gain any research time on the Datastream software please contact Nicola Dennis n.dennis@aston.ac.uk who is the Information Specialist responsible for the database and she will look in to the booking slots and try and help you gain some time on the computer.

Kind Regards
Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist
Aston University Library

Reuters 3000Xtra - Question and Answer Session

2011-05-23T13:20:00.002+01:00

Dear Students,

Do you use the ABS Trading Room? Would you like further help utilising this real time financial software? Thomson Reuters are offering Question and Answer sessions for students using Reuters 3000Xtra. If you are having problems extracting data and would like advice please feel free to sign up for one of the Q&A sessions:

•Client trainers from Thomson Reuters will be holding online Q&A sessions to answer your questions regarding data on DataStream

•No need to have the product in front of you, just the question that you want answering · No need to join a conference call, they will use Adobe chat… however, if you really want to talk to a trainer they will provide a number to call

•To sign up email training.uki@thomsonreuters.com stating the date, time and product session that you would like to attend

Dates and Times are: 9th June 10:00am and 21st June 10:00am

Kind Regards
Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist

Need to use Datastream?

2011-05-23T13:16:00.002+01:00

Dear Students,

Do you use the financial numerical database Datastream? Would you like further help extracting data? Thomson Reuters are offering Question and Answer sessions for students using the Datastream database. If you are having problems extracting data and would like advice please feel free to sign up for one of the Q&A sessions:

•Client trainers from Thomson Reuters will be holding online Q&A sessions to answer your questions regarding data on DataStream

•No need to have the product in front of you, just the question that you want answering · No need to join a conference call, they will use Adobe chat… however, if you really want to talk to a trainer they will provide a number to call

•To sign up email training.uki@thomsonreuters.com stating the date, time and product session that you would like to attend

Dates and Times are: 7th June 2:00pm and 21st June 2:00pm

Kind Regards
Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist

Congratulations to all graduating students

2011-05-16T17:08:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to all graduating students. Before you leave please can you return all your library books and pay off any outstanding fines.

Best regards and best of luck for the future from LIS

Library Team

New Database: Scopus

2011-05-09T14:17:00.003+01:00

Aston staff and students now have access to the bibliographic database Scopus.

Scopus is the world's largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and quality web sources with smart tools to track analyze and visualize research.

You can access Scopus here: http://www.scopus.com/scopus/home.url. Look out for the Find it Aston icon in your results list to check on full-text availability.

Library Opening Hours - changes this weekend due to demolition works to the towers

2011-05-05T17:10:00.003+01:00

The Library will close at 18:00 on Saturday, 7 May.
The Library will be closed all day on Sunday, 8 May.
The Library will re-open at 08:00 on Monday, 9 May.

Perfect Information - free trial is ending 1st June

2011-05-05T13:50:00.002+01:00

Dear Library users,

The free trial to Perfect Information is ending 1st June 2011. If you have any comments about this service please email feedback to: library@aston.ac.uk

PI Navigator is a financial and capital markets database providing access to over 15 million global company filings including annual reports, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), equity transactional documents (including Initial Public Offerings) and bond prospectuses. PI Navigator surfaces the value of the data buried within financial documents, providing the ability to significantly reduce the time taken when modelling company financials.

To research students and researchers

2011-04-27T11:20:00.003+01:00

Pat Gannon-Leary of Bede Research & Consultancy is writing a brief guide provisionally entitled The Informed Researcher, commissioned by the RIN in close collaboration with Vitae and SCONUL, and aimed at researchers such as yourself.

As part of this work, Pat is trying to find out what type of information on this topic would be particularly useful for researchers.

SCONUL has produced a model known as the 7 Pillars of Information Literacy. These are as follows:-

Identify (a personal need for information)
Scope (assess current knowledge and identify gaps)
Plan (construct strategies for locating information and data)
Gather (locate and access information and data needed)
Evaluate (review research process and compare and evaluate information and data)
Manage (organise information professionally and ethically)
Present (apply knowledge gained; presenting results, synthesising new and old information and data to create new knowledge and disseminating it in various ways)

For more details click here.

You probably recognise these pillars in your own work. What Pat would like you to do, if you would be so kind, is just to respond to the following statement:-

One aspect of the 7 pillars which I consider most important for me and about which I would like to know more is...

Please respond directly to Pat by e-mail with as much or as little text in response to the statement. If there is more than one aspect, feel free to write at length.

Thanks in anticipation for your help in developing the guide. It should prove useful for researchers when it is published.

Free access to Routledge Education Journals throughout April

2011-04-06T10:43:00.005+01:00

Throughout April you can enjoy free online access to over 200 Routledge Education journals. A wide range of subjects are covered in this promotion including Curriculum Studies, Education Research, Early Years Education, Higher Education, Teacher Education, Educational Psychology, History of Education and more. From 1st April until 30th April, you can benefit from high quality research from the latest journal issues as well as the entire archive content back to 1900. To view a full list of Education journals, please visit: http://www.educationarena.com/journals/bySubject.asp

Off-campus access to EBSCOhost products unavailable

2011-04-05T13:47:00.002+01:00

Dear Staff and Students,

We are experiencing technical difficulties with off-campus access to EBSCOhost products which include:

Business Source Premier
Econlit
Education Research Complete
SocIndex

We are working with EBSCO to resolve the problem but in the meantime if you do need to access these databases while using the University wireless network or an off-campus PC please go through the University proxy server

NEW DATABASE: IBISWorld Update

2011-03-31T16:12:00.004+01:00

IBISWorld is one of the UK's richest source of business and industry information. IBISWorld Industry Reports are a useful tool to help write business plans, marketing plans, understand business strategy and to understand supply chain. This database provides independent, accurate, comprehensive, and current research on 100s of Industries in the UK, USA, Australia, China and Global Industry, including statistics, analysis and forecasts.

You can access IBISWorld through the Aston e-Library > Log in > Find Resource > Locate and type in IBISWorld.

Aston University Library has now extended trial access until the end of August 2011. If you use IBISWorld we would welcome your feedback on the product. Please send feedback to library@aston.ac.uk

Book loans over the Easter vacation

2011-03-31T14:30:00.002+01:00

Books will continue to be loaned for the normal seven day, one day or long loan period during the Easter vacation. They will need to be renewed online: https://library.aston.ac.uk/patroninfo or returned when due.

(No books will be due for return during the library closed period Friday, 22nd April to Tuesday, 26th April inclusive or between Friday, 29th April to Monday, 2nd May inclusive.)

Any book which cannot be renewed due to a reservation will need to be returned by post if necessary. Fines will be charged for late return.

Dawsonera downtime

2011-03-30T09:47:00.001+01:00

The e-book platform Dawsonera will unavailable between 5-6 on Thursday 31st March due to essential work to make improvements to the service.

Anonymous Comment

2011-03-18T13:15:00.000Z

Please could the person who left the anonymous comment about a security guard contact us at library@aston.ac.uk with more details so that we can follow up your query?

Excellent Customer Service

2011-03-17T17:54:00.001Z

LIS prides itself on its customer service and has just increased its score from 87% to 95% in an assessment for Customer Service Excellence awarded by the Cabinet Office. The assessor measures 57 standards for customer service, based on an evidential submission, observation of practice, and interviews with students, LIS staff and colleagues from around the University. He was amazed at the difference made by the refurbishment , and said that feedback from students about both the service and the refurbishment was overwhelmingly positive. The question he was asked most often was “When is the rest of the Library going to be done?”

Problem linking to e-journals via Find it @ Aston

2011-03-14T11:47:00.007Z

**UPDATE** This issue has now been resolved and you should be able to search the e-Library and link through to e-journals again with no problems.

We're currently experiencing problems with the software that links us through to e-journals. The suppliers are working on a fix for this as a matter of urgency but in the meantime you can take the following steps to get round this:

If you want to do a search for journal articles on a particular topic, use the Aston e-Library "Find Resource" section to link through to subject specific full text databases and perform your searches there.
If you have a citation for a specific e-journal article and need to access the fulltext, search Google Scholar to find out where the e-journal is available and try to access the fulltext from there.

Apologies for the inconvenience this will cause. This post will be updated as soon as the problem is fixed.

Library - Invitation to Focus Group Discussion

2011-03-09T17:04:00.005Z

Dear Students,

Tell us what you think!

Library & Information Services would like to invite you to a focus group discussion in the Library to ensure your views contribute to our programme of continuous improvement.

If you would like to help and you are free from:
12:30 to 2:00pm on Tuesday 22 March (Undergraduates)
12:30 to 2:00pm on Wednesday 23 March (Postgraduates)

then please email library@aston.ac.uk to book a place. We will provide you with some light refreshments and an online book voucher.

Please include the following information with your reply:
1. Your name
2. Course of study
3. Year of study
4. Brief information about why you would like to be involved in the focus group

Once you have contacted us, we will confirm your booking via email by Monday 21st March.

We will allocate places on a first-come, first-served basis ensuring at the same time, that students from different courses of study, across different year groups, are all represented as much as possible. Please remember that your views are valuable to us in developing services that meet your needs and the needs of students at Aston in the coming years.

We look forward to hearing from you.

library@aston.ac.uk

Datastream Question & Answer sessions

2011-03-08T09:55:00.002Z

Client trainers from Thomson Reuters will be holding online Q&A sessions to answer your questions regarding data on DataStream
No need to have the product in front of you, just the question that you want answering · No need to join a conference call, they will use Adobe chat… however, if you really want to talk to a trainer they will provide a number to call
To sign up email training.uki@thomsonreuters.com stating the date, time and product session that you would like to attend

Dates and Times are: 9th March 3:00pm and 23rd March 10:00am

Kind Regards
Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist

24/6 Library Opening Hours Sunday, 6th March - Friday, 25th March

2011-03-07T16:35:00.002Z

During the postgraduate examination period, the Library will be open for 24 hours, 6 days a week.
Sunday, 6 March 2011 to 10:00pm on Friday, 25th March 2011.
The Library will close at 6:00pm on Saturdays and reopen at 11:00am on Sundays

For full details of the 24 hour opening times, please see our opening hours web pages.

If you have any queries or comments about this, please add them below.

Struggling to use Datastream?

2011-03-04T13:41:00.002Z

Try the Thomson Reuters Knowledge Network which provides training materials for all Thomson Reuters products. Aston University subscribes to Datastream and those training materials are available at https://customers.reuters.com/trainingknowledgenetwork/Datastream/Index.html

The on-demand e-tutorials require you to sign up for a free account with Thomson Reuters Customer Zone, but the video tutorials can be viewed online by anyone.

For Datastream beginners I would recommend viewing:

Retrieving and Analyzing Data in Excel
Finding Codes with Navigator

Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist

Library fines donated to RAGWEEK charities

2011-03-03T14:52:00.002Z

All Library fines paid this week and next week (Sunday 27 February to Saturday 12 March inclusive) will be donated to Aston Student Guild RAGWEEK charities.

E-book access troubleshooting

2011-03-02T15:29:00.003Z

Do you often have problems accessing e-books using the Internet Explorer browser?
Do you constantly get error messages, or keep trying to log in but never actually get to the e-book?

In order to get round this you can either use a different browser such as Mozilla Firefox or you can change your settings in Internet Explorer:

click on Tools in your internet browser
select Internet Options
select the Privacy tab and move the settings down to "low"

However, if you don’t want to lower the security settings in your browser for all sites, you can do this on a case-by-case basis in the following way:

click on Tools in your internet browser
select Internet Options
select the Privacy tab
click on Sites and then enter the last part of the URL (see below) for each e-book platform you are having problems with and select Allow:

dawsonera.com
ebrary.com
myilibrary.com
safaribooksonline.com

If you continue to have problems with e-books, please comment on this post or email library@aston.ac.uk.

Free trial to complete Palgrave Macmillan Journals content

2011-03-02T13:26:00.007Z

Palgrave are offering full-text access to their complete collection of e-journals throughout March. Click here to take advantage of this trial before the end of the month.

ABI Inform Proquest login problem

2011-02-18T11:25:00.001Z

**Temporary fix**
The database suppliers are working on a fix for the original URL. In the meantime, please go via this URL http://proquest.umi.com/login and follow these steps:

Select "Login through your library or institution
Select "United Kingdom (UK federation)
Select "Aston University"
Login with your network username and password

We're currently having problems with Shibboleth login for Proquest databases. We've contacted the suppliers about this and hope to have a resolution soon. This post will be updated as soon as the problem is fixed.

Inter-Library Loans: delays at British Library

2011-02-17T13:13:00.002Z

Due to the discovery of asbestos in some of the British Library's Document Supply Centre buildings, certain parts of their collection are temporarily unavailable. This means that supplying some Inter-Library Loan items may take longer than usual. We will endeavour to find alternative suppliers where possible during this time.

NEW DATABASE: Perfect Information

2011-02-14T16:51:00.001Z

PI Navigator is a financial and capital markets database providing access to over 15 million global company filings including annual reports, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), equity transactional documents (including Initial Public Offerings) and bond prospectuses. PI Navigator surfaces the value of the data buried within financial documents, providing the ability to significantly reduce the time taken when modelling company financials

Pleae note that this service is available until June 2011 on trial. We welcome your feedback on this database. Please email feedback to library@aston.ac.uk

Web of Knowledge access problem

2011-02-11T11:17:00.006Z

We've been getting reports of people encountering error messages when they attempt to log in to the Web of Knowledge. As far as we are aware, there is no current issue with access to Web of Knowledge and the problems are happening sporadically. We're in contact with the vendors to try and sort this out, but in the meantime, if you do get an error message, try accessing it via this URL: http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wayf?idp=aston.ac.uk. If you have any queries about this, please comment on this post.

Financial database - Datastream

2011-02-11T10:30:00.002Z

The computer that hosts the financial database called Datastream now has a new location. It is available on the Library 1st floor. If you enter the 1st floor from the new stair case, walk down the left hand side and Datastream is located outside the Library Office window. The study table has the computer, Datastream Help documentation and study space. There is a telephone available so you can direct dial the Datastream Help Line anytime of the day. You should pre-book your research slot on this computer and there is a diary available on the table. You will also see an instruction poster telling you how to access the database and how to get help. If you need a tutorial to get you started please book an Information Specialist via library@aston.ac.uk.

Students who wish to use the Internet or Microsoft packages are welcome to access the computer but priority will be given to students who wish to use the Datastream database.

ScienceDirect content on your mobile device

2011-02-09T13:25:00.003Z

In addition to the default format options of HTML and PDF, ScienceDirect have now added an application that will allow you to download articles of interest in ePub or Mobi formats, perfect for reading on your mobile device.

Look out for the eReader Formats application in the My Applications box on the right hand side of the screen when viewing any subscribed article or book chapter in ScienceDirect. This allows you to convert the article to ePUB or Mobi formats, widely used by electronic readers and mobile devices such as a Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle, iPhone or iPad.

FAME and ORBIS

2011-02-01T10:12:00.001Z

The two financial databases FAME and ORBIS are currently unavailable. Bureau Van Dijk who own the databases are aware of the problem and it is a technical issue that is effecting all customers not just Aston University. We are liaising with their helpdesk and will be alerted when the problem has been resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

Nicola Dennis
Business Information Specialist

Library laptops are available for use in Library

2011-01-27T15:06:00.004Z

If you would like to borrow a laptop to use whilst you are in the Library, there are a number of laptops available for staff and students on a first-come, first-served basis. They are available from the Library Help desk from 09.00am until 17.00pm Monday to Friday and from 10.00am until 12.00pm on Saturday. For further details about the laptop loans see the Library web pages.

British Pharmacopoeia Online

2011-01-26T10:38:00.004Z

Access has now been restored to this database so you can log in via Athens in the usual way.
Apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.

2011-01-20T15:50:00.000Z

The IOPscience service will be unavailable for approximately 8.5 hours, between 8:30am and 5:00pm on Saturday January 22nd.

Stapling your documents

2011-01-14T12:46:00.002Z

If you are using University printers and would like to staple your documents, then please refer to the instructions in the Getting Started section of Library Matters on Blackboard.

Any questions, please let us know.

LIS

Ground Floor Computers - Essential computer updates taking place on Thursday 6th January

2011-01-04T15:44:00.003Z

This is to let you know that ground floor computers in the Library will not be available on Thursday 6th January from 10:00 till 17:00 due to the installation of Windows 7. You will find alternative computers on 2nd and 3rd floor of the Library or in the Main Building.

LIS

Aston e-Library unavailable

2010-12-14T09:52:00.001Z

The Aston e-Library is currently unavailable. ISA are working on the problem and we will let you know when the problem has been resolved. In the meantime please access the Library's electronic resources via the following web page http://www1.aston.ac.uk/lis/eis/

Update - 11.00am on 14/12/2010: The Aston e-Library is now available. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Book loans over the Christmas vacation

2010-12-13T13:56:00.000Z

Books will continue to be loaned for the normal seven day, one day or long loan period during the Christmas vacation and renewed or returned when due. No books will be due for return during the library closed period 24th December 2010 to 3rd January 2011 inclusive.
Any book which cannot be renewed due to a reservation will need to be returned by post if necessary. Fines will be charged for late return.

IT problems today

2010-12-11T11:25:00.003Z

Unfortunately there is a campus wide IT problem which is affecting the Library today. This means that you will not be able to renew your books online until this has been sorted out. ISA have been informed and are working on the problem. We apologise for the inconvenience caused

24/6 and Christmas vacation opening hours

2010-12-06T10:28:00.003Z

From Sunday, 28 November 2010 - Friday, 17 December 2010 the Library is open 24/6.
Monday - Friday we are open 24 hours. The Help desk is open 09:00 - 18:00.
Saturday we close at 18:00. The Help desk is open 10:00 - 13:00.
Sunday we open at 11:00.

On Friday, 17 December 2010 the building will close at 22:00.

Christmas vacation opening hours

Saturday, 18 December 2010 - Saturday, 8 January 2011

(Please note for the vacation period we will close at 23:00 on Thursday, 23 December 2010 and re-open at 08:00 on Tuesday, 4 January 2011. Our book return boxes will also be closed during this time.)

Monday - Friday we are open 08:00 - 23:00. The Help desk is open 09:00 - 17:00.
Saturday we are open 11:00 - 18:00. The Help desk is not available.
Sunday we are open 11:00 - 18:00. The Help desk is not available.

On Monday, 20 December 2010 the Help desk will close at 12:00. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Access to Westlaw & Lexis off campus

2010-12-02T12:13:00.003Z

Access to subscription based legal research databases off Campus

To access off campus please use the proxy server - see instructions
http//www1.aston.ac.uk/lis/eis/

You can also phone Westlaw ( 0800 028 2200 ) and ask them to do a search for you and they will e-mail the results to you. They are aware there is a problem with Shibboleth access. Dont forget to use Lexis and Lawtel as alternative resources.

NB- use the law section of the Aston e Library - there are lots of alternative free resources for legal research.

Adele Champken - Information Specialist (Law)

**3rd Dec. This problem has now been fixed, and you can log on to Westlaw and Lexis as usual via the e-Library. Apologies for the inconvenience**

Relax, have a coffee and read the latest news

2010-11-30T09:40:00.002Z

Newspapers
The newspaper stand has now moved from the 3rd floor to the Library Ground Floor. You will find the newspapers located next to Cafe Libro. Please feel free to visit the Library, grab a coffee and read the latest news. When you have finished - just pop the newspaper back on the stand. The newspaper stand contains the last 3 months of The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent and The Times. We will update the stand on a daily basis.

We also have online access to a wide range of global news publications via the database called Nexis UK. Please visit the Aston e-Library > access the Find Resource tab > choose Locate and type in Nexis UK. To access this service off campus you will need to type in your network username and password.

Safari Tech Books Online availability via Library Catalogue

2010-11-26T13:47:00.004Z

Due to a problem with e-book records, there will be no Safari e-books listed in the catalogue until the beginning of next week (29th/30th November). You can still access the e-books by going to Safari directly and searching for the title you need.

**These e-books have now been restored on the library catalogue. Sorry for any inconvenience** 30/11/10