Library SmartSearch - off campus access is currently unavailable

The Library search engine, Library SmartSearch, is currently unavailable off-campus.  The Library is working with the company that owns the software to resolve this issue.

In the meantime, please visit your subject LibGuide for advice on the individual databases you can use to search for journal articles in your subject area.  A list of the subject LibGuides is available at http://libguides.aston.ac.uk/ 

Off-campus access is now available again!!

04/07/2016 11:45am

It just got easier to find the journal title you want...

The journals feature within Library SmartSearch has been upgraded and includes new functionality. 


Search for a journal title within SmartSearch, and use the Journal search box in your results list to search for articles within that journal!

Select the Journals link from the banner and either search for the title you want, or browse a list of journals within a certain discipline!

If you have any questions or comments about these new features, please contact us or add a comment to this post.

Problems with Library SmartSearch and other EBSCO databases

We are sorry to report that there is currently a problem accessing and searching Library SmartSearch and other databases provided by EBSCO.  This has been reported to the supplier for a resolution.  In the meantime you can use the following links:

• Book search and reservations    http://library.aston.ac.uk


•     Journals                                 http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/14038?lang=en&lang.menu=en&lang.subject=en#65/1/1/journalsOnly


•     Databases                              http://libguides.aston.ac.uk/az.php

(Please note at present none of the EBSCO databases on this list such as Business Source Complete will work)

We will let you know when the problem is resolved, if you have any queries please email library@aston.ac.uk

Update to Problems with Library SmartSearch and other EBSCO databases

We have been informed that the problem with Library SmartSearch and EBSCO databases access has now been resolved and you should now be able to use them without a problem.  If you are still having problems please email library@aston.ac.uk

Planned system maintenance - Saturday 21st February 2015

The Library system will be unavailable between 20:00 on 21st February and 02:00 on 22nd February due to planned maintenance.

During this time you will not be able to:

Log in to your Library Record

Renew any items on your Library Record

Search the catalogue and place reservations

You will still be able to:

Search Library SmartSearch

Access electronic resources

Use your LibGuides

The maintenance should be completed by the time the Library opens on Sunday 22nd February and all normal out of hours services should be available.  If you experience any problems please let us know by emailing library@aston.ac.uk

Problems accessing Library SmartSearch off campus should now be fixed

Some students have reported a problem with accessing Library SmartSearch off campus.  When they have clicked on the 'Hello Guest' link to log in from with SmartSearch they have been given the following error screen:

We have been in contact with our suppliers who have made some changes to our settings which should have resolved the problem.  If you have been unable to log in to SmartSearch off campus as a result of this issue please try the following:

1. Clear your cache on the device you were using
2. Go to http://www.aston.ac.uk/library and click on the Library SmartSearch logo
3. On the next screen click on the link in the yellow bar at the top of the screen which says 'Hello guest. Login for full access.'
4. You should now get a screen with a log in box asking for your Aston University username and password.
5. Enter your username and password and click OK.  You should now be back at the main SmartSearch homepage, logged in and ready to search.

If you are still having problems please let us know by emailing library@aston.ac.uk  We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this issue.

Advance notice: Library systems downtime due to system upgrade on Monday 30th June 2014

The Library will be upgrading its Library Management System on Monday 30th June 2014, starting at 16:00.  The process is expected to be completed by 10:00am on Tuesday 1st July 2014.

During this period you will still be able to:

• Issue and return books using one of the self  service machines
• Use Library SmartSearch to look for resources and access electronic content

You will not be able to:

• Pay your fines
• Renew your books
• Access or check your Library record
• Check the availability of books

You will also not be able to borrow self service laptops between 13:00 on Monday 30th June 2014 and 10:00 on Tuesday 1st July 2014.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and if you have any queries please contact us by emailing library@aston.ac.uk

Library System - now up and running

The Library System upgrade was successful.  you should now be able to

• Search Library SmartSearch to find books and journal articles and see whether items in the library are available for loan or not. 
• Access your Library Record to renew books, pay fines and so on. 
• Borrow a Laptop from either the Help Desk or the self-service laptop cabinets. 
• Issue or return books in the library, using the self-service machines. 

Catch up on Research Bites 2013

Research Bites 2013 was a success!  The short, informal seminars held on Wednesdays throughout July and August featured topics relevant to researchers at all levels. Every seminar was captured by Aston Replay and they are all now available to watch online. 

Topics for this year's seminars included:

• Fine-tune your literature searches
• Measuring Research Impact: yours and others’
• Using Endnote to organise your references
• What can Open Access publishing do for you? 
• Managing your Research Data 

You can find more details about the topics and a link to the Aston Replay recording for each in the full programme on the Research Bites 2013 webpage.
If you would like to download the PowerPoint slides for any of the topics, you can also access the Aston Replay recordings, PowerPoint slides and further information via Library Matters on Blackboard > Info for Research > Research Bites 2013.

If you missed your opportunity to recieve a copy of vitae's publication, The informed researcher: Because interacting with information is at the very heart of your research, which features a self-assessment tool for information literacy and maps these skills against the Researcher Development Framework, you can download a copy instead.

27th August 2013 – Library System Unavailable

The Library system will be unavailable on 27th August 2013 due to a scheduled maintenance upgrade.  It will not be possible to check book availability, reserve or renew books during this period. 

It should still be possible to use Library SmartSearch to access databases, electronic journals and ebooks during this time. 

We apologise for any inconvenience.

Accessing Library SmartSearch mobile site?

If you regularly use Library SmartSearch on a small tablet or phone, you will be automatically directed to the the mobile site. You might find it easier to navigate your results if you switch to the Standard view rather than the default Brief view:

• Select the settings icon at the top of the screen

• Select the Standard format and click on Update

You should now see useful links to full-text articles and e-books underneath each record in your results list.

Research Bites 2013 announced!

The programme for the Research Bites 2013 seminars has now been announced. These short, informal seminars will be held in MB146 on Wednesdays at 1pm throughout July and August, and feature 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 for this year's seminars include:

• Fine-tune your literature searches
• Measuring Research Impact: yours and others’
• Using Endnote to organise your references
• What can Open Access publishing do for you? 
• Managing your Research Data 

You will also receive a copy of vitae's publication, The informed researcher: Because interacting with information is at the very heart of your research, which features a self-assessment tool for information literacy and maps these skills against the Researcher Development Framework.

You can find the full programme and more details about each topic on the Research Bites 2013 webpage.

Library SmartSearch Issues

We are currently experiencing some issues with the workings of Library SmartSearch.  These are:
1. When accessing it on-campus you are being asked to log in as if you were off-campus
2.  Some of the results in the search list have an option "Linked Full Text" but doesn't take you to the full text.  Instead you get a screen saying record not found.

These problems has been reported to our supplier and we will provide you with an update as soon as we have one.  All other functionality is unaffected and the majority of content is still accessible.

Update to access problem for Library SmartSearch

Our suppliers are still working on the above problems.  However, we have put a temporary fix in place to try and ensure that everyone has access to the full content of Library SmartSearch whether they are on or off campus.

To access Library SmartSearch you should:
1.  Go to http://www.aston.ac.uk/library and click on the Library SmartSearch logo
2.  You will be taken to a log in screen.  Here you should enter your Aston University username and password then click on Login.
3.  You should then be taken to the main search page for Library SmartSearch but be logged in and able to access content.

We will keep you updated on progress but if you have any problems please email library@aston.ac.uk

Resolution to issues with Library SmartSearch

We are pleased to report that our supplier has applied a patch which seems to have fixed the issues mentioned in this post.  You should now be able to access Library SmartSearch and all of its content without a problem.  If you have any problems please let us know by emailing library@aston.ac.uk

Improved access to Library SmartSearch

Library SmartSearch was introduced this academic year as a combined search facility for printed books, full text electronic books and journal articles.

Towards the end of last term we held a focus group with students to obtain feedback on the new facility. In general, this was very positive, but revealed some frustration and confusion relating to the positioning of the search-box within the Subject LibGuides. Consequently, the Library SmartSearch link from the Library home page now takes you to a single Library SmartSearch page that incorporates:

• Search box for Library SmartSearch 
• Links to Subject LibGuides for advice on additional sources of information 
• Quick links to databases and journals that you may frequently use

We hope this will make searching for the resources you need simpler and quicker.

Nick

Dr NR Smith
Director
Library & Information Services

Smarten up your searching!

If you are getting the results you want from the Library SmartSearch, great!  We're glad you're finding what you need.

However, when you're not getting results as relevant as you hoped, here are some tips for improving your search:

• Enclose a phrase in quotation marks to find only those items where your words appear in the order you have typed them in:  "doing your literature review". 
• Use Advanced Search to specify where your keywords should be found:

• Search for word variants or alternative spellings by using wild cards: 
  organi?ational behavi*
• Widen your search by using OR to link words which refer to the same concept: 
  "higher education" OR university
• Make your results more relevant by forcing your keywords to appear near each other.  The near operator (Nn) finds words within n words of one another:  student N3 mentor

For more tips on improving your search, click on the Help Icon which you will see next to the search box.  Alternatively, e-mail the Help Desk.

Let us know your thoughts on the Library SmartSearch by providing feedback. 

Feedback on LIS via your Staff-Student Consultative Committees

At this point in term, your Information Specialists are attending Staff Student Consultative Committees for Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate programmes, to communicate developments in Library & Information Services and to collect feedback from students. 

Developments which the Information Specialists will be raising include:

• Your Information Specialists and Information Resources Specialists have been working hard over the summer to introduce the brand new LibGuides and Library Smartsearch. These replace the Library Catalogue and Aston e-Library with one place to search for resources and to receive support in using them.  Please let us know your comments on these.
• We have also moved the books in the building to a more logical numerical sequence.  Books numbered 001 – 499 are now on Floor 2 and those numbered 500 – 999 are on Floor 3.  Please check the class/call number of the book you require via Library SmartSearch.
• The Library building is now open 24/6 during term time throughout the academic year. 
• A new self-service facility for loaning laptops is being trialled this week, and we hope to have this operating fully whenever the building is open within the next few weeks.

Staff-Student Consultative Committees are an important communication route for us to hear about both specific problems (such as availability of a core text book) to more general feedback about our services and facilities.

Please talk to your local student representatives if you have any issues you would like to raise at your Staff-Student Consultative Committee, or you are always welcome to contact us directly.

Missed your Library Matters Live?

Library Matters Live sessions have now finished for this year.  We hope those of you who attended found them a useful introduction to Library & Information Services (LIS). 

If you missed yours or you want a refresher, don't worry!  You can dowload the presentation slides and an audio tour for the Library from the Library Matters Live webpage.  There will also be staff members available to introduction you to LIS, demonstrate the Library SmartSearch and answer your questions in the Foyer of the Library from 11am to 2pm every day next week (8th - 12th October).  They will even have some left-over goodie bags, so you can get your free stuff from them!

And don't forget, you can always get help and support from the Help Desk on the ground floor of the Library.

Welcome to Aston University Library & Information Services, and good luck with your course!