British Library ETHOS service: advance notification of downtime

Please be aware that on Sunday 23 June, the EThOS service will be unavailable all day as the British Library implements a major technical upgrade. Apologies for the inconvenience this will cause.

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.

Library Refurbishment Phase 2, 2013 - Book move completed!

Latest Photos and Videos

A team of Library Staff have been working hard over the weekend to erect shelving on the Ground Floor to accommodate the books from the 3rd Floor.  They were so fast that on Monday morning we were ahead of schedule.  By Wednesday the book move had been completed two days ahead of schedule.  You now need to look for books on the 1st Floor and Ground Floor of the Library.  The shelf numbers start from 001-531 on the 1st floor (includes LAW REF) and from 532-900 on the Ground Floor. 

Please note don't rely on our library catalogue records for the moment as they will need to be updated.  We will let you know when this has happened but in the meantime if you can't find a book please speak to a member of staff at the Library Help Desk.

Our non-active stock is being moved to storage and the Library shelving is now being dismantled on the 2nd and 3rd Floors. Furniture is being donated to charity, stored by the University or may even end up as a souvenir!

Check out the latest photos on Flickr

The Library Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val

Information Resources Team – staff changes

Last week we said goodbye to Jane Brown who was one of our Public Services Assistants. Jane has been a member of library staff for over five years and in that time you may have met her on the Library Help Desk, helping you with an query or if you needed support with the printers. We would like to thank Jane for all her hard work and she will be missed by everyone in the Library. We hope you join us in wishing Jane every success in her new venture working for Estates.

Information Services Team - staff changes

Last month we said goodbye to Malcolm Horne who worked in the Information Services Team.  Malcolm was one of our Information Specialists supporting staff and students in Aston Business School covering a maternity leave post. We would like to thank Malcolm for all his hard work and professionalism over the last year. 

We welcome Nicola Dennis who is now back from maternity leave and will continue in the role.  Nicola supports staff and students in Finance & Accounting, Law, Operations & Information Management, Work & Organisational Psychology and is the lead contact for ABS PG's and Research.

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 Refurbishment Phase 2, 2013 - Clearing the floors

Phase 2 of the Library Refurbishment has begun! Some of you studying in the Library may have already witnessed staff moving books from the 2nd Floor and reshelving them on the 1st Floor.  There are a number of offices, cupboards and teaching rooms which are being cleared including our Library Plant Room situated on the 3rd Floor.  Staff are working this weekend to erect shelving on the Ground Floor so that we will be ready to start moving 3rd Floor books next week.  We are documenting our refurbishment with photographs that are being uploaded regularly to Flickr.  Please view our latest montage at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lis_refurb/collections/

Library Refurbishment Photography Team
Kerstin, Nicola and Val