Topic summaries

I've blogged before about Credo and the useful mindmaps (they call them Concept Maps) it can generate on subjects like 'Jean Piaget' or 'social exclusion'. (More information here: http://help.credoweb.credoreference.com/search/concept-map.html)

When we were deciding whether or not to renew this resource, the Head of Academic Liaison evangelised about the Topic Pages Credo includes. Full disclosure: I thought that's something I should look at...and then it dropped out of my head. Sound familiar? But, I've just unearthed the notes and - fortified with a nice cuppa - I have finally got round to investigating. They're pretty good for a general overview of a subject. Or, as Credo put it:

Topic Pages are Credo Reference’s approach to organizing and presenting information resources.  They are a dynamic “one stop shop” where you can find much of what your library has on any one topic.  Topic Pages aggregate information from Credo Reference, your other library databases and the open web, all on one screen.

So, it overlaps with what DISCOVER offers but doesn't replace it. DISCOVER would be the main search tool I use for researching assignments but Credo would be a great place to get 'warmed up'. Still love the concept maps though. Really helps see how ideas/people/events connect and evolve.

You can find out more about them here: http://help.credoweb.credoreference.com/content/topic-pages-tour.html or from this YouTube intro.



Link to Credo: http://library.beds.ac.uk/record=b1160670~S20 

A cheeky approach to Turnitin

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/sinister-buttocks-roget-would-blush-at-the-crafty-cheek/2015027.article

Any news story captioned 'sinister buttocks' will draw the eye! But this story of the perils of using a thesaurus is quite astonishing. Wouldn't it have been as quick to write the essay, as do all that looking up? Even if they did it online, that's a lot of clicks.

We won't withdraw our thesaurus collection though, even though it doesn't get many visitors on Level 1 of the Bedford Library. Our digital reference shelf, Credo Reference, has hundreds of dictionaries, as well as the odd thesaurus (Roget's included). One great feature is the mindmap - a great tool for quickly getting an overview of a topic like 'Jean Piaget' or 'social exclusion'.

Are you sitting comfortably?

I realise as I type that question that the reference - to a radio show called Listen with Mother from last century - is ridiculously fusty and antique! [Cue jokes about librarians...]

But, as the gentle voice of my childhood used to continue "Then, I'll begin".

Bedford Library has swish new chairs for the new academic year. Unfortunately, Hurricane Bertha has made the skies so black I can't take a decent shot of Level 1 (or the Training Suites on the top floor). Here's a picture of Luton instead. When the IT Suite there was gutted and refitted, they bought new chairs. And they've proved so popular and robust, we've bought the same ones for Bedford, as well.

IT Suite, Luton

If you're a returning student, you may have had the misfortune last year to find the only spare chairs were permanently locked at an angle more popular on sun loungers. This kit has stood up to heavy traffic at Luton - which is 24/7/365 like Bedford - so your long sessions in the library this year should be a lot more comfortable.

If you're feeling nostalgic for yarns of pirates, steam trains to boarding schools and talking mammals...I direct you to the Teaching Practice room on the Third Floor. We've got everything from hungry caterpillars to high-school vampires. 

BREO>Library: the journey just got better

The library team do not get summer holidays [sad violins] so we've all been very busy working on new things, or improving old ones.

We know a lot of people prefer to navigate to library resources from BREO, instead of LRWeb. So, our web designer has overhauled the Library tab on BREO.

Library tab on BREO

The links to DISCOVER, our Readinglists site, Study Hub and the What's On calendar, as well has many other websites, are now easier to find.

And you will also find a link to the online reading lists in every unit on BREO, so you can jump from your tutor's recommendations to checking the library's stock, reserving a copy, buying from John Smiths or reading online smoothly.

Study Hub: online and on-campus

The Study Hub - accessible from LRWeb and BREO - is a 'hub' of resources providing advice on

• academic skills, like writing, maths, note-taking etc
• how to use Microsoft Office products for academic work (writing long assignments, working with spreadsheets, creating presentations)
• referencing skills
• and which library resources to use in your subject area

It is a collaboration between the Computer Skills Trainers, Academic Liaison Librarians and the PAD (study skills) Team.

As well as the online resources, you can 'drop in' on the Study Hub service every day during term-time at Bedford and Luton site. The times and locations will be posted on the What's On calendar and there will be further information on the plasma screens and noticeboards on campus.

The library is trying to get a feel for whether this kind of service would also be popular 'online', through a voice-over-IP service. Let Adele and Hilary know what you think. The university is trialling a service from the company who produces BREO which is as easy to use as Skype and FaceTime but more with a lot more study-friendly features. 

Classroom as research laboratory

One of the new facilities being developed at Bedford Campus is a teaching laboratory. This classroom will integrate the latest in pedagogic technologies but also function as a typically classroom on the university's timetable. As well as letting being a sandpit for experimental teaching methods, it will also provide opportunities for new forms of research into teaching. With mirrors and cameras, student and staff researchers can use ethnographic and other techniques to observe learning behaviours of all kinds.

The lab-classroom will open during 2014-15 and the project was led by Dr Andrea Raiker.

This is a very exciting development for the university. However, it is common for people to feel inhibited about using these spaces. Even Brown University has a problem getting people to feel comfortable enough to get through the door as this podcast, from the excellent EDUCAUSE series,

outlines. Digital scholarship is a growing into a substantial research field.

New library getting closer

I can't decide whether this looks more Gattaca or The Island; either way, it definitely looks spectacular. There will be lots of new learning spaces and more silent study areas. The bus stop at 0.32 seconds is where you can catch the bus for Putteridge Bury (where Applied Education Studies is taught). Luton's current LRC is considerably older than the library on Bedford Campus and needs to move to allow for the 60s block to be dismantled and replaced. The library's new site replaces the old HR building so it will still be an integral part of the campus. And the library management team will be looking at what works well in the building so we can bring the best ideas into refreshing Bedford's library. Like Bedford, the Luton building will be open 27/7/365.