Month: August 2016

Struggling to revise? Mnemonics explained

Daren Mansfield / / Study Skills

Struggling to revise? Remember important facts and linking ideas? The idea of “The Forgetting Curve” was pioneered by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885 who discovered that without frequent review of the information that we are trying to remember, we will forget half of what we learned within the hour, and people forget 40 percent of what they learn after the first 20 minutes and retain only 30 percent of the information after six days.

Why share a video about mnemonics? It’s because I’m studying a course on dyslexia and mnemonics is an effective way of linking words or symbols to remember facts. This video is courtesy of Western Sydney University via YouTube.

UOL Library Getting started: Some basic info on the library

Daren Mansfield / / Library Information

In anticipation of the forthcoming induction / Welcome Week we have produced a useful slideshow on how to use the library using Prezi (presentation software,  if you’ve never come across it before). We hope you find it informative and like the novel way the answers appear and retreat when using the arrows.

Information for new students using the Library

Daren Mansfield / / Library Information

Induction week is less than a month now and we’re getting everything in place for new students. As a result, a new guide has been set up to direct new students on how the use the Library effectively and how the Library can help students throughout their studies. The Library is the central place of study for students at the University of Lincoln, and was rated 92.21% by our students agreeing that the Library met their needs on the latest National Student Survey.

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New library books (all subjects)

Daren Mansfield / / Library Information

A new list has been created that contains all the new books for this month (and every month!) so you can keep up to date with our latest purchases at Lincoln. Unlike my regularly updated list, this one covers all subjects and genres.

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Finding Journal Articles using the new library system

Daren Mansfield / / Library Information

How do I find journal articles on a topic?

To find articles on a topic, search the Library website http://library.lincoln.ac.uk.  Enter your keywords into the search box.  Make sure the ‘Find books and articles’ aerial button is selected.  Once the results are displayed, select ‘Academic Journals’ on the left hand menu to ensure that only journal articles are displayed.  Click on the article title or ‘check availability’ to view more details.

Click ‘View Online’ to obtain the full text.  You will need to log in, if you haven’t done so already, to view the full text.  Click ‘View Abstract’ if there is no ‘View Online’ option.  It is possible to ‘Request this item through interlibrary loan’ if the full text isn’t available.

Journal articles can also be found by searching individual electronic databases.  To access these go to the ‘Find’ menu on the Library website and click on ‘Databases & journals’.  If you are unsure of which databases to search for your subject, use the drop-down ‘subject’ menu on the databases page.

I have a reference for an article – how can I get the full text?

Type the article title into the search box on the Library website.  If the required article is retrieved, click on the title or ‘check availability’.

Click ‘View Online’ to obtain the full text.  You will need to log in, if you haven’t done so already, to view the full text.  Click ‘View Abstract’ if there is no ‘View Online’ option.  It is possible to ‘Request this item through interlibrary loan’ if the full text isn’t available.

If you haven’t found the article, go to the ‘Find’ menu on the Library website and click on ‘Databases & journals’.  Select Electronic Journals (on the right hand side of the screen).  Enter the title of the journal (not the article title) into the search box.  If the journal is available electronically the title will be displayed.  To locate the article enter the title in the ‘search within publication’ box.  Alternatively, click ‘Full Text Access’ for details of databases that provide access to the journal and the dates available.  Click on a database name to access the full text.

I can’t find the article electronically – how can I find the full text?

Check if a print version of the journal is held in the Library.  Enter the journal title (not the article title) into the search box on the Library website.  Make sure the ‘Find books’ aerial button is selected.  If the journal is in the Library, details of the holdings will be displayed when you click on the title.  Print journals are shelved in alphabetical order of title on the 3rd floor of the University Library at Lincoln.

I can’t find the article either electronically or in print – how can I find the full text?

The inter-library loan service enables you to request copies of articles which are not held by the Library.  For more details and to make requests go to http://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/find/ills

For assistance with finding journal articles, contact your Academic Subject Librarian (http://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/asl).

Adding references to Refworks using the new library system

Daren Mansfield / / digital learning

Step 1. To add references to the new Library system it is best to log into Refworks first.

Step 2: Elect a separate tab and open the Library website then run a keyword search such as ‘change counselling’.

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Step 3: Choose Refworks from the list

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Step  4: Import references

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Step 5: Import references to New Folder or existing Folder

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More Books for Research now reopened

Daren Mansfield / / Library Information

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We really want to know what resources you can’t get hold of!

Let us know what they are and we’ll buy more books and e-books. Select the appropriate option and complete the form with details of what you need.

The decision to purchase requests is made on a case-by-case basis. In some cases costs may be prohibitive but we’ll get in touch with you if we need any additional information. Most books will be supplied within 4 weeks and we can reserve the book for you when it arrives.

If you require books for teaching purposes please contact your Academic Subject Librarian.

How to Write a Good Literature Review

Daren Mansfield / / Study Skills

Thanks to a tweet from the @UoLGradSchool this short blog post about writing a good literature review comes courtesy of enago academy . One of the most insightful pieces of advice includes making sense from your literature review by addressing the following:

  • You’re attempting to fill an identified gap
  • You’re proposing to address an identified shortcoming
  • You’re revisiting an inconclusive research summary
  • You’re challenging an established theory
  • You’re developing a limited study in more detail.

See the link for more information: https://www.enago.com/academy/how-to-write-good-literature-review/

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Our virtual out of hours enquiry service

Daren Mansfield / / digital learning

We will be joining the SCONUL virtual out-of-hours enquiry service, based on the OCLC QuestionPoint service. The service allows libraries to offer a 24 hour, 365 days a year enquiry service, meaning that there will be a integrated chat and e-mail provision. As an interesting aside, I have embedded a video about how a library used the service in compiling digitised photographs of early 20th century Filipino coffee shops.

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