Returning students - Library changes

Welcome back! We’ve been working hard over the summer to improve our services and make them even easier to use:

• There’s no separate Library PIN to remember – the University & Library PIN are now combined into a single PIN. To get your PIN go to www.sheffield.ac.uk.cics/password, login with your University username & password and choose option 6 to have your PIN emailed to you.
• We’ve introduced unlimited automatic renewals of loans - so there’ll be no fines to pay unless the book has been requested by someone else.
• You’ll receive a weekly borrowing statement by email which will list what you have out on loan. If we’ve had to  revise the date of return because someone else has requested one of your books we’ll let you know, so check your emails carefully.
• If the book you want is on loan, you need to request it online and we’ll email you when it’s ready to collect. Select the IC as your collection site for 24/7 self-service collection.
• Remember to sign in to StarPlus by clicking the University Members link at the top right of the page. When you search for a book in the library it will now display the loan period which applies to you (staff & student loan periods are different).
• In the latest version of StarPlus, click the View it tab to link to online resources and the Get it tab to see locations of print copies.
• We’ve updated our StarPlus tutorial to reflect the latest changes.

Five quick tips for a better grade

How to make information work for you! Come to tomorrow's bite-size session in the Information Commons 12.10-12.30pm in Collaboratory 2. Top tips on finding the best information for your needs and using it wisely. 

 

This session is open for all University members and there will be some time for questions and discussion afterwards. No need to book, just drop in.
 

Be a Sheffield Graduate: be information literate

Stand out from the crowd: bite-size session

Next Wednesday's Bite-size session in the Information Commons is called Stand out from the crowd: researching employers. This session on employer information is led by our Social Sciences Faculty Librarian, Maria Mawson.  Employer research is an essential part of preparing for a job application or interview. Everybody else will use Google. Find out how specialist databases provided by the library can help you to stand out from the crowd.

The session on Wed 1st May takes only 20 minutes and starts at 12.10 in IC Collaboratory 2. No need to book, just turn up. The session is open to all staff and students and cookies are included!
Check the IC blog for future sessions and to see recordings of past ones.

Bite-size session tomorrow

Just a reminder that tomorrow's Bite-size session in the Information Commons is Virtual Collaboration led by Chris Clow.  Working in different places, or at different times? There's some simple tools that can help you work together effectively.

No need to book, just drop in. All sessions are held on Wednesdays in the IC Collaboratory 2 at 12 noon - see the IC blog for a full list of sessions

Sessions are recorded, so if you missed any you can catch up on previous sessions on  Newspaper Databases, Promoting Yourself Online, Getting Stuff Done, and Creating Video

Bite-size session tomorrow

 Learn something new in 20 minutes!

Just a reminder that tomorrow's Bite-size session in the Information Commons is 'What's in the news?', led by Maria Mawson, Faculty Librarian for Social Sciences.

 Newspaper articles are an excellent resource to use for research and coursework across a range of disciplines. In this session Maria will help you find out how newspaper databases provided by the library can help you to collect current and historical news articles to use in your work.

No need to book, just drop in. All sessions are held on Wednesdays in the IC Collaboratory 2 at 12 noon.
For a full list of sessions see the IC blog at http://shefinfocommons.blogspot.co.uk/2013_01_01_archive.html
Sessions are recorded, so if you missed the previous session on 'Promoting yourself online' you can catch up.

Bite-size session tomorrow

Just a reminder that tomorrow's Bite-size session in the Information Commons is 'Promoting yourself online', led by Rene Meier. 

Do you know what people see when they Google you, and how to influence that? How do you use the internet to promote yourself and your work to future employers? Cone to our bite-size session and find out!

No need to book, just drop in. All sessions are held on Wednesdays in the IC Collaboratory 2 at 12 noon.
For a full list of sessions see the IC blog at http://shefinfocommons.blogspot.co.uk/2013_01_01_archive.html
Sessions are recorded, so if you missed the previous session on 'Getting stuff done' you can catch up at http://shefinfocommons.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/ic-bitesize-getting-stuff-done.html

Bite-Size at the IC

Introducing Bite-Size: a series of short, informal sessions on a range of topics, aiming to teach you the skills you need to succeed in your studies. 

The sessions are held at 12pm every Wednesday, in Collabatory 2 on level 1 of the Information Commons. 

See the IC Blog for a full list of upcoming sessions.

Welcome everyone!

Welcome to all our new and returning students. There's lots we can do to help you in your studies - why not check out our new induction presentation and have a chance to win an Amazon voucher!

Introduction to Library services

Last chances for you to drop into one of our induction sessions tomorrow in the IC at 1pm in Collaboratory 1 and at 3pm in Classroom 3.

If you've missed out, or want a reminder, here's the presentation

IC Induction 2011

It's also showing on plasma screens in the IC and other library sites, and available from the Quick Link on our web page

Library and CiCS Induction Drop-Ins

Throughout Intro Week and Week 1 the University Library and CiCS are running drop-in sessions in the Information Commons for new users to learn more about our services. There is no need to book and each session lasts about 20-30 minutes. See the timetable below for more information:

Intro week (19 September - 25 September 2011)

Collaboratory 1	Monday- Friday	11.00 13.00 14.00 15.00

Week 1 (26 September - 30 September 2011)

Collaboratory 1	Monday	13.00
	Wednesday
	Friday
Classroom 3	Monday	15.00
	Thursday
	Friday
Classroom 4	Tuesday	15.00

Feedback from our intro sessions

We've had some really useful feedback from students who attended our introductory sessions in the IC in Intro Week.   One comment was about the lack of availability of scanners in the IC.   Apologies for this - there are scanners available but they have been moved slightly over the summer and we need to make this clearer. We'll sort out some better signs as soon as we can.

Another comment was that it would be much better if pcs could be booked from 15 minute intervals rather than on the hour, as lectures often finish on the hour. We're hoping to be able to alter this soon, so keep checking CiCS/IC websites for updates.

Many thanks to all who took the trouble to reply and congratulations to Yuling Su of the Department of Economics who was the lucky winner of our goodie bag.

It's not too late to let us have your feedback or comments about intro week or any other aspect of library services.    Comment here or email library@sheffield.ac.uk

General Library Intro for new students

Some of you may have been to one of our introductory sessions in the IC in Intro Week.  If you missed them, or just want a reminder,  here's a copy of the presentation. It's best viewed in full screen mode - just select View Full Screen from the menu in the bottom left hand corner.

Don't forget there's also lots of useful information on our web pages, available from the Library tab in  MUSE.

IC Induction 2010

Welcome to all our new and returning students!

Want to find out about Library and IT services? Come to one of the brief
presentations on Level 1 in the Information Commons week beginning 20
September, at 11am, 1pm, 2pm or 3pm.  These are followed by optional
tours by student ambassadors and demonstrations of equipment.

Just turn up - there's no need to book.  Student ambassadors and staff are also on hand at our other Library sites to help you find your way around.  You can find more information for new students at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/infocommons/students/gettingstarted and
http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/services/new.html

eBook Reader Pilot

We’re currently evaluating the potential use of ebook readers within the Library and are running a trial service from July to November 2010. An Amazon Kindle is available for you to try at Western Bank Library or a Sony Pocket Edition Reader is available at the Information Commons.

Tell us what you think of our ebook readers and you could win your own Kindle or Sony Reader! For more information about the pilot see the Library website.