Upgrade to wireless network at Lord Mayor's Walk Accommodation

Work will be taking place within all accommodation at Lord Mayor's Walk between the 9th and 13th of December 2013.  All work will be carried out between 07:00 and 18:00 each day and will enhance the performance of the wireless network within the Accommodation.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this wireless upgrade.

Meet Dan, our Digital Training Officer Tweeting from Nov 4th to Nov 8th

Hi, I am Dan, the Digital Training Officer.

I have been working at York St John for just over a year and my principle responsibility is to promote, coach and train University staff raising their technology Skills.

If you want help with Office, Windows or most other things computer related, let me know and I will either help you or let you know where the information you need is.

You can get in touch with me via my pages on the York St John website, email me at digitaltraining@yorksj.ac.uk or tweet the ILS twitter account with your questions.

Meet Rob, one of our EIS Specialists tweeting from 28/10 to 1/11

I've been working at York St John since June 2011, initially as the "Digital Archive, Web and System Support Librarian", with responsibility for supporting the Library's digital content. However, last July I was seconded onto the IT side to support Moodle, and will shortly be moving over officially into a role as "EIS Specialist - Open Source".

For those who are not aware, "EIS" stands for "Electronic Information Systems". Our small team develops custom applications, supports systems like eVision and Moodle, and does database and server administration.

I have been working in IT and on the IT side of libraries for the last five years. I started out in Leeds City Council's Libraries and Information Service, working there for two years before moving on to spend some time working for Talis Information in Birmingham (a company which provided library management systems). Before this, I spend about sixteen years working in health and social care, but that's another story.

I am an enthusiast of free and open source software (it's not just a job), and have recently become interested in the opportunities offered by online education platforms like coursera.org and p2pu.org. Ask me anything, and I'll do my best to answer.

Scheduled downtime: Web of Knowledge

Thomson Reuters, who provide the Web of Knowledge database search service, have scheduled maintenance and upgrade for this service this Sunday 27 October, starting at 14:00 and due for completion by 02:00 the next day.

During this time, access to Web of Knowledge may only be intermittent. This will not affect any of our other library databases.

Meet Phill, one of our System Specialists, tweeting from 21 October - 25 October

Hello!

My job role is “systems specialist” within ILS

I primarily work in the network team administering the network infrastructure. This includes implementing new solutions, resolve any issues that may arise, identify and recommend any possible improvements.

I am Currently working on a new campus wide wireless network, this will be followed by the launch of Eduroam. I’m also working on the IPv6 deployment which is in its very early stages.

I also second desktop team with the virtual server and desktop infrastructure to provide additional support when required.

Meet Annette, Our Academic Technologies Trainer, Tweeting the 14 October to 18 October

Annette Webb is the Academic Technologies Trainer at York St John University, supporting Microsoft Office and University online systems e.g. Mahara and Moodle.

Annette provides support in Microsoft Office including Essays in Word, PowerPoint Presentations, Excel Spread sheets and YSJ online systems to all undergraduate and post-graduate students.

Annette provides 1 to 1 support via tutorial booker to tackle individual training needs from students who are complete beginners to users with more advanced skills.  She also runs regular workshops that students can book on to enhance their IT skills.  Annette also liaises with Academic Tutor’s to provide bespoke training sessions on Mahara ePortfolio system and effective bibliographies using Word tools.

Over a typical academic year over 600 students are seen on a 1:1 basis and in groups - approx 5000 individual contact hours (SCONUL measure).

In collaboration with Careers there are a series of 4 'soft skill' sessions delivered, named ‘WorkStart’ for mainly 3rd years to prepare them for the workplace.  Handouts and exercise files are provided within Moodle and they receive a certificate on completion.  This has proved very successful with an average of approx. 20 delegates per session.

Meet Katy, Academic Services Manager tweeting the w/c 7 October

I am the Academic Services Manager in ILS. I work with the Academic Technologies Trainer, the Digital Trainer for Staff and the Academic Liaison Librarians. We are the ones who work with staff and students, providing advice and help with everything from how to reference a journal article to how to format a Word document. I sit on various University Committees, including the Research Committee and take part in several working groups across the University. The part of my role I enjoy most is researching and thinking of how to work with other areas of the University and colleagues from outside the University to make sure you get the best advice and teaching from ILS that we can give.

Before I came to York St John I was an Arcadia Fellow at Wolfson College Cambridge researching and recommending ways to implement a holistic curriculum for information literacy. Great experience but remarkably like being at Unseen University (for the Pratchett fans). Prior to that I worked in FE as a Learning Resources Centre Manager, working with vocational students studying at all levels and in subjects ranging from Artist Blacksmith to Accountancy.

I was a mature student at Manchester Metropolitan University, where I gained my degree in Library and Information Management, having left a career in IT to do so. The importance of access to information freely, in the appropriate format and when it is needed is a passion of mine. For that reason I was one of the founders of the campaign group Voices for the Library (http://www.voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/) Ask me about access to information and human rights some time.

I am looking forward to sharing my working days with you but be warned, there may be MotoGP also.

Information sources affected by US Federal shutdown

EDIT (17 Oct 2013): A deal has now been reached resulting in an end to the federal shutdown. For more on this, see: http://bbc.in/1bXDdO4

- - - - - - - -

The US federal shutdown has an impact on some information sources we use.  The sources currently affected are:

• the US National Library of Medicine who maintain PubMed and Medline
• the US Department of Education who maintain ERIC
• the Library of Congress

Medline is still accessible and searchable from Discover and our databases page (http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/information-learning-services/information-learning-services/faqs-for-staff--students/where-can-i-find-databases.aspx) however, this database may not be updated as usual.

ERIC is still accessible and searchable from our databases page but access to full text material via ERIC is NOT possible during the shutdown.  Our advice is to continue to use ERIC for searching but alternative access to full-text may be found on Google Scholar.

PubMed is accessible and searchable at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed but it not being updated or maintained as usual.

There is no access to the Library of Congress website.

For further information on the US federal shutdown see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24378831

For further help and assistance please contact Information Learning Services ils@yorksj.ac.uk 

Problems viewing Dawson ebooks on IE10?

You may find that if you have a recently purchased PC or laptop which uses Internet Explorer 10 you may experience problems viewing Dawson ebooks. We advise the following:

• check which version of Internet Explorer you are using.  You can do this by click on Tools and then About Internet Explorer
• check that you have Adobe Reader installed on your PC or laptop.  If you don't have Adobe Reader you can download the latest version from: http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/.

Alternatively:

• you can use browsers such as Chrome or Firefox without downloading Adobe Reader.
• or you can download the York St John University desktop to your PC or laptop.  For further details see: http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/information-learning-services/information-learning-services/services-for-you/staff/it-support/desktop.aspx

If you are experiencing problems using Dawson ebooks on campus, on earlier versions of Internet Explorer or on Macs, android devices or iPads then please contact ils@yorksj.ac.uk.

Meet Emma, our Inter-Library Loans and Acquisitions Assistant/Information Assistant

I work across two roles in Information Learning Services. Firstly, I am part of the Question Point team on the ground floor of Fountains, dealing with all first line enquiries. In my other role, I am part of the Digital Services and Resources team, dealing with all your Inter-Library loan requests and digitising chapters or sections of books to be placed on Moodle for student courses- you might even see me using the scanner on the desk near the main entrance, so please feel free to come and say hello.

I was originally a student here myself, graduating with a BA in English literature and English Language in 2009. Since then, I have also completed my MA in Librarianship whilst working in the department.

Please feel free to ask me any questions to @YSJ_ILS, while I’m tweeting this week. Look out for ^ES for my tweets.

Downtime: Wiley Online Library and The Cochrane Library

In order to complete important upgrades and improvements, Wiley – one of our e-journal suppliers here at ILS – are scheduling downtime for this Saturday 28 September 2013, between the hours of 2.00pm and 7.00pm BST. During this time, you may not be able to access materials from Wiley Online Library or The Cochrane Library.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. This will not affect any of our other library items.

Meet Matt, our Digital Services Officer tweeting this week! (23-27 September)

I work as part of the Digital Services and Resources team as the library’s Digital Services Officer – well, in training at least. I started in the role earlier this summer, after my time with ILS as a Graduate Intern helping to build the university’s digital literacy package SMILE. Hopefully a few of you will have been using that already :) If not, just head to Moodle and SMILE will be there on your home page. Let me know what you think!

Other aspects of my role involve the maintenance of other online packages such as PILOT, keeping on top of the library’s web pages, and ensuring that the library’s management system runs smoothly. I really didn’t appreciate how much happens behind the scenes when I was a student here!

 

You may also have seen a few posters popping up around the library staircases, or maybe you’ve picked up one of our leaflets – you can hold me responsible for those, too.

Look out for ^MT at the end of any of my tweets :) Say hi!

Meet Dianne, our Head of Information Services tweeting this week (16-20 September)

I am the Head of Information Services, which is the customer facing side of Information Learning Services. The Information Services section comprises the Library Question Point team, IT helpdesk, Library circulation, support for all University IT hardware and software, and user support for both staff and students working and studying either on site or remotely.

I initially came to YSJ 12 years ago as Conference Operations Manager but later moved into Facilities management before becoming  Head of ICT 6 years ago.  Having just completed my MA in Leading Innovation and Change it was for my leadership rather than technical skills that I was selected for the role but I soon became absorbed with the potential that technology has to fundamentally change the way we work and study, and have a particular interest in Digital Anthropology. In my spare time I am exploring how social networking platforms such as Facebook have replaced traditional community groups, in particular those relating to faith.

When ICT and Library Services converged to become the Directorate of Information Learning Services I moved into my new role and thus have the opportunity to shape how students and staff can access our various services. My working day can involve anything from deploying the techies to sort out an urgent issue in a teaching room, to organising storytelling sessions in our School Library.

I’m also the person who provided the panda in the bamboo tree in Fountains- have you spotted it yet? 

Web of Science

Due to essential maintenance, our database Web of Science will be unavailable between 9:00 and 19:00 on the 23rd of August.  We apologise for the inconvenience.  If you experience any difficulties with Web of Science outside of those hours or with any of our other databases, please do not hesitate to contact us by email, by ringing us on 01904 876696 or by tweeting us @YSJ_ILS.

WorldCat Local withdrawn: 31 July 2013

Access to WorldCat Local was withdrawn on 31 July 2013. Please ensure that you have obtained new links for references and reading lists before this date.  For further assistance please contact the Academic Liaison Librarians:

Faculty of Arts

Lottie Alexander
l.alexander@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Education & Theology

Clare McCluskey
c.mccluskey@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Health & Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy)

Victoria Watt
v.watt@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Counselling, Psychology, Sport)

Jane Munks
j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

YSJ Business School

Jane Munks
j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

Doing your MA/MSc dissertation over the summer?

Remember that you can ask your Academic Liaison Librarian for help

We can show you how to improve your search techniques; give advice on advanced searching on Discover and other databases; help you to source relevant articles and papers not held at York St John; give advice on referencing.

Contact details for the Academic Liaison Librarians are as follows:

Faculty of Arts

Lottie Alexander
l.alexander@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Education & Theology

Clare McCluskey
c.mccluskey@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Health & Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy)

Victoria Watt
v.watt@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Counselling, Psychology, Sport)

Jane Munks
j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

YSJ Business School

Jane Munks
j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

Final year students - access to Information Learning Services

Did you know you can continue your access to Information Learning Services when your course finishes?

As soon as your course finishes you can apply for an alumni library card for £10.  The card expires after 18 months and allows you to borrow up to 15 items from the library collections.

If you want to apply for an alumni card just pop in to see the staff at Question Point with 2 passport photos and some ID.

Noise disruption on the 8 August

Due to some building work occurring in Fountains, there may be some noise disruption on Thursday, 8 August.  If you need to find a quiet place to study, please speak to one of the staff at Question Point and they will be able to direct you to other available spaces.

Pending downtime - 31 July

It's just that time of year...

As you may already be aware, we've scheduled essential maintenance to take place throughout the day on Wednesday 7th August, affecting our library management system. This is still going ahead as planned - for more information on how this affects our services, please check this post.

Downtime for maintenance has now also been scheduled to take place next Wednesday, the 31st July. Rather than all day, however, this will only affect certain periods throughout the day.

From 9am-12noon, we'll be performing a critical upgrade to our web server, meaning that both the library's web pages and our search tool Discover will be unavailable during this time. If you're on campus, then you can still search for items in the catalogue - just drop in at Question Point and talk to a member of staff. This particular upgrade will now take place at a later date, anticipated to be Wednesday 14 August. We'll be posting with more details soon. (Edited 30 July, 6.18 pm)

That evening, from 10pm-12midnight, the library management system will become unavailable - this will affect services similarly to the maintenance scheduled for 7th August. Our website will be available, as will Discover - however, search results in Discover will not display the physical items that we hold here in the library.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us using any of the usual channels of communication. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Library System Upgrade: 7 August

Due to essential maintenance the library management system will not be available on 7 August 2013, and may potentially also affect the morning of 8 August.  You will still be able to search Discover, but local holdings will not display, so you will not be able to  see if items are available on the shelves.  You will be able to borrow and return items as normal but renewals cannot be made, nor holds placed.  Please be aware of this if you are intending to visit in person on this date.  We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Get more content from Google Scholar

What is Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is a web search engine that allows you to search for scholarly literature across a broad range of subjects and sources.  It doesn't index everything as not all publishers have agreed access to their content.  A great deal of content is still only available through the electronic publications and databases to which Information Learning Services subscribes - all of these can be found through the Discover search tool on the Information Learning Services website. 

Linking Google Scholar and Discover

Google Scholar can be linked to Discover which allows seamless full text access to online journal articles subscribed to by Information Learning Services.  This means that you will have access to far more full text content than you would normally.  Just follow these steps:

•  Go to GoogleScholar and click on the settings link
• Look for and click on the Library Links option
• Type YSJ into the search box, select York St John University – Get it @YSJ and click on Save

Now carry out a search as normal on Google Scholar and look for the Get it @ YSJ links.  Get it @ YSJ will take you to the full text of the article through Discover.  You may need to log on to Discover the first time you click on a Get it @ YSJ link.  

Get ahead.....

....and get ready for the next academic year

Take 20 minutes to prepare at one of our Discover bite-size sessions:

20 May at 11 am in DG127

23 May at 2.30pm in DG121

28 May at 3.30pm in DG120

30 May at 10am in DG120

Help printing and copying e-books

If you need help with printing or copying e-books then you may find one of the following videos useful:

• How do I print from an ebook? http://youtu.be/RjMvrEknQ2o
• How do I copy from an ebook? http://youtu.be/m41-nbUOCCM

If you need further assistance please contact your Academic Liaison Librarian:

Faculty of Arts
Lottie Alexander e: l.alexander@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Education & Theology
Clare McCluskey e: c.mccluskey@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Health & Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy)
Victoria Watt e: v.watt@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences ( Counselling, Psychology, Sport)
Jane Munks e: j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

YSJ Business School
Jane Munks e: j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

Reading e-books

You may have noticed that the web pages for some of our e-books look a little different.  If you want to read the full text of the e-book you need click on:

Summer Term 2013 Opening Hours

The ground floor of the Fountains Learning Centre is open 24/7.  For the opening times of floors 1 and 2 please see http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/information-learning-services/library/help-and-information/using-the-library/opening-times.aspx.

Get help and advice from ILS

You can book appointments for help through Tutorial Booker with one of our specialists.

For Subject Help

Faculty of Arts
Lottie Alexander
Tutorial booker: http://intranet.yorksj.ac.uk/tutorialbooker/ViewTutorSchedule.aspx?ID=l.alexander

Faculty of Education & Theology
Clare McCluskey
Tutorial booker: http://intranet.yorksj.ac.uk/tutorialbooker/ViewTutorSchedule.aspx?ID=c.mccluskey

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Health & Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy)
Victoria Watt
Tutorial booker: http://intranet.yorksj.ac.uk/tutorialbooker/ViewTutorSchedule.aspx?ID=v.watt

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences ( Counselling, Psychology, Sport)
Jane Munks
Tutorial booker: http://intranet.yorksj.ac.uk/tutorialbooker/ViewTutorSchedule.aspx?ID=j.munks

YSJ Business School
Jane Munks
Tutorial booker: http://intranet.yorksj.ac.uk/tutorialbooker/ViewTutorSchedule.aspx?ID=j.munks

For IT Help

IT Skills
Annette Webb
Tutorial booker: http://intranet.yorksj.ac.uk/tutorialbooker/ViewTutorSchedule.aspx?ID=a.webb

Using Athens Login for Student Discounts

Quite a few students have been asking about Athens usernames and passwords because they’ve been having problems registering with sites offering discounts which require them to log in using Athens.

Your University username and password is your Athens username and password.

Here is a guide to registering with Unidays to help you:

1. Go to the Unidays site and click on “join now”

2. Fill out the online form and click on “join now”

3. Type York St John in the “Select your Institution” box and click on York St John University

4. Click on Log In Using Athens

5. At this stage you may see the following. Click on Alternative Login.

6. Type York St John in the Quick Search box and click Go

7. Click on York St John University

8. Then click on Go to the York St John University login page

9. You should now login with your University username and password

Easter Vacation - 7 day loans

From Friday 15 March you will be able to borrow or renew a 7 day loan item and it will be due for return or renewal on 19 April.

Easter Vacation - Opening Hours

Opening hours for the Easter Vacation are now available at: http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/information-learning-services/library/help-and-information/using-the-library/opening-times.aspx.

In a knot, need untangling?

Need Subject Help?

Faculty of Arts
Lottie Alexander e: l.alexander@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Education & Theology
Clare McCluskey e: c.mccluskey@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Health & Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy)
Victoria Watt e: v.watt@yorksj.ac.uk

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences ( Counselling, Psychology, Sport)
Jane Munks e: j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

YSJ Business School
Jane Munks e: j.munks@yorksj.ac.uk

Need IT Help?

IT Skills
Annette Webb e: a.webb@yorksj.ac.uk

Spring Term 2013 Opening Hours

The ground floor of the Fountains Learning Centre is open 24/7.  For the opening times of floors 1 and 2 please see the Information Learning Services website.

2013 ILS Clinics now available

We now have a range of dates for our ever popular ILS Clinics available until March. Come along and get advice (and chocolate) on referencing, finding information for your assignments, uploading assessments in Moodle, and more.  There is no need to book just look out for our clinic signs in Fountains and ask one of our friendly staff for help:

Academic Study Clinics
Date	Time
Tues 15th January	11.00
Wed 23rd January	13.00
Thurs 31st January	15.30
Fri 8th February	10.00
Mon 11th February	11.30
Tues 19th February	14.00
Wed 27th February	16.00
Thurs 7th March	9.30
Fri 15th March	11.00
Mon 18th March	14.30
IT Trainer Clinics
Date	Time
Friday 18th January	11:00
Tuesday 29th January	13:45
Monday 11th February	10:00
Thursday 28th February	12:45
Monday 11th March	11:00

Meet Rob, one of our EIS Specialist

This week, Rob one of our IT guys will be tweeting to you from out Twitter.  Read on to find out a bit more about Rob and look for his tweets marked with  ^RH


From Rob:

I've been working at York St John since June 2011, initially as the "Digital Archive, Web and System Support Librarian", with responsibility for supporting the Library's digital content. However, last July I was seconded onto the IT side to support Moodle, and will shortly be moving over officially into a role as "EIS Specialist - Open Source".

For those who are not aware, "EIS" stands for "Electronic Information Systems". Our small team develops custom applications, supports systems like eVision and Moodle, and does database and server administration.

I have been working in IT and on the IT side of libraries for the last five years. I started out in Leeds City Council's Libraries and Information Service, working there for two years before moving on to spend some time working for Talis Information in Birmingham (a company which provided library management systems). Before this, I spend about sixteen years working in health and social care, but that's another story.

I am an enthusiast of free and open source software (it's not just a job), and have recently become interested in the opportunities offered by online education platforms like coursera.org and p2pu.org. Ask me anything, and I'll do my best to answer.

Meet Deputy Director Steve, one of our newest team members

For the week beginning the 7 January, Deputy Director Steve will be taking on Twitter.  Below is a little more about him.  Look out for his tweets identified with a ^SP!

______________________________________________________________

I am  the Deputy Director of ILS, with specific responsibility for IT – in other words, ask me about computers, don’t ask me about books!

I came from the University of Southampton where I started about 13 years ago as a techy geek working on Unix systems.  Over the years, I diversified in technology, and then was promoted into management.  It was around this time I started wearing shirts, and later suits, instead of t-shirts and jeans.  For the last few years, I was Head of Research Support in Southampton University’s IT department and came to York St John in November, bringing with me a lot of IT experience and qualifications in a small range of management acronyms.

The library side of things is new to me and I’m slowly starting to get used to Library and information management jargon.  So maybe you can ask me about books.  I didn’t foresee my career spreading into this area as well, but it’s all interesting and challenging.  I’m also finding it quite fun to work in a smaller, friendly organisation which has a strong student focus.

I think Fountains and ILS are doing great, and I’m looking forward to helping to maintain and improve on what we’ve done so far.  Feel free to say hi to me or ask any questions to @YSJ_ILS while I’m in control of it this week.