Here we are! The new Library website was launched on Friday last and we really hope that you'll like (love!) it. Our amazing Library and IT staff worked their best to make sure that it is the most user-friendly possible and that searching all our online resources is just easy with our new federated searching tool!
You can also book your PCs and study rooms yourself online, check our subject portals, use our online tutorials, and many, many more!
So do have a look at the new website, do use it, and please give us your feedback by email, phone or in person!
The lovely people at EBSCO have developed versions of their tutorial guides to the EBSCOhost databases (Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, Film & Television Literature index...) which you can download and listen to on your iPod. There are also screencast tutorials which show you how to set up journal alerts, RSS feeds and to use the MyEBSCOhost feature.
So now there is no excuse for not knowing how to get the most out of all of the EBSCOhost services and features.
The full range of EBSCO online tutorials can be accessed through the 'library guides/databases' link on the Library website - click HERE to go directly.
Organised by the European Internet Safety Network this is an international event to promote personal internet safety and encourage informed internet use.
If you want to learn more about how to evaluate websites to distinguish reliable research sources from internet scam artists, hoaxes and media or culture jamming have a look at the library guide to evaluating websites or check out Intute's Internet Detective an online tutorial to help students develop critical evaluation skills for online research.
Here's the final part of the 'searching the DBS library catalogue' online tutorial series. Part 3 shows you how to login to view your library account details online, to renew and reserve books.
Remember these tutorials are also available on the main library site under 'library guides/library catalogues'.
It has become increasingly clear to library staff that an alarming number of students are STILL unacquainted with looking up book details and checking availability on the library catalogue.
Being able to look up bibliographic and availability details on the library catalogue is a basic skill that all third level students should have. A significant amount of traffic at the enquiry desk is taken up with students' requests to look up book availability for them. Library staff are only too happy to train students on searching the library catalogue with the assumption that, once they are familliar with catalogue searching, they can save themselves (and library staff) time by checking a books availability before they come to the library. However, there is still an unhealthy percentage of students who are unwilling to look up catalogue details for themselves.
Library staff want to be as accomodating as possible in assisting students with their book searches, however, as (we assume) all students are here to learn, we'd rather help you to help yourselves as it were. Learning how to search the catalogue and locate the library material you need is an important part of your overall learning experience while you are here at DBS. Being able to log onto the library website to check the catalogue availability details for the items you want also saves you (and us) a lot of time. Searching the shelves for a book in a library which contains over 50,000 titles over several sites is (to say the least) a not a very productive use of your library time. Learning these basic skills will also help you if you choose to study elsewhere when you have completed your studies at DBS as most academic libraries are multi site and insist that students use the catalogue to independently locate all material.
To help you get to grips with using the catalogue, in addition to print guides and guides on the library website (under 'library guides') we have produced a series of screencast online tutorials which take you through the steps in searching the library catalogue in real time. The guides show you how to perform a basic search, an advanced search and how to renew and reserve books yourself using your library catalogue PIN.
Here is the first part, with parts 2, and 3 to follow. These are also located on the main library site under 'library guides/library catalogues'
