Know how to renew your books online?

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1.  Access your record by clicking on the Patron Record button via the library catalogue: http://lib.exeter.ac.uk/search~S6 and logging in with your University username and password.

 

2.  Shows ‘Items checked out’ page when you first login, where you can view materials you have checked out.

3.  Select materials to renew by selecting the boxes in the RENEW column on the left-hand side and clicking ‘Renew Selected.’     To renew all the items on your record, click the ‘Renew All’ button.

4.  Click Yes to renew the selected items.

 

Check the STATUS column for information on your renewal:

If you cannot renew items, a message will appear on the screen.

If you are successful, a new due date will appear in the STATUS column.

Donate your fines to Children in Need

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Children in Need Day is on the way! This coming Friday why not take the opportunity to donate to a really worthy cause and clear your Library record at the same time?

That’s right, on November 14th we’ll be giving you the chance to donate any Library fines you have outstanding on your record to the Children in Need appeal.

If you haven’t encountered this charity initiative before, Children in Need is an annual fundraiser led by the BBC, that seeks to raise money for disadvantaged children right across the UK. For a glimpse of how money raised in the past has helped children and young people right here in the South West why not click here?

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How it works:

  • If you’ve got any outstanding Library fines then, rather than paying the money to us, we will be inviting you to donate the equivalent amount to the Children in Need Charity appeal. We will then clear the fine from your record.
  • Donations can be made in person at any one of our Library desks (in The Forum, Research Commons or St Luke’s) any time during staffed hours on 14th November.
  • Please note, donations must be cash only; we regret that we cannot accept charity donations via credit card or using our online payment system
  •  Library staff will also be collecting, so if you don’t have a fine to pay but would still like to contribute you will be welcome to do so!

Last year, with your help, we managed to raise an impressive £428 for the appeal. Will we raise even more this year? We hope you’ll take this opportunity to support a worthy cause and clear your Library record as you do so!

Top Tips: Cancelling unwanted reservations

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Hopefully you all know how to request items that are out on loan. If not, our website talks you through the process here (look under the subheading “Reserving items that are out on loan.”

But do you know how to cancel unwanted reservations? One of the most frequent types of message we receive in our library inbox are emails from students and staff telling us you no longer require a book that has arrived for you. This can easily happen; perhaps you’ve changed your essay topic, found a better alternative resource or even decided to buy the book. Whatever the reason, if you no longer need an item that’s been reserved for you it’s good practice to cancel your reservation as soon as possible so that someone else can use the book.

Although Library staff are happy to help with this did you know you can cancel your own reservations quickly and easily – and in less time than it takes to send us an email – by logging in to your Library Record online either via MyExeter or directly from the Library catalogue. Once you’ve logged in, you will see any requests you’ve made listed as ‘1 (or more) request(s) (hold)’. If you click on this link you will see the details of the item(s) requested in addition to a box labelled ‘cancel’.

cancel reservations capture

When you click on the ‘cancel selected’ box a new page will appear asking whether you would like to proceed or not with the cancellation and you can then confirm your choice. This will free up the book for the next person to use.

Please help your fellow Library users by promptly cancelling any requests for items you no longer require.

 

Tips for new students

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Welcome to all our new students! We hope you’ve been enjoying Freshers’ week.

LIBRARY sign hanging

Here are a few tips to help you on your way as you start getting to grips with your reading lists and with our extensive range of Library resources.

Start using e-books and journals!

  • The Library is so much more than the print resources you’ll find on our shelves. We also have a wide range of online books and journals and the beauty of these is that you can access from anywhere you have an internet connection.
    • The Library Catalogue is the best route through which to access our e-resources.
    • Search results will show whenever a title is available electronically:

Example search results

    • From the above view you just need to click on the title of the resource to view the full record and then click on the appropriate link to access the resource.
    • Login with usual Exeter username and password and now you’re ready to read!

 

Get to grips with our self-service systems

We understand that you need to study in a flexible way, and we’re here to support that. This is why the Forum Library is accessible 24 hours a day: Library staff are available 08.00 – 20.00 on weekdays and 10.00 – 18.00 at the weekend but outside of these hours registered staff and students can still swipe in using your Unicards (see our website for full details plus the opening hours of other Library sites). To get the most out of our 24/7 facilities you’ll need to be familiar with our self-service borrow and return facilities. They’re easy to use and all located near the main Library entrance on Forum Level 0 – do check them out and then you can start checking out books, whenever you need them!

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Borrowing machine in the Forum Library

Manage your borrowing online 

Did you know you can always keep track of which titles you have checked out and when they are due back by simply logging in to your Library record online, either through the Library Catalogue or via the Library tab on MyExeter. You can also make renewals this way:

    • Once you’ve logged in you’ll see a list of the items you have on loan, together with the date they’re due for return. You can choose to sort by due date, to see which items need to be returned or renewed soonest.
    • To renew all of your items, click Renew All.
    • If you only want to renew some of them, tick the boxes by the titles you want to renew and click Renew Selected.
    • You’ll be asked to confirm you wish to renew these items. Click Yes to complete the process.
    • The Status column should now clearly state ‘renewed’ and show the new due date. If any items cannot be renewed, a message will appear to warn you of this and the status column will show the reason why.
    • Please note that you can’t renew your items online if they are more than 7 days overdue (7 hours for Express Collections items), or if you have unpaid fines of over £10. In these situations you’ll need to contact the Library in order to renew.

 Check out our website

We wish you all fruitful reading and researching!

What’s new in the Forum Library?

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As the start of term draws ever nearer we’re gearing up to welcome all Exeter students – both new and returning – into our Libraries. We’ll be sharing more Library tips for Freshers very soon. This update is particularly for returning students.

If you’re coming back to Exeter for your 2nd or 3rd year then first of all a very warm welcome back! It’s worth being aware of a few changes that have taken place over the Summer in the Forum Library. Read on and know what to expect when you use the library for the first time this academic year.

What’s new?

1). New Security System

We’ve got new security gates at our main entrance and we are now operating a one way system. Enter through the gates on the left and exit through the gates on the right. Please observe the signs on the gates and keep this change in mind.

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Upstairs on Level +1 there’s also  a change. The doors on this floor are now enter only. Please always exit via the main gates on Forum Level 0.

 

2.) New machines for borrowing items

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We’ve updated our borrowing machines over the Summer. Our new ones are faster: you can now borrow more than one book at the same time without even having to open the covers. Just place your books on the plate, press ‘borrow’, scan your card, then press “Finish” when the items have issued. You can also use these machines to check the books on your record and make renewals but there’s no need to come in just to do that as you can always manage your borrowing online from anywhere you have an internet connection just by accessing “My Library record.”

We’ve also moved the location of the machines. They can now be found conveniently right by the entrance/exit on Forum Level 0 in the Library Lounge area – so you can check out your books on your way out.

 

3). Upgraded Returns machines

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At first glance you might not notice the difference. Our returns machines are still located in the entrance area on level 0. They may look the same but they are much more efficient. No need now to open each book and have the barcode read, just press to start and pop the items through the slot one at a time.

If you’ve had items checked out for a long time then you may find they are not recognised by the machine when you come to return them. If this happens to you please return items to staff at desk. Outside of working hours please return unrecognised items via the drop box just a few minutes away at Research Commons. This is available 24/7 and can be found next to the Library entrance.

 

InterLibrary Loans Price Increase

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Please be aware that the cost of InterLibrary Loans will rise from 1st August 2014 to £12.50 per ILL request and £6.00 per renewal. This is due to the rising cost of the service from the British Library.


Not sure what an InterLibrary Loan is ?

If an item is not available at Exeter University Library, you can request an Interlibrary Loan.  The Library will make the request on your behalf and will borrow books and journals from other libraries in the United Kingdom and from abroad.

Find out more on our website.

Looking for some exam practice?

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Screenshot of exam papers database

Past exam papers are a great resource if you want to practice your exam technique by trying out some sample questions.  It is also useful to view papers in order to become familiar with their layout and instructions, so that the process is not a mystery on exam day.

A vast selection of past exam papers are available online from the University of Exeter Past Exam Paper Archive.  Just login with your usual IT Services username and password for access.

You can browse the collection by College, Module Code or Title of examination and then select the year you wish to view. Papers from 2004/5 – 2013/13 are available.  You will need the Adobe Reader software to view the exam papers which are PDF files.  This is available on all University IT clusters or can be downloaded for free to personal devices.

The Library wishes all students the very best of luck in their examinations.

 

 

The Library IWOOT scheme

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An IWOOT, or ‘I Want One Of These’, form allows students on taught courses to suggest books to the library for purchase.  If you need a book for one of your courses but it is not currently stocked in the library then let us know by visiting the ‘I Want One Of These’ page.

Last academic year, the Library spent over £8,000 on resources that you’d requested through this scheme, buying over 230 titles

Easter Holiday Weekend: we are open!

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The Easter Holiday weekend is fast approaching. For many of you, plans for the coming weekend may involve church or chocolate but with Easter falling late this year and exams fast approaching we understand that revision might also be on your agenda. If this is the case then we’re here to support you and the good news is that Forum Library will be open as normal throughout the holiday period with only slightly reduced opening hours at Research Commons and St Luke’s.

You can check the full opening hours for all our libraries on our website. But here’s  a quick at-a-glance guide to help you plan your week.

Forum Library Library Staff available to help Swipe access for current staff and students only
Good Friday April 18th 08.00 – 20.00  

24/7 throughout.  You must have your Unicard with you.
Saturday April 19th 10.00 – 18.00
Easter Sunday April 20th 10.00 – 18.00
Easter Monday April 21st 08.00 – 20.00

Research Commons Library open
Good Friday April 18th 10.00 – 18.00
Saturday April 19th 10.00 – 18.00
Easter Sunday April 20th 10.00 – 18.00
Easter Monday April 21st 10.00 – 18.00

 

St Luke’s Library Library Staff available to help Swipe access to 24/7 study room for current staff and students only
Good Friday April 18th 10.00 – 18.00  

24/7 throughout.  You must have your Unicard with you.
Saturday April 19th 10.00 – 18.00
Easter Sunday April 20th 10.00 – 18.00
Easter Monday April 21st 10.00 – 18.00

The Amory Study Centre will be available for use on 20th and 21st April but please note the Amory Study Centre will be closed all day on 18th April, reopening 12.00 noon on 19th April, while essential electrical works are carried out. Please ask Library staff if you need help finding an alternative study space during this time, or why not check out the full list of available study spaces on our website?

Mass Observation Online

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Mass Observation Online provides access to one of the most important archives for the study of social history in the modern era. From the end of the ‘Hungry Thirties’ to the onset of the Second World War, the Blitz and the post-War world of consumerism and television, Mass Observation Online captures the daily lives, hopes and expectations of British society and beyond during the mid-20th century. This resource would particularly appeal to anyone studying History, Literature, Sociology, Anthropology or Political Science.

Mass Observation Online comprises of:

File Reports, 1937-1972 – a complete set of over 2,000 full-text searchable documents, providing summaries of the findings of Mass Observation studies on an immense range of subjects, from cinema-going, fashion, radio and music to sex, marriage, politics and more.

Topic Collections, 1937–1965 – represent the ‘raw materials’ behind many of Mass Observation’s published studies and include questionnaires, interviews and observations as well as contemporary ephemera on subjects ranging from reading, holidays, dreams, gambling, and smoking habits to sexual behaviour, propaganda, capital punishment and the Korean War.

The ‘Worktown Collection’ – the first study of ‘working class’ Britain ever undertaken, focusing on the cities of Bolton and Blackpool between 1937 and 1940. Includes a wide selection of photographs by Humphrey Spender.

Mass Observation’s Publications – many now out of print, these books appeared during Mass Observation’s first period of activity, 1937-1950.

Diaries – the most intimate and detailed records of the day-to-day lives of respondents during and immediately after World War II.

The Day Surveys, 1937-1938 – written by Mass Observation’s National Panel of over 500 observers, these diaries record the events of a single day.

Directives, 1939-1955 – responses to wide-ranging questions on topics such as race, class, religion, politics, the atomic bomb and World War II.

Mass Observation Online is accessible via the library catalogue and the Electronic Library.

Our Facebook competition for April features a question on Mass Observation Online. Enter at https://www.facebook.com/UoELibrary and be in with the chance of winning a £20 Blackwell’s gift card.