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ZETOC – keeping informed of new publications
Zetoc is a great tool for keeping up-to-date with new developments in your field. It provides access to the British Library’s electronic Table of Contents service which contains around 20,000 current journals and the 16,000 conference proceedings published per year. The database covers 1993 to date, and is updated on a daily. It includes an email / RSS alerting service.
A recently introduced feature is the inclusion of abstracts.. Not all new article informationvwill have abstracts included but the number is expected to increase as further agreements with publishers are reached. The abstracts when present are found on the ‘Full record’ page.
Zetoc is available through the library catalogue. Just do a title search or select from the list of Online Databases.
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Say Hi to Walter
A project team has been working hard over the past 18 months to redesign and develop a new Learning Services web site. W-ALTER (Web Alter) as the project is fondly known, has also looked at intranet content, blogs and wikis.
The results of the project will be released on Monday 21st September, with the launch of a new, more streamlined web site, a staff focused intranet site and this lovely new blog.
For those who can’t wait until then, take a look here (but bear in mind that this is still a work in progress!);
http://ls.st.dev.edgehill.ac.uk/ls
After launch, we’ll be gathering feedback through a number of mechanisms;
- Comments form on the web site/in Learning Services buildings
- Student and staff focus groups
- Usability testing
During December, we plan to review the feedback and make any necessary changes.
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Funky new Library
For those of you who’ve been away working really hard on your studies all Summer (or just working really hard) you’ll notice some changes to the University Library at Ormskirk.
We have put in some snazzy new self issue machines, which are using a new technology called RFID – Radio Frequency Identification. This means that the machines are faster, and we should be able to track lost items down faster than before.
Rather than placing the barcode of the book under the scanner, you now only need to put the book on the square pad. It’s much easier than before, and students trying it out for the first time today thought it was super quick.
Come in and have a nosey!
In addition, returning students will notice that the front door has seen some much needed improvement. New automatic doors have been installed, along with flashy new security gates that turn red when they are set off. The new doors are set to open on Thursday 3rd September, ready for the new term.
If you’ve got any questions about RFID or the doors, just ask at the help desk and our friendly staff will be happy to find you the answer.
