Category Archives: Resources

Christmas Specials on BoB

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Back in October, Claire introduced us to BoB or Box of Broadcasts, a really cool online service free to Edge Hill staff and students, with thousands of TV shows and films that have been broadcast on TV between last night and the 1990’s!

As you may have heard, Christmas is around the corner and everyone’s curling up on the sofa to watch some heart-felt winter warmers. There’s hundreds of lists of the ‘best’ Christmas films online, and like me, I know you’ll already have your favourites in mind (I can’t get enough of Jude Law in ‘The Holiday’!).

But, what about the Christmas Specials? All those classic episodes of your favourite shows with a seasonal touch of magic. Can you still remember the Doctor Who episode where they put a sci-fi twist on A Christmas Carol? Or who won the Great British Bake Off Christmas special last year? Well fortunately, there’s no need to panic, because I’ve popped 24 Christmas Special episodes from 24 different shows in a ‘Lead up to Christmas’ playlist!

Head over to BoB with the link below and watch these specials as if they’re little advent chocolates, keeping you in the festive spirit right up until Christmas!

https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/playlists/187684

Don’t forget that term ends on December 14th, so make sure to book in any Student Advisor appointments before that date if you need support. We offer 15-minute appointments with a Student Advisor, during term time between 11am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Book your appointment here.

Check out the opening hours of Catalyst here.

And most importantly, have a very Merry Christmas on behalf of myself and the Learning Services team!

Written by: RACHEL ARLAND

3rd Year Early Year Childhood Studies Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

Keep Calm and Submit 🎄

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Keep Calm and Submit Week (3rd-7th December 2018) will host an array of activities, workshops and resources to encourage students to keep calm during the assignment and exam period.☃️

Activities

We have a range of fun and enjoyable activities for students to get involved with in Catalyst including a book display, colouring activities, Christmas card quotes and time management and revision handouts. Our book display will feature titles that will help you with all things academic, including writing assignments, organising your time and boosting your confidence. There will also be a Christmas-themed display with a Christmas tree🎄, crackers and cards printed with inspirational quotes, tips and information about the week to come. There will also be useful handouts for students to take away such as time management tips, revision tips and revision timetables accommodated for the Christmas period. So, make sure to come to the ground floor of Catalyst to check out what is available.

Workshops

This week aims to boost the confidence of students and ease their minds about any worries they might have about submitting their assignments or preparing for exams. In order to support students during this period we will be hosting a range of workshops led by our Student Advisors.

Turnitin *EXPRESS* Sessions

These Turnitin sessions, led by our Student Advisors, will give advice to students about submitting their assignments.This Turnitin *EXPRESS* session will give advice to students about submitting their assignments and tips on how to stay calm and submit with confidence.This session will cover what Turnitin is, how to submit an assignment, and provide students with the opportunity to ask questions and gain support with their submission.

The sessions will run as follows:

  • Monday 3rd December: Willow, 11am-11:30am
  • Tuesday 4th December: Willow, 11am-11:30am
  • Wednesday 5th December: Willow, 12pm-12:30pm
  • Friday 7th December: Oak, 12pm-12:30pm

Book your place here.

If you would like more support using Turnitin outside of these sessions, why not book a 15 minute appointment with a Student Advisor?

We will also be hosting a range of other workshops led by our team of Student Advisors. Take a look below at the exciting and informative workshops we have to offer.

Monday 3rd December:

Revision Tips and Techniques (Oak Training room 2pm-3pm)

With January exam season looming, this workshop will offer students advice on revising through the Christmas period. ‘Revision Tips and Techniques’ will be led by our Student Advisor Dylan. This workshop will not only visit the different forms of revision but will question how to make revision techniques useful and effective. The session will also cover approaches to revision and the do’s and don’ts when revising. Students will be encouraged to take part in several group activities where discussions will take place.

Wednesday 5th December:

Tips, Tricks and Christmas Hits (Oak Training room 2pm-3pm)

This workshop will offer students some useful tips and tricks when it comes to revising over the Christmas period and how to make the most of the Library Catalogue, Discover More and the UniSkills resources. ‘Tips, Tricks and Christmas Hits’ will be led by our Student Advisor Shelby. This session will allow students to come along with their exam or assignment timetables and make use of the revision tips and tricks that will be provided in a presentation and on worksheets and will allow them to use the information to create their own revision / assignment timetables, all whilst listening to Christmas hits and having fun. ❄️ 🎵

Friday 7th December:

Christmas Cards (Willow Training room 2pm-3pm)

To celebrate Keep Calm and Submit week this workshop will allow you to create and design a beautiful Christmas Card. This workshop will be led by our Student Advisor Jade. Come along to this workshop and get involved in some therapeutic card making, learning some useful tips on how to make cards for your family and friends. No artistic talent required, just come along and have fun.☃️

How do Edge Hill Students revise? What techniques do they use?

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During Study Happy Week Learning Services asked students to write on a sticky note how they learn and what techniques they may use when studying or revising. There are three core types of learners these are visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. We discovered that there were many types of learners at Edge Hill University. Here are some of their Revision and Study Techniques.

Display It On A Wall

This means that by drawing a poster or putting information in plain sight on a wall you are able to take it in and study it, this is a key way to study if you are a visual learner.

Pictures & Diagrams

Revising by looking at pictures and diagrams helps you to break down and understand key information and concepts. You can do this by using pictures or diagrams online, drawing your own, or by copying out certain pictures and images from textbooks you may have used.

Drawing Memorable Cartoons

This is a quirky and fun way to be able to remember information. Some people are able to transfer written information into images and drawings and cartoons which allows them to be able to creatively take in information.

Visuals (Mind Maps, Diagrams & Flowcharts)

Many people use some form of visual aid when studying, whether it’s copying out pictures, making flowcharts or even making colourful posters which are all an easy and often fun way to revise, and you can often link this to the first method of studying which was displaying it on a wall.

Flashcards

We found that this was a very popular choice of study here at Edge Hill. Flash cards are perfect for copying down relevant and short pieces of information relevant to your topic. Also, you’re able to get them in several colours allowing you to categorise them easily.

Repetition

Repetition is also a very popular method of study, as it allows you to practise and understand information until you remember it clearly, this is often used in relation to the two point above flashcards and studying with friends. By writing out and rereading information it allows, you to eventually remember it and this can be very useful in exam situations.

Bullet Points

Bullet points are the perfect way to revise, you are able to grab core ideas, concepts and keywords from large passages of information and break it down into simple points via bullet points. Excellent if you find working with lots of information difficult and overwhelming.

Highlighting

At some point in a student’s academic lifetime they will have used a highlighter, and for some people they find this a useful way of pointing out key ideas and words in text. Using a highlighter enables you to visually see key points quickly and easily without having to reread bulks of information.

Read & Reread

Although some students may think this seems like a boring and tedious way of revising some people learn by reading information and then rereading that information until they understand it and remember it.

Reading Journals & Books

This can relate to the point above. Often reading information from a variety of books and journals can help you study and understand information clearer by reading information from several viewpoints. This enables you to be able to understand information clearly before entering an exam or explaining information in assignments.

Reading & Breakdown Notes

Following on from the two points located above is reading and breaking down information in order to study. Although some people study and revise well by reading excessive amounts of information, some people revise better by reading information and then making notes in order to break down that information and take it in better.

Lists

Often when making notes people like to revise them by putting information into lists of information or making to do lists when studying so you know what topics you may need to revise for.

Practise Papers for Exams

Another very common way to study especially if you are studying for exams is by practising past exam papers from previous years. So, this allows you to be able to understand the format and layout of exams so that you know what to expect. You can often find these online.

Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a way of managing your time productively by studying in intervals, for example you would study for 30 minutes and then have a 15 minute break, maybe a drink and a snack and then you would return to studying for a further 30 minutes followed by another break. This help to stimulate focus and allows you to be more productive when studying, when you know you are being rewarded with a break. In the upcoming weeks Learning Services will be offering a “Shut Up and Work” workshop, it will be a 2-hour work shop where you can bring your own work and you will be following the Pomodoro technique. There will be refreshments available. You can book this online via the ‘My Library’ tab on Learning Edge.

Motivated by Snacks

Some students said that they were motivated by food. This again would link nicely into the Pomodoro technique. Perhaps boil the kettle and have some snacks ready for your break, take a short break and then return to work.

Drink Water To Help Focus

Some students suggest drinking lots of hydrating fluids before studying allowed them to be able to study harder for longer and enabled them to remain focused throughout revising.

So why not try a few of the techniques mentioned above and see if they could help you when it comes to studying and revising for upcoming exams and don’t forget you can always book onto one of our upcoming workshops.

Written by: SHELBY LUND

2nd Year International Business Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

Educational Resources – What is available to you?

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What is a resource? It’s more than you may initially think, and there are many different resources available to you here at Edge Hill University. It is something that can help aid you in doing a specific job, writing an assignment or your dissertation.

The resources available to you throughout Catalyst are more than you may initially think. So, let’s take a look…

The Printing Hub

The printing hub is the place for all of your printing needs. The printing hubs are located within the “landmarks” which are the black circular structures on each floor of the Catalyst building. Every student at the start of each academic year is issued with printing credit. Black and White printing is 2p/sheet and colour is 5p/sheet. Once your printing credit has ran out you may top it up via cash or card at the Catalyst help desk located which is located on the ground floor.

Stationary and Binders

Also, you may not know but located within each Printing Hub are stationary tools such as; a hole puncher, staplers, cello tape and paper binders. These are all completely free to use, all we ask is that once you have finished that you please return them to the Printing Hub for the use of other students.

Newspapers

Newspapers are a great resource especially when writing assignments. There are range of newspapers covering a variety of topics and stories. These are free to use, read and reference however we do ask that you do not remove these from Catalyst as they are on a “No-Loan” policy as they are fragile and irreplaceable. These are located on the 2nd floor of Catalyst by the spiral staircase.

Magazines

Magazines are the perfect resource when writing assignments and dissertations. They also cover a range of topics and academic areas. Again, they are completely free to use, however the University pay a lot of money for these publications and they are on a “No-Loan” policy. These can be found on the 2nd floor of Catalyst by the spiral staircase.

 

 

Journals

Journals are a fabulous resource when writing assignments and dissertations. They are reliable academic resources, and really help boost your assignment grades with accurate academic resources. These can be located on the 2nd floor of the Catalyst by the spiral staircase, opposite the Magazine and Newspaper section.

Teaching Resources and Books

These are the perfect resources for students who are studying education related degrees. These resources are perfect for when students go out on placement and have to take classes and teach. There are boxes of classroom activities and fictional books such as Harry Potter. So, whether you are teaching or want to read one of the many fictional books, they are available to loan. They can be found on the 1st floor by the bottom of the spiral staircase.

DVDs and CDs
Finally, there are hundreds of DVD’s and CD’s available to students and staff too. They are also available for loan! They are the perfect resource for media or film students however if you fancy a movie night or want to be “old school” and listen to a CD because you’ve ran out of your free month from Netflix and Spotify then these are amazing. They are free to take out and are located on the 2nd floor of Catalyst by the toilets. From Disney classics to Horror there is something for everybody.

So, next time you are struggling to form an assignment or perhaps are having trouble finding reliable academic resources visit the Catalyst building and check out one of our many books or view one of the available journal or newspaper articles. Or why not borrow one of the many CDs or DVDs, whether it’s for academic use or personal use and you just fancy a movie night with your flat mates, feel free to check them out. There are also many other hidden resources within Catalyst like the Archive Room on the ground floor and you can borrow webcams for video interviews etc. These can be borrowed from Catalyst help desk.

So if there is something you might need then pop down to Catalyst, because you never know we might just have it.

Written by: SHELBY LUND

2nd Year International Business Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

DIY Library: Create your own Catalyst

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How can you make the most of Catalyst and all it has to offer? Follow this step-by-step guide below to create the beginning of your very own Catalyst experience.

Step 1: Find your time

At Catalyst you definitely won’t be short for time – the building is open 24/7 during term. This means whether you’re up nice bright and early for the day ahead, or a night owl, Catalyst has you covered. Just bring along your UniCard past 8pm to enter the Catalyst doors.

Step 2: Find your space

Catalyst has no shortage of space. Split into four floors, Catalyst has catered for its various types of students, offering a groupwork space to work collaboratively, quiet study zones and a silent floor for those who prefer no noise at all. With computers based on every floor, and bookable individual or group study rooms, students can find their preferred working space at ease. One hundred laptop loans are offered on the ground floor too, where students can borrow laptops at the swipe of their card and find their perfect study space.

Step 3: Find your resources

Whether you need books, ebooks, journals, online journals or audio-visual resources, Catalyst has your back. With over 200,000 available resources you are spoilt for choice with material to help you with your assignments.

Needing to use an online journal? Edge Hill’s Discover More page locates any materials, both online and in the library, that are available to you, all easily accessible. Use these resources to create your own collection of information.

Step 4: Find your taste

Catalyst are proud to offer you 53.3° Café on the ground floor. With an array of hot and cold drinks and food to be tasted, why don’t you find your favourite bites from the new café?

Step 5: Now enjoy

Now enjoy! You have created your very own library experience where all that Catalyst has to offer is at your fingertips.

Need help?

Catalyst is home to three different services: Library and Learning Services, Student Services and Careers. These three services have been merged into the same building to provide a central point for all students to access the help, support and guidance they may need. Catalyst helpdesk is your first point of call for any queries, no matter how big or small, with any of the services.

We also offer UniSkills workshops for starting or developing your academic writing and 1-1 appointments with Student Advisors to ask about locating library resources, accessing the VLE and referencing.

However you may need it, Catalyst is here to help.

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

 

Book Spine Poetry

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If you are struggling with starting a creative piece of writing, wanting to get into poetry writing or just like the idea of creating your own poem then book spine poetry might be a great activity for you! In the wake of National Poetry Day, I invite you to take part in creating your own book spine poem.

Book spine poetry is an easy and accessible activity for everyone, those with little or a lot of poetic ability. All you need is a bit of time and your mind and all you have to do is locate your favourite book titles in the Library and put them together to create a poem.

(Hint: The best book titles are those in the fiction section, around 800! Or, if you prefer, use the University’s Library Catalogue to find your favourite titles.)

We want to see the book spine poetry that you have created! Follow us on our social media, post your favourite book spine poems along with the caption ‘#bookspineEHU’.

Facebook: @EHULearnService

Twitter: @EHULearnService

Instagram: @EHULibrary

Keep an eye on our social media for our own book spine poems throughout the year. With thousands of resources, your creative mind can take over in Catalyst, and you might even discover books you didn’t know about before!

 

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

October UniSkills Workshops

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We have lots of exciting UniSkills workshops coming to Catalyst this term. We have workshops to help you develop your academic writing skills, sessions focused on searching for academic information, techniques on how to give powerful presentations and support on starting your undergraduate dissertation. Find out more about the workshops below and how to book your place.

Introduction to Academic Writing

This workshop acts as an introduction to the style of academic writing used at University and may be of interest to those who are new to academic writing or want to refresh their understanding of what academic writing is.

The topics we will cover in this workshop include: planning assignments, structuring your essay, academic writing style and an introduction to Harvard Referencing.

Here are the dates and times below.

  • 15th October 2018 @ 12:00pm
  • 17th October 2018 @ 1:00pm
  • 22nd October 2018 @ 1:00pm
  • 24th October 2018 @ 12:00pm
  • 29th October 2018 @ 1:00pm

Book your place here. 

Developing Academic Writing

This workshop is aimed at students who have experience in academic writing and are interested in developing a more critical approach to their writing. Building on previous experience, learn to recognise and understand assessment criteria, apply critical reading and show critical analysis in your writing and the importance of integrating referencing.

This session aims to:

  • Help you build on what you already know about academic writing
  • Explain the terms used in assessment criteria
  • Apply critical reading
  • Help you to understand how to show critical analysis through your writing
  • Understand the importance of integrating referencing with your writing

Here are the dates and times below.

  • 16th October 2018 @ 12:00pm
  • 18th October 2018 @ 1:00pm
  • 23rd October 2018 @ 1:00pm
  • 25th October 2018 @ 12:00pm
  • 31st October 2018 @ 12:00pm

Book your place here. 

Finding Academic Information

This workshop aims to improve your search strategy, find resources for your assignment (including books, eBooks and journal articles) using the Library Catalogue and Discover More and learn how to evaluate your sources.

The topics we will cover in this workshop include: getting the search right in the Library Catalogue, using Discover More to find journal articles specific to your subject, reading lists, Google Scholar and evaluating information.

Here are the dates and times below.

  • 19th October 2018 @ 12:00pm
  • 24th October 2018 @ 1:00pm

Book your place here. 

Powerful Presentations

This workshop may be of interest to those who are delivering a presentation as part of their University course. This workshop will cover the different stages of putting together a powerful presentation, including: recognising the importance of planning and structuring your presentation, learning how to create a presentation that is both accessible and visually appealing and how to deliver your presentation to an audience with confidence.

Here are the dates and times below.

  • 23rd October 2018 @ 12:00pm

Book your place here. 

Writing Your Undergraduate Dissertation

This workshop may be of interest to those who are starting to plan and think about their undergraduate dissertation. The topics we will cover in this workshop include: how to keep a narrow focus, what is originality of research, explore the structure and function of each section. This workshop also includes a troubleshooting group discussion.

Here are the dates and times below.

  • 26th October 2018 @ 12:00pm

Book your place here. 

Introducing our Student Advisors

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We would like to give a warm welcome to our new team of Student Advisors: Dylan, Claire, Shelby, Rachel and Jade!

The Student Advisors are based in Catalyst and they are here to support you. The role of a Student Advisor is to provide help, support and guidance to other students on a peer to peer basis. The team are all current second, third year or Masters students and between them they bring a great variety of subject knowledge from their individual disciplines together with a wealth of experience from studying at Edge Hill, using all of that to support other students on their own University journey.

The support they provide revolves around getting the most out of your Library, locating and using physical and virtual resources for your studies. They can help you to develop a range of introductory academic skills and can introduce you to more specialised support where necessary.

They can help with:

  • Searching the Library Catalogue for books and eBooks
  • Using Discover More to find online journal articles and other online resources
  • Navigating Learning Edge and your subject specific ‘My Library’ Tab
  • Harvard referencing
  • Finding and accessing UniSkills academic support material
  • Turnitin assistance
  • Locating books

Catalyst Tours

Catalyst tours are taking place weekdays from Monday 17th September to Friday 28th September. Tours start at 10am and are taking place every half an hour, with the last tour meeting at 3:30pm.

The tours are being led by our current Student Advisors’ who will show you around Catalyst, giving you the opportunity to see all of the fabulous facilities, learning spaces and student support available!

For more information click here.

Getting Started

Getting started sessions are peer to peer support sessions with our team of Student Advisors. Get started with your key resources, including: how to log in to Learning Edge, your My Library tab, Readings Lists Online, Library Catalogue, Discover More, accessing UniSkills support and much more.

Getting Started sessions will take place:

Monday 1st October to Friday 5th October 12pm-2pm

Monday 8th October to Friday 12th October 12pm-2pm

Drop in sessions will take place in Willow Training Room, 1st floor Catalyst. There is no need to book so just drop in and speak to one of our knowledgeable Student Advisors for peer to peer support and guidance on how to get started with your key resources.

Drop in sessions will take place at the following times:

12:00pm – 12:30pm

12:30pm – 1:00pm

1:00pm – 1:30pm

1:30pm – 2:00pm

For more information click here.

Book an appointment with a Student Advisor

During term-time you can book a 15 minute appointment with a Student Advisor, between 11am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Get help with:

  • Searching the Library Catalogue for books and eBooks
  • Understanding the Dewey decimal system of shelving (shelf mark) and how to find books on the shelf after you’ve searched
  • Using Discover More to find online journal articles and other online resources
  • Navigating Learning Edge/Blackboard and your subject specific ‘My Library’ Tab
  • Finding and using the Harvard referencing guide
  • Finding and accessing UniSkills academic support material online

Book an appointment with a Student Advisor here.

 

 

World Book Day Fun

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To celebrate World Book Day we are bringing you a fantastic Golden Ticket competition in conjunction with Wally of Where’s Wally fame. #WBDGoldenTicket

In the run up to World Book Day on Thursday 2nd March we will be posting two images per day of Wally somewhere in the University Library with a book. In each of the books we will conceal a Golden Ticket, which can be exchanged for a fabulous literary chocolate prize at the Welcome Desk

How to enter…

From Monday 27th February to Thursday 2nd March, we will be posting 2 separate images per day, at randomly generated times, across all three of our social media platforms.

Use your skill and knowledge to search for the book on the library catalogue, obtain the class number to locate the item on the shelves, run to the shelf (making sure you don’t trip and hurt yourself 🙂 ) and claim the Golden Ticket.

Bring the Golden Ticket to the LS Chocolate Factory (i.e. the Welcome Desk on the ground floor) and we will exchange it for your super prize.

Terms & Conditions

  1. Only EHU Students and Staff are eligible to win the prize.
  2. Learning Services staff are not eligible to win a prize (that would be cheating!)
  3. There are 8 prizes. The prizes are non-transferable and have no cash value.
  4. Golden tickets will only be accepted at the Welcome Desk in person
  5. The prizes are non-transferable and have no cash value.
  6. You can Tweet, Instagram or Facebook a photo of yourself with the Golden Ticket and book for extra brownie points. #WBDGoldenTicket

 

So, how user friendly are we? Learning Services UX experiences..

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With a major UK conference last month, the subject of UX in libraries is very much on the agenda.  UX or usability can take a variety of forms and many of us have been engaging with the ideas, techniques and concepts of UX for the past couple of years.

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Helen Jamieson and I attended a UX in Libraries conference which was held at the University of Cambridge in March and what a conference it was.  We felt we were on a film set for most of the week!.  It was truly international with library colleagues, anthropologists, ethnographers and web designers from all over the world there to inspire us.

We were introduced to a new concept – ideation = idea generation. It was great fun with one exercise generating well over a 100 post-it notes of ideas around improving library spaces in one of the Cambridge libraries.

imageWhen we returned home, we decided to try out the 6-8-5 technique as a way of creating new ideas for student induction 2015.  We tried it out with our staff who are on the induction planning group and then with a group of students. You’ll have to wait until September to see the results…

If you’re not familiar with the technique (and we weren’t) 6-8-5 is where you have 5 minutes to write 6 to 8 ideas on post-its. You share with your group, this can spark your creative juices so you repeat the exercise again with another 5 minutes – you might have new ideas or you have honed one of your original ideas or one of the teams.  You do create lots of ideas but they do begin to fall into themes when you bring them together and start to discuss.

 

What else are we doing?

Something which was a running theme with the keynote speakers at the conference and the breakout sessions was the limitations of data. Questionnaires don’t help us find out how using a service or a library space feels to our users. With this in mind, and following the success of diary mapping student study habits on campus, next term we will be mapping and questioning how students approach an assignment.  We know we don’t know enough so finding out more about the touch points with Learning Services will help us improve our service and support for students.

Three years ago as we prepared to develop new web pages for Learning Services, we dipped our toe into the water of web usability working with some prospective students who were our volunteers.  The work we undertook was fascinating as we watched students find – or not find as the case maybe- the answers to some standard questions that we get asked all the time.  The feedback gave us some great insights and helped us re-design some of our site – unfortunately, we can only share the videos with colleagues who were involved in the project and were named on the consent form but we are happy to talk to anyone thinking of undertaking a similar exercise.

More recently, we have been applying the same techniques to our single search tool, ‘Discover More’ observing volunteers trying to answer a number of questions using its navigation. We have been recording their experiences using screen capture software and a small team has been evaluating the results.

This month we are beginning to undertake usability of our VLE, Blackboard.  We have a brand new group of students who have just started their course at Edge Hill and we are keen to develop an understanding of how intuitive new students find Blackboard, and how they find key information – timetables, announcements, course handbooks, library resources.

The conference however has inspired us to be even more pioneering. Although our ethnographic techniques will continue we will be starting to introduce a more anthropological approach to the use of library services, as well as beginning to look at UXing some of our online activities as well.

Rachel Bury

Academic Liaison Manager – Quality, Marketing and Communication

Helen Jamieson

Customer Services Manager