Welcome to the fourth of our ‘Spotlight on…’ blog series! As part of #LoveYourLibrary month, our Student Advisors will be bringing light to some of Catalyst’s lesser-known fantastic features.

In today’s post, Jade explores Catalyst’s selection of educational resources. Did you know we house more than just books and journals?

Edge Hill College opened in Liverpool in 1885 as the first non-denominational teacher training college for women. From its roots as a specialist establishment with 41 female trainee teachers, Edge Hill University now has over 10,000 full-time students and has been at the forefront of initial teacher training for 130 years. The primary education teaching degrees combine expert tuition and a significant amount of time spent in schools gaining hands on experience.

So, considering all the to-be teachers here on campus, we have complied some facts about our Educational Resources Collection. We hope you’re inspired to use them on your placement!

Where are the resources located?

First floor   >   Near the spiral Staircase   >    000 – 999

What can the resources be used for?

• To inspire lesson planning across the curriculum
• To enhance the development of soft skills through interactive activities
• To encourage creativity through play

If you are interested in the resources but are unsure which of them would suit you, I recommend booking out one of the group rooms on the ground floor to check them out with your peers. By sampling and getting to know the resources better, you can avoid any surprises in the classroom and teach with confidence!

See how to book your group room here.

Written by: Jade Kaur

3rd Year Nutrition and Health Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
~ Ghandi

Today, 17^th February, is Random Act of Kindness day. Research has proven that showing kindness and consideration to others has multiple benefits for both giver and receiver. Being kind increases oxytocin, which strengthens the heart and cardiovascular system, and produces endorphins, which are our natural painkillers. Kindness is contagious, showing kindness produces a ripple through its recipients, leaving more than just one person happy.

There are so many ways of showcasing your kindness and helping other people, either today, or throughout the year. I’ve made 15 suggestions here detailing how you could practise kindness to those around you:

1. Pay it backward and buy coffee at 53.3 Degrees for the person standing behind you in line.
2. Send positive text messages to people you love throughout the day. Show them how much they mean to you.
3. Let someone purchase their shopping before you if they only have a few items.
4. Suggest a book recommendation using Edge Hill’s Library Services.
5. Brighten your family member’s morning by leaving a kind or funny message on your mirror with a whiteboard marker.
6. Smile at five strangers.
7. Help someone loan a book at the Catalyst.
8. Practice self-help and self-kindness by spending some time today doing something you love.
9. Leave a generous tip for a helpful and kind server.
10. Compliment a stranger.
11. One for the year; on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day think of those friends who have lost a parent and check in with them. Those will be tough days.
12. Why not join a bone marrow registry? Having yourself on the registry could be the difference between life or death for someone who needs bone marrow or stem cells. Anthony Nolan are a great charity that focus on finding stem cells and bone marrow for patients in need.
13. Listen – don’t interrupt. Sometimes people just want someone to listen, not suggest a solution.
14. If you’ve had great experiences from a business you like, why not write them a review online? These help a lot more than you realise.
15. When you’re discouraged by your own voice, tell yourself something positive. You deserve kindness too!

The Random Acts of Kindness Organisation showcases different ways that you can exhibit kindness and offers resources to promote a kinder and more thoughtful world. Why not become a RAKtivist? RAKtivists are ambassadors of the Random Acts of kindness Organisation that share their knowledge and lead by example.

Video Credit: Random Acts Of Kindness, 2018

Make sure that, at least today, you offer kindness to those around you – strangers, family, colleagues, friends. People benefit from your generosity more than you can know.

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

Catalyst is a particularly pleasant place at the moment – cheery help desk staff, students smiling at one another, it’s as though the whole building is enveloped in a bubble of loveliness! We can’t quite put our finger on it, but we think it might be something to do with national #LoveYourLibrary month.

If you hadn’t noticed, since the start of February we’ve had a little digital celebration of all things Library. While our ‘Spotlight On…’ blog series has been showcasing lesser-known facts about your favourite study space, this week we will be going all in with special Student Advisor-led workshops, social media competitions and more.

To kick things off, our wonderful Student Advisors have decked out the ground floor desk space with an aptly-timed Valentines themed display. Think heart balloons, book ‘couples’, and enough red sequins to prompt a romantic proposal. If that weren’t enough, we’ve also set up a whopping 2-ways-to-enter competition with prizes for every entrant (while stocks last). We told you there was something in the air…

The first way to get your name in the pot for this year’s most coveted competition is to visit the event desk space and have a go at guessing the location of our list of famous libraries. Do you know your Bodleian from your St Marks? Are you search savvy enough on Google to find out?

Alternatively, keep your beady eyes peeled for an #EHULoveYourLibrary heart poking out from one of the Catalyst bookshelves. Simply tweet a picture of your discovery to @EHULearnService including the hashtag and we will take care of the rest. The prize you ask? Check out our heart-themed hamper below…

You also don’t want to miss our #LoveYourLibrary month book recommendations display. Not only have the Student Engagement Team been busy reviewing their top-picks from our very own Library Catalogue, but they’ve also paired some books they think go together better than Edge and Hill. We apologise in advance for inspiring you to use up all your book allowance!

Finally, make sure to book a space on our Student Advisor-led workshop ‘Getting the most out of ‘My Library’ here: bit.ly/2EtXwHD 

This hands-on session will show you everything you need to know about navigating our online tab. Whether you need to download the referencing guide or access subject specific journals, your Advisors will be on hand to answer or signpost any of your burning questions.

So don’t hold back, there’s plenty of ways to get involved with #LoveYourLibrary month and show Catalyst how much you care.

#LoveYourLibrary Competition Terms and conditions

1. Only EHU Students are eligible to win prizes, EHU staff may enter but are not eligible to win a prize.
2. To collect your goody bag for entering you will need to bring evidence of your competition entry to Catalyst Help Desk and quote ‘UniSkills competition’.
3. Twitter competition entries must contain the hashtag #EHULoveYourLibrary with the heart(s) visible in the image.
4. The prize will be given to the owner of the Tweet or student number on the ‘Famous Libraries’ competition slip.
5. You may tweet as many times as you wish to share your heart, but only one entry (per method of entering) will be entered into the final prize draw.
6. The winner will be contacted through their Twitter or student email account.
7. The winners will be picked at random from a prize draw on Tuesday 19^th February 2018.
8. The prizes are non-transferable.
9. All winners must be able to collect the prize from Catalyst Help Desk and be able to provide evidence/ID that they have won before we can hand over the prize.
10. Prizes must be collected by 5pm on Tuesday 26^thFebruary 2019.
11. If anyone cannot be contacted or prizes are not collected by Tuesday 26^th February the entry will become null and void and a re-draw will take place.

Welcome to the third of our ‘Spotlight on…’ blog series! As part of #LoveYourLibrary month, our Student Advisors will be bringing light to some of Catalyst’s lesser-known fantastic features.

Catalyst is a large building and when in need, trying to track down the exact person you need can be timely. While the help desk is a great place to go with any query you might have, this blog shines light on the other services available designed to minimize disruption to your precious study time.

Roving phones

These phones are located within the printing hub on each floor and are free for students to use. To use this phone, you just pick it up and it will ring the Catalyst Helpdesk for you. You may wish to report an issue with the printer, such as it having jammed or run out of paper. These phones can also be used to report any noise concerns.

Blinds

Did you know that students have control over the blinds in Catalyst? You can request for a blind to be lowered or heightened by texting +44 (0)1613 751608.

Noise issues

There may be times in Catalyst where the noise in your study area becomes too loud. You can inform members of staff about the noise without leaving your study space by texting +44 (0)1613 751608. Simply include your location in the text and a member of staff will deal with the issue.

Board pens

There are wipe boards and pens in the study rooms located on the ground floor that students are welcome to use (provided they book the room in advance). If there aren’t any wipe board pens in your study room, the help desk staff will happily provide you with some.

Written by: Anna Krawiecka

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

Welcome to the second of our ‘Spotlight on…’ blog series! As part of #LoveYourLibrary month, our Student Advisors will be bringing light to some of Catalyst’s lesser-known fantastic features.

Learning a language has an exciting array of benefits. So why not enhance your memory, improve your first language, benefit your academic performance and even widen your career choices with a multilingual library pick?

Fortunately, Catalyst has lots of foreign language resources you can delve into as a starting point. Whether you’re beginning from scratch or are already a seasoned Spanish speaker, browse the library’s inspiring collection of both grammar and teach-yourself exercise books. There’s no excuses!

On the 2^nd floor of Catalyst (400-470) you can find extensive books on learning several languages. These include (but are not limited to):

• French
• German
• Celtic
• Mandarin Chinese
• Spanish

If that wasn’t enough, Catalyst also offers sign language resources…

With so many languages to choose from, half the fun may even be in discovering a tongue you didn’t know existed!

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

Welcome to the first of our ‘Spotlight on…’ blog series! As part of #LoveYourLibrary month, we will be bringing light to some of Catalyst’s lesser-known fantastic features.

Catalyst is brilliant for so many reasons. From finding academic resources and facilitating group work, to simply being an inspiring and positive study space, there is an abundance of services designed to help you – including some you may not know about! Here, we collate some of the features that tend to spark students’ curiosities.

Black Study Lamps

You may have seen the black study lamps in certain study spaces around Catalyst, but there has been some confusion as to how you turn them on! To use these, you just touch the base of the lamp, tapping more than once to dim the brightness. These study lamps also have a USB port which can be used to charge electronic devices (you need to bring the correct cable).

Library Catalogue Machines

The library catalogue machines are computers which allow you to search for a book or journal article that is available in Catalyst. They are ready to be used which saves you having to find a computer and log on! They are located on the first and second floors next to the printing hubs.

Printing PCs

There are computers located within the printing hubs that can be logged onto if you just have something to print.

Stationery

There is also stationery available to use which can be located within the printing hubs.

The Video Wall

The video wall is located on the Catalyst ground floor to the right of the coffee shop. This has a rotational display which informs students of useful information, such as upcoming workshops and the building layout.

Have you spotted any other curious features in Catalyst? Tweet us at @EHULearnService using #KeepUpWithCatalyst so we can spread the word!

Written by: Anna Krawiecka

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

How do you feel when you look at your module overview and see that one of the assessed elements is a presentation? Fearful? Anxious? Nervous?

You are not alone! Almost every course at university includes an assessed presentation at some point … and almost every student has felt anxious or nervous about presenting in front of other people.

A great way to reduce anxiety and improve your confidence levels is to practice in a safe environment. Some of you may already do this with family or friends, but finding an audience that is welcoming, friendly and can offer positive feedback, can often be a challenge.

This is why we have developed UniSpeaks!

UniSpeaks offers a safe space to come together with other students in the same boat to practice presenting in front of an audience. These sessions will take place once a month – you can come along and listen to others present, and even have a go yourself.

Our aim is to build a community of positive support where those new to presenting, or speaking in front of any audience, can learn strategies and techniques to develop their confidence. UniSpeaks offers the space and opportunity for you to develop your own style and provide constructive feedback to the other speakers. This is a great opportunity for you to meet other students, develop your skills, and become a more confident presenter.

Book your place today!

Can you believe that extreme ironing is a hobby? People take to mountains, helicopters and even mid-air to iron their clothes. Have you ever heard of Baggists? Baggists collect sick bags from aeroplanes and websites are available for Baggists to buy and sell bags they may not have found.

So… to celebrate national hobby month, why don’t you take up a new hobby? I won’t expect you to iron your bed sheets whilst hung from a parachute or fly around the world to collect bags from flights – but even taking up the smallest hobby that you enjoy can improve your overall satisfaction.

I’ve listed hobbies below to give you an idea of new activities you could trial out:

• Join a new society – Edge Hill host an array of societies including cheerleading, LGBT society, murder mystery and table top gaming.
• Reading – Some people wish they had time to read, but don’t. Why don’t you give yourself some time to go through Catalyst’s resources and find yourself a book?
• Learn a new language – Why not download an app to help you learn a new language? In an ever-expanding and multi-cultural world, learning a new language is never a bad thing. Not only is it a mind-sharpening activity, it also proves very good on a CV!
• Writing – Writing fiction, poetry, scripts or non-fiction can earn you money. If you’ve had that idea nagging in your head for a while, get started!
• Scrapbooking – Are you the artistic type? Scrapbooking can be extremely therapeutic and stimulating for those who love art and aesthetic. Put your artistic practises to use and create a collage of your memories.
• Learn to play an instrument – Music-lovers might like this one. Developing your skills as a musician has so many benefits, and you might discover your hidden talent.
• Meditation – It might sound strange, but meditation can slow down the mind and relax your anxieties and encourage a healthier mindset.
• Join the gym – Why not join Edge Hill University’s renowned gym? Its facilities are enough to cater for all sporty types or new starters!

If you already have a hobby – celebrate by doing more of it. Improving and strengthening your wellbeing using hobbies will have positive impacts on your approach to university.

To celebrate the new year why not try something new?

Written by: DYLAN BOOTH

3rd Year Creative Writing Student

Student Advisor for Library & Learning Services

Research shows that if we commit to doing something, we are far more likely to succeed if we publicly declare our intentions. So, motivate yourself this semester by sharing a pledge with a friend. You could pledge to:

• Not leave your assignments to the last minute
• Eat well and get enough sleep
• Prioritise study over social media

… or think up one of your own.

If that’s not motivation enough, enter our competition to win yourself a motivational study snack! Simply upload a picture of your #MyEdgePledge bookmark (available in Catalyst) using the hashtag, for a chance to win.

Still struggling to find some motivation to get back into semester 2? Jumpstart your January by coming to our ‘How to be keen in 2019’ workshop this Wednesday, which will offer tips and techniques to motivate yourself and avoid procrastination. Learn to manage your time, set achievable goals, and make study fun! Book on now at: https://bit.ly/2ACYkpl

Or, maybe you and a friend could pledge to attend a Uniskills workshop together to help you both make the most out of your university experience. Friday offers a fantastic opportunity to discover how to make the most of your contact (and non-contact!) hours and find a study strategy that works for you by attending our ‘Learn to engage to start on the right page’ workshop. Book here: https://bit.ly/2FPWWmS

We look forward to seeing you at the #NewYearNewUniskills stand on the ground floor of Catalyst this week, or at one of our popular workshops!

#My Edge Pledge Competition Terms and conditions

1. Only EHU Students are eligible to win prizes, EHU staff may enter but are not eligible to win a prize.
2. Competition entries must contain the hashtag #MyEdgePledge with the bookmark(s) visible in the image.
3. The prize will be given to the owner of the Tweet.
4. You may tweet as many times as you wish to share your pledge, but only one entry will be entered into the final prize draw.
5. The winner will be contacted through their Twitter account.
6. The winners will be picked at random from a prize draw on Monday 28^th January 2018.
7. The prizes are non-transferable.
8. All winners must be able to collect the prize from Catalyst Help Desk and be able to provide evidence/ID that they have won before we can hand over the prize.
9. Prizes must be collected by 5pm on Friday 1^st February 2019.
10. If anyone cannot be contacted or prizes are not collected by Friday 1^st February the entry will become null and void and a re-draw will take place.

With what feels like never-ending dark mornings and a long stretch ahead to Easter, we understand that bouncing back after the festive break is easier said than done. While we hope you found space to relax and recharge for all-important semester 2, we know for some of you the reality would have been more mark schemes and revision than mince pies for Rudolph.

But never fear!

To help switch that study-mode back on and get your critical-thinking cogs turning again, we’re running a January campaign in collaboration with Student Wellbeing jam-packed with informative and inspiring workshops.

Check out our motivational workshop menu below:

Get to grips with mark scheme tips
Monday 21^st January 2019
Willow 12pm-1pm
This session demystifies some common academic language found across marking criteria. Don’t know your evaluation from your synthesis? This one might be for you. Students are also welcome to bring their own departmental marking rubrics for group de-coding!

Building your resilience toolbox
Tuesday 22^nd January 2019
Willow 12pm-2pm 
An introductory session to mindfulness, building resilience and learning to cope with uni life. Come along for some positive time out!
This session is provided by Student Wellbeing.

How to be keen in 2019
Wednesday 23^rd January 2019
Willow 12pm-1pm
Jumpstart your January with tips and techniques to motivate yourself and avoid procrastination. Learn to manage your time, set achievable goals, and make study fun!

Introduction to Mindfulness
Thursday 24^th January 2019
Wilson W13 12pm-2pm
Come along to a calm, safe space for a spot of mindfulness. Learn to be in the moment, de-stress and calm your mind and body.
This session is provided by Student Wellbeing.

Learn to engage to start on the right page
Friday 25^th January 2019
Willow 12pm-1pm
From notetaking and utilising your tutors’ office hours, to accessing your reading list, this workshop will show you how to make the most of your contact (and non-contact!) hours and find a study strategy that works for you.

These all look super, but where do we sign up?! We hear you cry…

The good news is all sessions are ready to book now, but don’t hold back as spaces are limited and sure to fill up fast. Will 2019 be your year?

You are also welcome to join us all week from 10am-4pm at the Catalyst ground floor event space, where you can:

• Pick up a bookmark to gift to a friend
• Contribute to an interactive study spaces map
• Loan an inspirational DVD or book
• Share suggestions for future workshops and toolkits

So dust off those planners and sharpen your pencils, it’s time to make some #UniResolutions!