Library Newsletter – August 2026

Published by Noirin Dobson on 24th August 2026

Library Training programme

The Library’s September to December training programme is now live and can be viewed on the Library Training Events webpage. Sessions cover Library services, literature searching, Web of Science, reference management, EndNote and Open Access and are delivered both online and in person. Book onto the sessions using our booking form. 

Journal Review

The Journal Review document was sent out to AFBI staff via email on 17th August, and will be available for another week (until 1st  September). We are keen to hear any feedback on the titles in our current collection but we are in particular seeking to discover if any of the journals to which we currently subscribe are no longer required for AFBI research, and to confirm those that continue to be essential to research at AFBI. Feedback can be sent to us via annotated versions of the spreadsheet, or directly via email: afbilib@qub.ac.uk.  

Impact Survey 

We received some great feedback on the Library service from a short impact survey that was sent out in June.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out! You can read a full breakdown of the survey in our Impact Survey Blog and if you have any further feedback for the Library, pop in to let us know, or email us at afbilib@qub.ac.uk.   

Nature Masterclasses

AFBI staff have access to Nature Masterclasses – sign up to avail of the many informative webinars and useful self-paced courses on offer. If you signed up before they updated the platform please re-register by following the instructions in this blog post to ensure you get full access. 

Nature Masterclasses have promoted an upcoming live webinar titled Community Insights: Analysing and Interpreting Your Research Data with AI. In this webinar, researchers will have the opportunity to learn from distinguished panellists with expertise in AI research, editorial practice, and policy.    

This session will help researchers to:  

• Understand how AI can support different stages of data analysis, from planning and preparation to coding, troubleshooting and interpreting scientific results.  

• Evaluate where AI adds value while recognising when subject expertise, robust research methods and human oversight remain essential.   

• Manage research data responsibly by validating AI outputs, protecting sensitive information, documenting AI use and following institutional, founder and publisher guidance.  

• Apply AI in ways to strengthen, rather than replace, your own analytical thinking and research expertise.