From 1 Oct 2015, Scopus will no longer support Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). Scopus recommends that users upgrade their browser to Internet Explorer 9 or higher, or use Firefox or Google Chrome to access the database.
For further details, please check the Scopus blog.
Access to the Inspec database will cease on 31 August. Owing to significantly reduced use and following a consultation with relevant Schools, the Library will no longer maintain a subscription to current (post 1968) Inspec content.
The Inspec archive (1898-1968) will remain available and you can continue to access it via the Engineering Village platform.
Please do not hesitate to contact your Subject Librarian if you would like any further information.
Following a re-arrangement of the books on Floor 1 of the McClay Library the DA900 books have been relocated – you can now find them at the end of the first run of shelves (see below). The new arrangement means that the DA books are now consolidated rather than split between shelve runs.
Last Semester we carried out a major survey to find out what students think about the Short Loan Collection in the McClay Library.
We got a huge response and have listened to everything you said!
So now, as a result of your feedback, we are making big changes to the loan periods and the fines to improve the service.
You asked … for more convenient / flexible return times
You dislike … having to return books by 10 o’clock on Monday mornings
We . . . abolished specific return times
All Short Loan books can now be returned at any time of the day or night on the due date.
You said … fines accumulate too quickly
You think … the overdue charges are confusing
We . . . abolished the hourly fine rate
The hourly fine rate has been replaced by a daily charge.
The fine for the late return of all Short Loan items (1– Night, 2-Night and 7-Night) is now the same — £2.50 per item per day.
You asked … for books in very heavy demand to be available for use only in the Library
You said … it’s difficult to get hold of recommended texts in time to meet deadlines
We . . . created a Short Loan Reference category
A small number of books cannot be borrowed—they are only for use in the Short Loan area.
You said … the 1-Night Loan period is too short
We . . . discontinued 1-Night book loans
The 1-Night books can now be borrowed for 3 days (2 nights).
Please note that although DVDs and videos can only be borrowed for one night they may be returned at ANYTIME the following day.
There are various templates to use if you are presenting research at a conference and wish to upload a record to Pure. This is a brief guide on choosing the correct template.
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference Proceeding – Conference contribution:
Contribution to Conference
If you upload a record and the Open Access Team feels a different conference template would enhance the record we will make this change and notify you via an automatic message. If you wish to discuss this change please contact the Open Access team.
For further information or assistance check out our Open Access LibGuide.
Updated 28.7.2015 To clear your cache, in Internet Explorer 11, click the gear wheel in the top right of your window, choose Safety, then Delete browsing history.
Make sure that the Preserve Favorites website checkbox is unchecked and that Temporary Internet files and website files, Cookies and website data checkboxes are checked as shown below, then click the Delete button.
Updated 27.7.2015 If you have cleared your cache and you still do not see the page below when you visit LibGuides, you may need to refresh the page. This issue appears to be due to network caching and we expect that it will be resolved within 24 hours.
We have upgraded our LibGuides pages. We have a fresh new look and you can expect to see neat new features soon but you can still find all the information you need on searching library resources. If you don’t see the page below you may need to clear your browser cache. If you experience any difficulty using the pages please contact your Subject Librarian.
The Queen’s University Archive is the institutional archive of the Queen’s University of Belfast, the arrangement of the archive collection reflects the history and functions of Queen’s. The Queen’s University of Belfast was established in 1845 as Queen’s College Belfast, it was one of three Queen’s Colleges in Ireland created at that time, the others being in Cork and Galway.
The Queen’s Colleges did not have the authority to award degrees, those students who attended Queen’s College Belfast obtained their degrees from the Queen’s University in Ireland from 1850-1882 and the Royal University of Ireland from 1882-1908. In 1908 the Queen’s University of Belfast became an independent university.
The catalogue is structured to reflect the work of Queen’s College Belfast, the Queen’s University of Ireland, the Royal University of Ireland and the Queen’s University of Belfast.
The part of the University Archive collection that is available in the online catalogue relates to Queen’s College Belfast, the Queen’s University of Ireland and the Royal University of Ireland.
Cataloguing of the Queen’s University Archive collection is ongoing and further descriptions of records in the collection will become available on a regular basis.
Online access to Nature Communications is now available via QCat Library Catalogue: https://encore.qub.ac.uk/iii/encore_qub/record/C__Rb1719854 .
Nature Communications is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in all areas of the biological, physical, chemical and Earth sciences.
Open Access is about making academic research freely available online. It is important because:
All of these aspects impact the individual researcher and their institution. The University has shown its commitment to this area by developing the Queen’s University Open Access Policy, which is effective from 1 November 2014.
Furthermore the University has established an Open Access Team, based in the McClay Library, to assist Queen’s researchers in making their research open access. The team are currently developing an Open Access FAQ Section to help answer any questions that you might have.
Open Access is here to stay and it is growing in both popularity and significance. It is important to the University, to the future of research and to you, the researchers.
For further information or assistance contact the Open Access Team by emailing openaccess@qub.ac.uk or check out our Open Access LibGuide.
Some of you were asked to respond to a book availability survey this Easter – many thanks to those who did.
A key availability question, ‘How often were the books you needed available on the shelf?’ was asked both this year and last year. This year 83% of undergraduates usually or almost always found a book, 86% of postgraduates. This compares very closely with the 85% who reported that they usually or almost always found a book last year.
We also gathered some very useful information on the use of Library e-books – 80% of postgraduates and 58.8% of undergraduates used a Library e-book in semester 1. Perhaps most significantly, 67.4% of undergraduates and 65.1% of postgraduates either agreed or strongly agreed that an e-book was an acceptable alternative to a print book from the Library (around 14% were neutral on the question).
The greatest limit on the use of Library e-books in fact is the publishers understandable unwillingness to release Library e-book versions of textbooks aimed at undergraduates. The Library will certainly continue to purchase e-book versions of texts needed to support undergraduate and postgraduate modules wherever they are available.
The survey also found however that a significant minority of students are having difficulty finding the books they need – around 15%, depending on the question.
We will now seek formal or informal feedback to isolate the elements of using the Library catalogue and finding books on the shelves that cause the greatest problems – though we do have some sense of this ourselves!
Do comment on this news item if you would like to suggest areas of greatest difficulty.
