GCU London Library: Festive Opening Hours 2023/24

Posted on by

The GCU London Library will be open as follows over the Festive period 2023/24:

Day

Date

Time

Monday

18/12/2023

9am to 7pm

Tuesday

19/12/2023

9am to 7pm

Wednesday

20/12/2023

9am to 7pm

Thursday

21/12/2023

9am to 7pm

Friday

22/12/2023

9am to 7pm

Saturday

23/12/2023

Closed

Sunday

24/12/2023

Closed

Monday

25/12/2023

Closed

Tuesday

26/12/2023

Closed

Wednesday

27/12/2023

Closed

Thursday

28/12/2023

Closed

Friday

29/12/2023

Closed

Saturday

30/12/2023

Closed

Sunday

31/12/2023

Closed

Monday

01/01/2024

Closed

Tuesday

02/01/2024

9am to 7pm

Wednesday

03/01/2024

9am to 7pm

Thursday

04/01/2024

9am to 7pm

Friday

05/01/2024

9am to 7pm

Saturday

06/01/2024

Closed

Sunday

07/01/2024

Closed

Library systems scheduled maintenance

Posted on by

Please be aware that the Library’s system provider has scheduled essential maintenance from 11pm on Saturday 6th to 12am on Sunday 7th December.

The library Discover search and Resource Lists system may be unavailable for some of this time.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Technical issue [Scopus] – issue resolved

Posted on by

Please be aware that we are currently experiencing access issues to the resource Scopus.

We are currently working with the vendor to resolve this issue ASAP and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

UPDATE [14 November, 13:33]

This issue is resolved. Thank you for your patience, and our apologies once more for any inconvenience caused.

Level 4 closed 20 to 23 October 2023

Posted on by

Level 4 of the Sir Alex Ferguson Library will be closed from 5pm on Friday 20 October until 7am on Monday 23 October to allow improvements to power and USB charging provision at study spaces to be carried out.

There will also be some minor work carried out on Level 2 of the Library but the floor will remain open.

We thank you for your patience while this work is carried out.

 

Scheduled Downtime [VLebooks platform]

Posted on by

Please be aware that there will be scheduled downtime on the VLebooks platform on Sunday 8th October between 4pm – 7pm in order for the vendor to perform essential maintenance. We have been advised that the platform will be VLebooks offline for approximately one hour during this period.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you are experiencing any other issues with online resources from the library, please contact the team via email at ertenq@gcu.ac.uk 

 

New online resources for 2023/24

Posted on by

The library is happy to announce access to a range of new online resources for the new academic year.

Users can find the resources directly on the Library’s Discover platform or by searching in the Database A-Z here.

CINAHL Complete

CINAHL Complete is a definitive research tool for nursing and allied health professionals which provides fast and easy access to top nursing and allied health journals, evidence-based care sheets, quick lessons and continuing education modules. This database contains full text for many of the most used journals found in the CINAHL index. With CINAHL Complete, users can access a comprehensive scope of content covering over 50 nursing specialties as well as allied health subjects including speech and language pathology, nutrition, physical therapy and much more

SAGE Research Methods Datasets

Sage Research Methods Datasets are a new tool used in the teaching and learning of social science research methods in more than 160 institutions around the world. Each dataset is peer-reviewed and they present a practical guide to data analysis accompanied by real data for the reader to practice on. They are:

  • Short and accessible guides to specific research methods or techniques accompanied by real data used as an illustrative example.
  • Pedagogically focused to help students learn and practice their research methods.
  • Introductory in tone: explanatory and jargon-free.
  • Engaging: using examples and writing devices that reach out to the student reader and make research feel relevant, meaningful and useful.

Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive Collection 5: Video Gaming

The Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (EIMA) is the digital high-resolution archive of key US and UK trade and consumer magazines covering the broad spectrum of the entertainment industry and media including film, television, popular music, radio, and theatre. The Video Gaming archive includes over 40 titles spanning the 1980s through 2020. Titles cover a variety of consoles and computers and include publications such as Computer & Video Games (1981-2004), PC Gamer (1994-2020) and Edge (1993-2020).

Psychology in the Real World

Psychology in the Real World is a resource that supports the teaching and learning of Psychology in 7 key areas – law, education, social change, work, sport, relationships and health. This online resource allows students to explore the field of Psychology and investigate both established and emerging topics. With over 200 entries, intuitive search and detailed metadata, the Psychology in the Real World resource can easily be incorporated into the learning environment. From explaining introductory concepts to providing in-depth understandings of complex issues, it is the go-to reference inside and outside the classroom.

CareKnowledge

CareKnowledge is a holistic professional development platform for busy social care teams.  The platform gives users access to expert, evidence-based information and resources across the whole spectrum of social care practice. The platform contains a wealth of original content – from longform, practice-focused articles, to analysis, comment and reflection on key issues from leading experts in their respective fields.

CareKnowledge also includes access to a virtual bookshelf of best-selling, high quality social care books from Pavilion Publishing, updated with new titles throughout the year.

Politics Trove

Politics Trove is the home of Oxford University Press undergraduate politics textbooks online. Collecting together best-selling titles by world-leading experts, Politics Trove facilitates a rounded and complete study of politics.

The library now has access to a range of titles in the International Relations collection, a key resource for students studying international relations modules, whether a first introduction to the subject, a theory-based module, security and strategy, or foreign policy.

Exploring Race in Society

Exploring Race in Society is a free database offering essential content covering important issues related to race in society today. Essays, articles, reports and other reliable sources provide an in-depth look at the history of race and provide critical context for learning more about topics associated with race, ethnicity, diversity and inclusiveness.

In addition to essays, photographs, graphs and charts, Exploring Race in Society includes:

  • Thousands of full-text articles from academic journals
  • Government agency reports curated and provided by HeinOnline
  • Full-text articles, primary source documents and speeches from BlackPast, a leading source on African American history and experience
  • Journal content covering issues related to race, including those of Indigenous communities

If you have any queries about using any library resources, please contact the Academic Librarian team. If you have any issues accessing a database, please contact the Electronic Resource Team at ertenq@gcu.ac.uk

Resource List FAQs for 2023-24

Posted on by

For all academic staff, resource lists for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year are now available within GCULearn. The resource list team have created this FAQ blog post to help with any questions academic staff may have while reviewing or submitting their lists for the upcoming term.

 

Staff with existing lists:

I am not making any changes to my list, do I need to do anything else? 

If you are not making any changes or additions to your list, you do not need to do anything further. Your list will automatically appear in your GCULearn module site. 

Can my students see my list? 

All lists have been rolled over for the new academic year at a ‘Published’ status. This means that students will be able to see your list as soon as they have access to the module site. 

I am no longer the module leader for this course, what do I do? 

If we have contacted you regarding a list you are no longer related to, we ask that you or the new module leader please contact us at resourcelists@gcu.ac.uk and we will be able to update your list. 

The module code has changed for this list, what do I do? 

If the module code for your list has changed, you can update this in the following way: 

  1. Click on the three dot icon next to your resource list title 
  2. Click on Manage Module Association 
  3. You can then remove any incorrect module codes and look up your new code in the search box 
  4. Select the correct module code and click Associate & Close 

Alternatively, you can contact us at resourcelists@gcu.ac.uk will all relevant information and we can make any changes on your behalf.  

 

 Staff creating new lists:

What can be added to my list? 

Almost anything! Staff are no longer restricted to just books and journal articles as was the case with older systems. Our Resource List system gives you the ability to cite a variety of resources such as podcasts, radio or video recordings, journal articles, websites, reports, ebooks or print books. You can find out how to add different resources to your list in our help guide.  

What is the best way to structure my list? 

The Resource List system has three pre-set templates for structuring a list; by week (12 sections), by importance level (3 sections) or you may choose a blank template and create your own structure. While the decision of how to best structure a list ultimately lies with the individual, we recommend to academic staff that they align their list structure with how their course is taught. This may mean creating weekly sections, structuring by topic or subject area, or by resource type. You can find out how to add and edit sections in your list in our help guide. 

I am new to using the Resource Lists at GCU service, can I get training? 

Our team can offer online or in-person training at any time. If you are interested in booking training for yourself or a group of colleagues, please contact the team at resourcelists@gcu.ac.uk to arrange. You can also view a recording of a previous training session and view our online help guide on our website.  

We will be holding various training sessions between June – October 2023, please keep an eye on the staff intranet and Caledonian Connected for more information.

 

 General help:

I have submitted my changes, when will my list be ready? 

At the beginning of each term our resource list processing time is approximately four weeks. We endeavour to have any resource lists submitted prior to the submission deadline fully processed in time for the start of term.  

I’m having trouble finding resources for my module, can you help? 

The library is always available to assist you in finding suitable resources for your teaching. Please contact the Academic Librarian team for your subject area and they will be able to help you.  

Can I get usage statistics for my list?

Yes, the library can provide a range of usage statistics for your resource lists. If you’d like to find out more about this please contact the team at resourcelists@gcu.ac.uk