Bite-Size Sessions at the Information Commons

Introducing Bite-Size: a series of short, informal sessions on a range of topics, aiming to teach you the skills you need to succeed in your studies. 

The sessions are held at 12pm every Wednesday, in Collabatory 2 on level 1 of the Information Commons. 

This week; 'Getting Stuff Done by Dan Courtney'. Presenting some simple tools and techniques to plan your work, or private projects. 

See the IC Blog for a full list of upcoming sessions.

Search the Library's Special Collections Online

You can now access lots of material, from both the Library's Special Collections and also the National Fairground Archive, through the University of Sheffield Library Digital Collections. 

There are excellent digital images from the archives displaying a huge variety of material; including, photographs, plans, books and maps, as well as video and audio clips. 

Have a look... simply search or browse here.

Items in the collection can also be found through StarPlus, and new material is being digitised and added all the time.

Group Study Rooms

We now have whiteboards set up in the two group study rooms at the Health Sciences Library. They can also be used as flip charts. Please keep all the pens and erasers together so everyone can make use of them. Remember you can book either of the rooms by logging into MUSE and clicking on the 'MyRooms and Resources' link.

10 of the Best: 7# Information Skills Resource

This month on '10 of the Best' we’re looking at one of the Library’s top in-house resources – the Information Skills Resource. From here you can find all the latest online tutorials that the Library has designed to help you gain the information skills you need to complete your course successfully. 

So whether you need some help on searching databases like Medline, or you need to find materials for your assignments, or you’re confused about referencing, the Information Skills Resource will have something for you. 

Available from the Library tab in MUSE you can search for tutorials by department or check out the non-subject specific tutorials from the homepage. There’s also a set of tutorials designed specifically for researchers, with guidance on referencing, copyright and on how to produce a literature review. 

Here are just some of the tutorials we think you’ll need the most; 

StarPlus find resources for your course

Evaluating information

Medline tutorial

Vancouver referencing for Medicine

Using Endnoteweb and Endnote

We’re developing new tutorials all the time so if there’s anything you’re struggling with and you think it should be covered by the Information Skills Resource just let us know!

Exam Survival

Looking for a place to revise? Remember many of the libraries have longer opening hours throughout the exam period. Our very own Health Sciences Library will be open for longer at weekends, 10:00-18:00, and also Western Bank Library will be open until midnight Mon-Thurs and Sun. 

And of course there's always the IC, open 24/7. Check out all the Library opening hours here.

There's also plenty of silent study areas throughout all the Library sites. The Health Sciences Library has a separate silent study room at the far end of the Library. Ask for directions at the counter.

Group Rooms and Laptops - bookings now open

Welcome back everyone. Just to let you know the group study rooms at the newly refurbished Health Sciences Library are now available to book. All you have to do is log into MUSE and click on the 'MyRooms and Resources' link. 

There are 2 rooms to choose from. A single room with capacity for 8 people, and also the Dr David Ryan Room which has 2 bookable tables that will fit 6 people each. Bookings can be made for anytime during the day and up to 2 days in advance.

We also have 10 new laptops that can be booked throughout the day. Again just use the 'MyRooms and Resources' link in MUSE or alternatively ask at the Library counter.

10 of the Best: 6# MEDLINE

After a short break we’re back with our feature ‘10 of the Best’, promoting some of the top information resources for students, staff and researchers across the Faculty. And this month we’re looking at Medline. 

Now you can probably tell that we’re not ranking these top 10 resources in order because otherwise Medline would almost certainly be up there at number 1. Containing more than 8.7 million records and with over 5,516 journals indexed, Medline is probably the most comprehensive database of medical and health care literature available. So if you’re looking for journal articles or conference proceedings to support your studies or research, Medline is the place to go. 

But how do you go about searching such a mammoth database? 

Well before you do anything you need to make sure that you’re logged into MUSE. Medline is available via a subscription paid for by the Library so if you want full access wherever you are, make sure you log into MUSE first. Then from the Library tab access the Library's catalogue StarPlus and  search for 'Medline'. From the search results select 'Medline via OvidSP' and click 'view online'. 

Once you’re connected to Medline you can then begin your search. There are both basic and advanced search options but for the most thorough search you should always choose the advanced search box. From here you can link your keywords to the database’s subject headings, ensuring none of your search terms are missed, and you can explode or focus your results as needed. 

Check out our Medline tutorial for a full guide on using Medline as well as all our top tips on getting the most out of your search; 

https://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/databases/medline.html