Swinburne Library Blog

New online reference works

Posted January 20, 2010 in category General by Fiona O'Donnell

For 2010, Swinburne Library has increased the number of online reference titles to over 450 new titles.

Reference material includes well-regarded titles from some of world's the best reference publishers such as Blackwells, Cambridge University Press, Chambers, Elsevier, Sage, Routledge, Thames and Hudson, Macquaire and Wiley. Credo's collection contains dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy, science to Shakespeare and law to literature.

You can access these online reference titles now through the Library search.

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New "Search the Library" now available

Posted January 15, 2010 in category General by Thomas Rutter

We're proud to be able to make our new "Search the Library" available today.

More information about the upgrade is available on this page, and you can also send us your feedback.

In short, there are a lot of changes at the Library website, particularly in the way you find books, eBooks, subject materials for Swinburne courses, as well as the way you place holds and renew loans.  The new Search boasts a much better relevancy ranking, along with features such as spelling suggestions, helping you find better search results more in line with modern web search engines.  You can also narrow down your search by selecting further criteria down the left hand side.

This is just one step in a number of planned improvements for 2010.  Hopefully, all this makes for a better Library experience.  If you have any comments, please let us know. 

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Quick tip: Renew your LateLab access at Hawthorn

Posted January 08, 2010 in category General by Annette Steere

Get reactivated!

  
        LateLab entrance                                                               Hawthorn Service Desk

Were you a user of Hawthorn's LateLab in 2009?  If so, don't forget to get your ID card reactivated for 2010.  See the staff at the Hawthorn Service Desk and they'll activate/reactivate your card (current Swinburne staff and students only).

 Find out more about the LateLab

 

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Changes to the way you find library resources

Posted January 04, 2010 in category General by Thomas Rutter

The Library website is set to undergo some big changes in coming weeks, as part of a major software upgrade.  The upgrade affects the entire way we catalogue our books, DVDs and other items, how we record the items out on loan, and lots more.

From a library user's perspective, however, you'll notice:

New Search The Library service 

The Search The Library service will be an upgrade of the existing Catalogue search, which is used to find books, DVDs and more in our campus libraries, as well as eBooks and Subject Materials Online.

Improvements will include new Google-like search results, better relevancy ranking of your searches, and real-time availability information, telling you which items are available or on the shelf.  It'll also offer a new way to search for articles and more via the Library's Databases

New My Library

The My Library service will be an upgrade of the current Check your holds and renew loans feature (also known as My Account).  It will be a central location for checking which items you have out on loan, any items you have placed a hold on and their status, and a place to renew any loans to extend their due date.

New look Library website

The Library website is getting a makeover, too.  Our top priority is to reduce confusion and make it easier to find the things you want.  To that end, we're merging the two search boxes into one, and greatly simplifying the front page.  We've also spent a lot of time considering what terms to use when referring to our services, reducing jargon and improving consistency.

For more information on the installation of the new system, see the launch page.

During the upgrade, you may notice some slight changes - for example, right now you can't check your hold status on the web.  This is all part of the upgrade plan. 

Have a happy new year!

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Web of Science just got a whole lot better!

Posted December 22, 2009 in category General by Annette Steere

Until recently we only had access to this important research database back to 1992.  We have now added the complete backfiles, including the Century of Science, providing access to cited reference data from 1900 to the present.  Web of Science enables you to track research trends, identify significant papers, and influential authors such as Einstein and Curie.
 
Have a look at Web of Science.

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Need help finding a job?

Posted December 21, 2009 in category General by Annette Steere

 

The library has lots of books and DVDs to help you write application letters, create resumes/CVs and handle job interviews.  Search the Library or look on the shelves at the following call numbers for items on:
Job hunting                                        650.14    
Resumes and CVs (curriculum vitae)    650.142  
Employment interviewing                     650.144  
And don't forget that you can access hundreds of eBooks online!

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A world of entertainment at your library!

Posted December 09, 2009 in category General by Sue FOSTER

 

Stories from around the globe...

Find these DVDs and more in the AudioVisual section!

 Titles vary at each campus ... you can browse the entire collection and place holds using the library catalogue.

 

New award winning reads

Posted November 30, 2009 in category General by Sue FOSTER

  Enjoy our prize winning new titles

find all these and more in our
recreational reading collection

 

 

New Title lists

Posted November 06, 2009 in category General by Ian Thomas



The New Title lists have just been updated. Select from Subject / Location lists or ALL TITLES.

Enter a fun quiz!

Posted October 27, 2009 in category General by Annette Steere

Note: entries for the below competition have now closed.  Prize winners will be notified by mail.  Thanks to all those who participated!

Find the answers to 8 easy questions using the Scopus database and submit them before 22 November 2009 for a chance to win a great prize!  Be the first person to answer all, or the most, questions correctly to win a MP3 player!! Runner up prizes of USB sticks and wireless optical mice.

The quiz is open to all current Swinburne University of Technology staff and students.  The prize winners will be notified by email.

So what have you got to lose? Enter the quiz now!

Library survey prize winners

Posted October 26, 2009 in category General by Lauren DUNSTAN

Thanks to all those who took part in the Library Survey 2009. The survey results will help us to improve library services in the future.

The lucky winners of the library survey received their JB HiFi gift vouchers from Anatolij Lisov, Information Services Manager, Lilydale and Derek Whitehead, Director of Information Resources. We hope you enjoy them!

Gilbert Chew, winner of $300 voucher

 

Jacob Corcoran, $100 voucher                     Jianxin Li, $100 voucher                                 Lorelie De Luna, $100 voucher


Friends of Swinburne Library Online newsletter

Posted October 23, 2009 in category General by Sian BESSELAAR

Swinburne Library has recently published the first issue of the Friends of Swinburne Library Online newsletter. We intend to keep the Swinburne community informed about developments in the Library, with a focus on our digital and online identity.
 
This issue includes an overview of the Swinburne Image Bank Launch held in April this year, details of the Library's involvement in the Australia Post Letters of a Nation project, and highlights of the Library's image and video collections.
 
Click here to read the Friends of Swinburne Library Online Newsletter.
 
We hope you enjoy reading this.
 
If you would like to join the Friends of Swinburne Library Online mailing list and stay informed of future developments in the Library, please email images@swin.edu.au for further details.

Open Access Week 2009

Posted October 20, 2009 in category General by Lauren DUNSTAN

19-23 October is Open Access Week around the world!   <div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29621567@N00/349077131/"><a rel="cc:attributionURL" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29621567@N00/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/29621567@N00/</a> / <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">CC BY-NC 2.0</a></div>

Open Access is a growing international movement founded on the principle that all research should be freely accessible online to anyone, anywhere, for the advancement and enjoyment of science and society.  

This event highlights the support for open access to research amongst the higher education community and the general public, through the growth of digital repositories and the adoption of open access policies by major research funders. It is widely supported in Australia and by Australian Universities. Visit Swinburne's open access digital repository, Swinburne Research Bank, which showcases research at Swinburne.  

Find out more at openaccessweek.org, including why it matters to students, or read A Very Brief Introduction to Open Access. Follow all the events on the Open Access Week blog or have a look at some of the organisations supporting Open Access Week, such as Students for Free Culture.

Greening the Trades Expo at Croydon Library

Posted October 13, 2009 in category General by Lauren DUNSTAN

Croydon Campus has been most fortunate to receive from the Federal Government $10 million funding towards the development of a green trades facility. Green plumbing, green building, green energy, green auto - all on the agenda!
 
Croydon Campus Library is hosting Greening The Trades Expo on Wednesday October 14, from 10am until 2pm, showcasing possibilities and avenues for green trades, and raising their profile within the institution.  The key message is what is possible if you take up green trades or include them in your projects.
 
Come along and question someone from Sustainability Victoria, the Alternative Energy Association or the EnviroShop; investigate some of the green trades on Swinburne's agenda, or grab a copy of Renew!  All this and more! Everyone welcome!

See you there!
Nancy Seeger
 

Research students workshop

Posted October 12, 2009 in category General by Fiona O'Donnell

Research students; identify influential journals in your field and follow research trends backwards and forwards in time using the library databases Web of Knowledge and Scopus.

Date and time: Tuesday 13th October 2009, 4:30-5:30pm

Venue: Library Training Room, Level 1, Hawthorn campus library