Author Archives: lucyd2020

Celebrating Neurodiversity: Resources Available in the Library

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As part of the University of Aberdeen’s support for Neurodiversity Celebration Week (March 13-19), the Student Experience Team have put together a vibrant social media campaign, focusing on studying with various conditions, and exploring the meaning and implications of being neurodivergent across interconnected blog posts and social media sites, linked together by the Student Channel.

The Library would like to highlight materials from our collection that contain a wealth of resources and research on neurodiversity and its impact. Covering how the human brain can develop and interpret information and stimuli in myriad different ways; and how individuals can interact with the world in several ways, neurodiversity can be seen as an umbrella term for multiple conditions:

  • Autism
  • Dyslexia
  • Dyspraxia
  • ADHD

You may already be aware of the challenges that these conditions can pose, and unfortunately, the misconceptions that society has regarding them. Due to this, people can try to hide or ‘mask’ these conditions. However, they can also be a source of several strengths for individuals and collectively produce new and innovative products, services and research.

Neurodiversity

There are several perspectives on how different sectors of society work with neurodiversity and neurodiverse groups. In education, the following authors seek to empower and equip students and staff:

Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to help Students with Special Needs succeed in School and Life by Thomas Armstrong: This book takes an in-depth look at all aspects of neurodiversity, examining the conditions and highlighting the unique strengths that individuals can have, particularly spotlighting notable people who have achieved lasting recognition.

The Adolescent and Adult Neuro-diversity Handbook: Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Related Conditions by S Hendrickx: Aimed at young people and adults who may not have been formally diagnosed, but wish to know more about the range of conditions, their implications and get some advice regarding coping strategies.

ADHD

Approximately1-5% of the global population have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD.) (Source: Neurodiversity Week). They are likely to be highly logical, energetic and focused.

Smart but stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHD by Thomas E Brown: This book starts with the difficulties people with ADHD can have focusing, and how that can effect their academic, employment and social lives. It examines and explores a range of individual stories, and explores how treatment, support and medication can help.

The ADHD Explosion: Myths, Medication and today’s push for performance by Peter Hinshaw: Emphasising the attitude and approaches to treating and managing ADHD in the USA, this book argues for less medical intervention in the form of pills, and more social support from families, doctors, teachers, employers and businesses. It makes a strong case that this will help reduce the costs and controversy surrounding the high diagnosis rate across the country.

Accidental Intolerance: how we stigmatize ADHD and how we can stop by Susan Hawthorne : Similarly to Hinshaw, Hawthorne probes the issues surrounding our treatment of people with ADHD, looking at whether or not they have the same opportunities as their peers; or if they are struggling in a society that is inadvertently discriminating against them with an outdated view of ADHD and how it can affect people.

Dyslexia

10% of the population are dyslexic, meaning that they are creative, dynamic problem solvers & storytellers. (Source: Neurodiversity Week.)

Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities: A Path to Pride and Success by Margo Verzog-Izzo: This inspiring work takes self-advocacy, mentoring and pride as it’s themes, and is aimed at educators and teachers who want their neurodiverse students to achieve their dreams and thrive. The author blends practical advice and insight with case studies of students who have been successful, and showcases how others can follow her lead.

Inclusive Education: Making Sense of Everyday Practice by Vicky Plows: A comprehensive look at the thirty-year campaign to build a strong, democratic education system that dismantles economic, cultural and physical barriers to learning, it examines a host of problems and issues that arise, including diversity.

Making Dyslexia Work for You by Vicki Goodwin: In a more user-focused approach, this book encourages the reader to put together their own ‘support package’: ideas, strategies and coping mechanisms that work for them in managing dyslexia.

More Information and Support

The University of Aberdeen is committed to providing a welcoming, secure and inclusive environment to all students, staff and visitors. The University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team offer a plethora of information, training resources and links to support, student organisations and both staff and student networks across diversity and equality issues. More information and contact details for EDI are available from the University website .

Did you Know….What is Freshservice in IT

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When enquiring about our Library Services or seeking IT advice, you can use our web-based enquiry management system called Freshservice.  

To access Freshservice, please click on myit.abdn.ac.uk. You will be asked to sign in, using your University of Aberdeen (UoA) username and password. When you land on the homepage, please select the first option to Report an issue and a new window will open where you can submit details of your enquiry. 

Once you have submitted your enquiry, it will be given a unique reference number (ticket number) in Freshservice, which will be emailed to your UoA email account. You will then be able to interact with staff members, ask further questions and receive support.  

As soon as all actions and conversations have been concluded, staff will resolve the ticket, and you will receive an email to that effect. A subsequent email will follow with a short satisfaction survey, to offer you the opportunity to provide feedback on the process and on the outcome of your enquiry. 

Did you Know?….How to print using MFDs

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Any printing on campus is via networked multi-function devices (MFDs). You can send files for printing from a classroom PC or your personal laptop. There are printers in or near all PC classrooms and at least one printer on each floor of The Sir Duncan Rice Library.

Print from a networked (classroom) PC

To print from a network PC, you need to send your files to a holding queue, e.g. Pull-print-mono on PrintD.uoa.abdn.ac.uk.  You can retrieve your files from any MFD on campus by logging in to it using your ID card or your username & password.

Steps:
  1.  For Word documents: select the File tab, then Print. For PDFs: select the printer   icon in the toolbar
  2.  Select the name of the printer, e.g. Pull-print-mono on PrintD.uoa.abdn.ac.uk
     By default, the printers will print double-sided. You can edit the default settings by clicking on ‘Printer Properties’/’More settings’
  3.  When ready, click on the large ‘Print’ icon
  4.  Log in to any MFD to print your document

Print from your laptop

To send a job from your laptop to a networked printer, your laptop must be connected to eduroam. In order to do this, please see the following guides on Toolkit:

  1. Wireless Connection-Windows 10
  2. Wireless Connection-Mac
  3. Wireless Connection-Chromebook
  4. Wireless Connection iPad
  5. Wireless Connection iPhone
  6. Wireless Connection Android

You can also access information here about connecting to eduroam from other institutions, and how to connect to the wired eduroam service.

Print using PaperCut

With PaperCut you can upload files directly to our network from your own devices, whether you are on the move or working off campus. Once you’re back on campus, you can use our MFDs to print your documents. All you need to do this are your University log in details and a device connected to the internet.

Steps for uploading files to print:
  1. Enter the following address into your browser: https://printmanage.abdn.ac.uk/
  2. On the PaperCut page, log in with your username and password
  3. Click on Web Print, and then select Submit a Job. Select either a Greyscale or Colour Printer and the number of copies, and then Upload your Document.
  4. If the upload is successful, you will see your document(s) listed in the Print Queue (you may notice that details will change from ‘Submitted’ to ‘Rendering Job‘ as it is processed.
    You will also see details of your file, including date and time, file name, pages, status
  5. When processed, the file status will change from Rendering Job to Held in Queue.
    You will see two options: Colour-Pull and Mono-Pull. For Black & White, select Mono
  6. When you are ready to send the file to print, click on the button containing the name of the required printer – this will change the file status to Printed. Retrieve the job from the MFD
  7. Log out from the top right corner of the screen

Please note that with Web Print, there is no option to print A3 sized documents.

For more information and advice, please consult the ‘Remote Printing via a Web Browser’ guide.

How much does printing cost?

  • A4 Black & White single sided 4p per sheet
  • A4 Black & White double sided 7p per sheet
  • A4 Colour single sided 10p per sheet
  • A4 Colour double sided 19p per sheet

For more information, please see ‘Print charges and paying for printing.‘

Top-up your print budget
New students start with an initial print budget of £1. Each time you use your ID card to print or copy, the relevant cost is deducted from your print budget.

To top-up your print budget, go to https://printmanage.abdn.ac.uk/

  • On classroom PCs, access the PrintManage system by using the Desktop shortcut
  • On personal laptops/PCs, go to https://printmanage.abdn.ac.uk/ and switch user to Use another account 

You will need to log in to the system using your username (e.g. u01abc01) and password. All payments are made in exact multiples of £1 and minimum payment is £5 with maximum payment being £20.

To check your balance:

Swipe your card on the MFD and tap the Pull Print icon. At the top left of the window you will see your name, the number of documents in your printing queue and the amount of credit remaining in your account.

Note: Remember to not top-up more than you need; remaining amounts are not refunded.

For more information see: www.abdn.ac.uk/it/student/print/index.php#panel1234

The IT service desks are located on Floor 1 of The Sir Duncan Rice Library & Room 1:122, Polwarth Building on the Foresterhill campus. They are open Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00. (Wednesdays: 10:45-17:00; Polwarth desk closes daily 13.00-14.00)

Did you Know?…Borrowing Books-how many and for how long?

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Welcome to the University of Aberdeen. We are pleased that you have chosen to study and do your research while using our resources. We also realise that you may have questions regarding how many books you can borrow, and our rules and regulations. Please read on to learn more about borrowing from the hundreds of thousands of high-quality books available in our Library Collections.

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How many books can I borrow?

The table below shows you how many books you are able to borrow from our Libraries at any one time, depending on the type of Library Account you have.

Type of Library AccountNumber of books you can borrow
Undergraduate Student20
Taught Postgraduate Student20
Research Postgraduate Student40
University Staff50
Temporary Services Staff 10
NHS Grampian Staff10
External Members10
SCONUL Access Students5

How long can I borrow the books for?

The books available in all of our Libraries can be borrowed for different lengths of time, depending on how much they are expected to be used for teaching or research. See below for an explanation of the different loan types available and how you can easily identify them on the shelves.

Heavy Demand

How can I tell if a book is Heavy Demand?

There will be blue tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark. These books are core reading materials across all courses and therefore have the shortest loan periods in our collection. Please also be aware that you can only borrow 2 books at a time from this collection.

How long is the loan?

1 day, due back 10.30am the next day – or Monday if borrowed on a Friday or over the weekend.

If borrowing before 10.30am please check the due date and time carefully – if the item is booked it will be due back at 10.30am that day. Check the screen and your receipt for the due date and time.

A few items are on 3 hour reference. You may borrow the item using the self-service kiosks in Heavy Demand but must return it within 3 hours.

Can I renew the loan?

No phone renewals are allowed. Renewals must be done in person, with the item present. This is because items must be returned by a specific time during the day and very often the item has already been reserved for another reader.

3- Day Loan

How can I tell if a book is 3- Day Loan?

There will be yellow tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark. These books have been recommended for reading on different courses.

How long is the loan ?

Return within 3 days, weekends included e.g. borrowed Wednesday, due back on Saturday. Holds may be placed to reserve these.

Can I renew the loan?

Items may be renewed as long as no-one else has placed a hold on the item.

Items will be renewed automatically for you if not requested by another reader.

If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.

You can renew 3-Day Loan items yourself via MyAccount in Primo, or in person at one of our libraries up to 9 times.

4-Week Loan

How can I tell if a book is 4-Week Loan?

There will be white tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark.

How long is the loan ? 

4 weeks from date of borrowing, but they can always be recalled at any time by another user of the library, including over holidays.

If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.

Can I renew the loan?

Items may be renewed unless recalled or on hold by another reader. If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.

Items will be renewed automatically for you if not requested by another reader (Aberdeen University students and staff).

You can renew 4-Week Loan items yourself via MyAccount in Primo, or in person at one of our libraries up to 9 times.

Long Loan

How can I tell if a book is Long Loan?

There will be no coloured tape on the book’s spine, only the shelfmark.

How long is the loan ?

Until the end of the Summer term, but they can always be recalled at any time by another user of the library, including over holidays. If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.

Can I renew the loan?

Recalled items cannot be renewed. Before the annual return of books in May items can be renewed via MyAccount in Primo or in person at one of our libraries.

24 Hour Restricted Loan 

How can I tell if a book is 24 Hour Restricted Loan ?

There will be a 24 Hour Loan label on the first page of the book. There will be no coloured tape on the book’s spine, only the shelfmark.

How long is the loan?

Return within 24 hours from the time of issue, weekends included, e.g. issued 16.45 on Tuesday, due back by 16.45 on Wednesday.

Can I renew the loan?

Restricted loans may be renewed as long as no-one else has placed a hold on the item. You can renew 24 Hour Loan items on loan to yourself via Primo up to 9 times.

Self Issue Machines and PINs

Set up your PIN now to access the self-check machines in our libraries! 

Did you know that there is an automated system for issuing and returning books in both the Sir Duncan Rice and the Taylor (Law) libraries? Once you have set up your PIN you will be able to use your student ID card and issue books to your library account without requiring the assistance of a staff member! 

How to set up your PIN: 

You can either follow the instructions and the link sent to you by email shortly after you’ve registered, or you can visit any of our libraries (Sir Duncan Rice, Taylor (Law), Medical) and ask a member of staff to do that for you at one of the Information Points or Help Desks – don’t worry, it only takes a few seconds! 

Library Fines

Following a steady reduction in the amount of fines in recent years, and in light of the current cost-of-living crisis, we have permanently stopped charging fines for overdue books. We have done this to ensure wider access to our resources and to ease financial stress on students and staff.

As fines were in place to encourage people to bring items back on time, we need everyone to play their part to make this work – support your University community by checking your University e-mail account regularly and returning items by their due dates.
  
If items are not returned on time, we will not ask you to pay a fine, but as other students need access to our items, your library account will be frozen and you will not be able to borrow any more items until the overdue item has been returned.

If the item has not been returned after two weeks, we will need to ensure we have a way to provide it to others, so we will begin the process of invoicing you for the replacement cost plus a handling charge.

We also conduct an Annual Return of Books every May across the library service, so please ensure that you keep an eye on your library account.

If you have any questions about borrowing books, or about using our libraries, our staff are always happy to help. Please email us via library@abdn.ac.uk.

Information skills workshops for PhD students

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The Library is here to help all postgraduate researchers with a series of information skills workshops which will take place on the 7th, 8th & 9th of November. 

Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels.com

There are three workshops on offer, each lasting two hours:

  • Literature searching – Part 1: Getting started
  • Literature searching – Part 2: Using databases
  • Literature searching – Part 3:  Managing references using RefWorks

Across the three workshops we will look at: planning a search, looking for books, using databases of academic literature, getting the best out of Google and managing references with RefWorks.

Please note that the session on RefWorks is not suitable for postgraduates in the School of Law. 

For more information and to book a place on these sessions, please visit: www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and look for ‘Library Information Skills’ classes.

Accessing Library resources off-campus

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While studying off-campus, you will still be able to access the Library’s databases and resources using your own device. We recommend that you first sign in to Primo, our online portal to e-resources, as this will make the process easier.

Once you have accessed Primo, you will need to use the Find Databases tab to access the e-resources you need for your studies. The majority of these services simply require an Institutional/Shibboleth login. More information and advice on using these resources and Shibboleth access can be found in the Accessing e-resources guide.

A set number of our databases also require an IP Address Authentication when logging in on-campus, and you can find out more information on them in this guide. In order to use these off-campus, you will have to use our Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Full instructions on accessing this are available from the Remote Access pages on the University Toolkit.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

If you require any further information or advice on this matter, then Library staff are happy to help. The Subject & Enquiry Team can be found at the Information Centre on Floor 1 of the Sir Duncan Rice Library, or in their offices on Floors 5 & 6. Alternatively, please email us at library@abdn.ac.uk.

Welcome to the Library

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We have been excited to see our new and returning students in the Library. Library staff are here to help you make the most of our resources and services, whether you are based on, or off, campus. Please get in touch with any queries you may have.

For general or subject-related enquiries, contact us on library@abdn.ac.uk, or please do enquire in person: Library staff will be available at set times at the Information Centre on Floor 1, or on Floors 5 & 6 of the Sir Duncan Rice Library.

If you wish to contact the Information Consultant for your discipline, their contact details are available here.

Library Resources

When searching for books on your Reading List, or other resources, please use the Library’s discovery tool, Primo. Primo provides information about our printed resources, and is also the recommended access route to our extensive e-resources, digital collections and databases.

Our comprehensive Library guides offer detailed answers to any questions you may have about our resources. If you haven’t used Primo before, you may find the following guides helpful:

Primo Quick Guide
Primo: How to do a simple search successfully  
Primo: How to do an advanced search successfully
Accessing e-resources 

Please do contact Library staff if you are having trouble accessing or finding your resources. We are happy to help.

IT Issues

If you have any problems with your device or accessing information, please contact the IT Service Desk. Contact information can be found here.

Visiting the Library

Please note that there is now a webpage on our site where you can see the current occupancy of the Sir Duncan Rice library and the Taylor library. Opening hours for all Library sites can be found here.

Please follow us on our social media channels to keep up with news from the Library. Once again, we would like to extend a warm welcome to all our students and wish you all a happy start to the new academic year.

Did you know: Working on your thesis? Help is available in the Library

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Here’s an outline of what help is available from the Library and IT Services for those of you working on your thesis.

Searching for theses in your subject area

You can access three large databases of theses through Primo:

  1. Sign in to Primo
  2. Click on the Find Databases tab
  3. From the left-hand menu, click on the arrow next to All General Resources
  4. Select Theses from the options shown
  5. Then click on each database for more information and to link out and search for relevant theses.

For further information and more theses databases, please see this guidance document created by Library staff.

A selection of University of Aberdeen theses are also available in the Digital Collections section of Primo. There are both Research and Taught Course theses covering a range of programmes, but it doesn’t contain all theses and dissertations submitted at the University of Aberdeen. For Research Theses:

  1. Sign in to Primo
  2. Click on the Digital Collections tab
  3. Select Research theses
  4. The theses are arranged in Subject Collections

Information Skills

Our Find it Fast! Wiki is packed with material to help with your information skills, from planning your search to referencing. There is a specific section for Postgraduate Researchers. There are also runs regular online sessions about pertinent topics such as literature searching. More information and details of how to book can be found in Online Information Skills Workshops for PhD students: now open for booking.

Our Toolkit also provides a wealth of information on IT and Academic Skills to assist in organising and managing your time and information. The IT Services Team have also created the Working with Long Documents section, which has plenty of handy videos and guides to help you with creating and manipulating long documents in MS Word.

Remember, we are here to support you through your studies, so if you require further help and advice, please do contact us via informationconsultants@abdn.ac.uk.

Best of luck to all those of you working on your thesis!

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Library Closures 2-5 June

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Her Majesty The Queen is the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service.

To celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the University of Aberdeen, including all library sites, will be closed from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June, inclusive.

Our libraries will reopen on Monday 6 June. Please check our Library Opening Hours here.

Information on The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee events can be found here :

HM Government website

The Royal Family’s Platinum Jubilee website

Aberdeen City Council website

How do I return books?

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Did you know the quickest and easiest way to return library books is at the Returns Room through the self-return machines? You will find the Returns Room on the Ground Floor of the Sir Duncan Rice Library.  

Photo by Library Staff

It’s as simple as placing the books through the slot one by one. As soon as they have passed through they are removed from your borrowing record. You don’t even need to use your ID card to return books this way.

You will also find an external slot on the right-hand side of the entrance to the Library. This is only available when the library is closed so you don’t need to wait for us to open to return your books! You will need your ID card to be able to use this.

Don’t forget to take your receipt as proof of your returned items.  

Heavy Demand books can be returned in the Heavy Demand Area on Floor 1 (using the self-issue/returns machine), or at the Returns Room.