Category Archives: instructional material

Did you know…? How to return books in TSDRL

Posted on by
Reply

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, to the right of the main entrance.

A photo of the Returns Room slot on the ground floor interior of the Sir Duncan Rice Library.

Photo by Library staff

It’s as simple as placing the books through the slot one by one. They are removed from your borrowing record as soon as they have passed through. 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.

If you have any problems with book returns, please speak to any member of staff, or email library@abdn.ac.uk.

Would you like help with referencing?

Posted on by
Reply

It’s not too early to start thinking about your referencing. Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.  

To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as other guides on specific referencing styles or subject areas:  

A grey scale image of a tall pile of books.

Please be sure to look at the referencing guidance which has been provided by your department. You can read advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and you can check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism. 

We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism which goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment. 
Cite them right: the essential referencing guide by Richard Pears is another great resource, available to access online or in print from Floor 4 at shelfmark 808.027 PEA in The Sir Duncan Rice Library.

If you need any help with referencing your dissertation or project please feel free to contact Library staff with any questions you may have or come and speak to us in the library.

Did you know…? – Off-campus access to OnePetro

Posted on by
Reply

OnePetro logo

In a previous post, we told you about accessing e-resources off-campus. In this post, we would like to draw your attention to OnePetro, an important database of technical literature for the oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) industry.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), who own the OnePetro database, have an authentication (login) system based on the IP address of the user’s PC. Signing in is very straightforward when users are on-campus using University networked PCs. However, it is a 2-step process when off-campus, as users are required to come into the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) first so that their personal device will look as if it is campus-based.

Please follow the guidance on the Remote Access section of Toolkit – select the Remote VDI link in the ‘Guides’ section. Once you have logged in to the VDI, navigate to ‘Library Resources’, and from there to Primo.

Library staff have created a very useful guide on accessing and using OnePetro.

Please note that via the VDI you can also access classroom software associated with your login details and your H: drive.

Susan McCourt, Elaine Fitzgerald, Lena Papadakou

Primo videos

Posted on by
Reply

Need help with using Primo? Watch our videos and discover how to use Primo, the Library’s discovery tool, to find specific books or books on a topic. Our videos also cover journal searches and the processes of planning and executing a search.  More videos to follow soon!  

Our videos can be accessed at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/information-skills-179.php#panel547.

Please email eleni.boro@abdn.ac.uk or e.grant@abdn.ac.uk if you have any questions!  

 

Eleni Borompoka, eleni.boro@abdn.ac.uk

Using the My Account option in Primo

Posted on by
Reply

Did you know that logging into Primo with your University of Aberdeen username and password will open a range of additional features to help you manage your Library account and record any searching that you do?

This includes being able to see what you currently have on loan, the option to renew books if possible, and also the chance to see what you have borrowed previously. Additionally, you can see the saved details of items you have found when searching in Primo, or the search terms you used to find them. Follow the steps below to learn more about using the My Account feature in Primo.

Log in to Primo
Enter your University of Aberdeen username and password
Once logged in click My Account for further details
Options available in Primo once you log in

By using the My Account feature in Primo you can become more organised in how you go about searching and using our collections, allowing you to record what searching you have done and build up a collection of useful library materials that you can refer back to any time that you login to Primo. The Help option at the top of the Primo screen goes into more detail on these aspects.

For further information on using Primo see our video guides and our three library guides: our general quick guide as well as ones on searching for books or journals.

Ewan Grant, e.grant@abdn.ac.uk

Primo videos

Posted on by
Reply

Need help with using Primo? Watch our videos and discover how to use Primo, the Library’s discovery tool, to find specific books or books on a topic. Our videos also cover journal searches and the processes of planning and executing a search.  More videos to follow soon!  

Our videos can be accessed at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/information-skills-179.php#panel547.

Please email eleni.boro@abdn.ac.uk or e.grant@abdn.ac.uk if you have any questions!  

 

Eleni Borompoka, eleni.boro@abdn.ac.uk

 

New Primo videos on the Library website

Posted on by
Reply

We are delighted to introduce our new series of short videos, demonstrating how to use Primo – our library catalogue – to find resources in paper and electronic format.

Primo

The videos can be accessed at:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/information-skills-179.php#panel547

Stay tuned, more videos coming soon!