Tag Archives: databases

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

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Thursday 18th May 2023 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)! From their website: “The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.” 

Library staff are committed to offering accessible digital resources to those who need them. When we purchase books and other resources, our preference is to buy electronic versions. However, this isn’t always possible due to licence or publishing restrictions. We have access to some additional free services for qualifying users – please get in touch to discuss how we can help you.  

Our email address is librarydisability@abdn.ac.uk, please contact us any time, for any reason. We’re happy to answer any questions: if we can’t help, we’ll find out who can!

A close-up of a person holding tablet device in front of the Sir Duncan Rice Library.

RNIB Bookshare 

RNIB Bookshare is a database of electronic resources offered by the Royal National Institute of the Blind. Their collection includes more than a million books and is completely free to use! All books can be downloaded in various formats and are compatible with screen readers and other assistive software. More information can be found on the RNIB Bookshare website. 

To request an account, please ask your disability advisor to contact Library staff – this is so that we can make sure you meet RNIB Bookshare’s eligibility criteria. Library staff will create an account on your behalf then send you an email with the login details. Your account can be used until you leave the University. 

Requests to publishers 

Library staff can request free accessible materials directly from publishers. To do this, we must meet one of the following criteria: 

  • at least one print copy of the title in stock, or 
  • have electronic access to the title (but for disability-related reasons the student would benefit from a different file type or format), or 
  • the student will own a personal copy and can provide proof of purchase which will be sent to the publisher 

This isn’t always successful, or very quick, but we are more than happy to make requests. If you need access to a specific item, please email us at librarydisability@abdn.ac.uk with the title, author’s name, year/edition, and the format you require (eg. PDF, EPUB, or even a print copy). All enquiries are strictly confidential: we don’t share your details with publishers, and we’ll never share your personal information without your consent.  

Personal scans 

If you need access to a work available only in physical format, library staff can scan items on your behalf. These are only for personal use and must not be shared with anyone else. To make requests, please email librarydisability@abdn.ac.uk with book/article details. We will get back to you if we have any questions, then email the scan to you. 

A view of the middle floors on

Reading lists 

The library works closely with teaching staff to provide digital reading lists for each course. These are hosted in a web-based software package called Leganto. Leganto is compatible with screen readers and has options to change contrast, font size, and pop-up duration. It is also possible to export your entire reading list into an accessible file.  

When essential materials are only available in physical format, teaching staff can request digital scans. These must comply with copyright law, so are usually less than 10% of the total work (more information on copyright can be found on our website). These scans can be accessed directly from Leganto and can be read using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). 

E-resource providers 

Many of our e-resource providers and databases offer features to help with accessibility. For example, VLEBooks offers a Readaloud feature, allowing you to use text-to-speech from any browser. A list of accessibility statements from providers can be found on our website. 

Library staff member demonstrating how to borrow books on the self-issue machine.

Direct support 

Library staff can also offer one to one support, either in-person or as an online session, at a time that suits you. We can help with a wide range of queries; including how best to use our catalogue, Primo, help with referencing, how to find resources for your assignments, or anything else! 

We can make referrals to other support services if you want them (such as Assistive Technology).  

Physical accessibility  

We can offer a gentle introduction to the library, either for individuals or small groups. We recognise that our users may be neurodiverse, so these can be held at quiet times to minimise distractions. Staff can help with navigating physical spaces and finding an area that works for you, locating and borrowing books, and more. We also offer a book fetching service for our users – let us know if you’d like to access this. 

We hope this information is useful. Our email address is librarydisability@abdn.ac.uk. Again, please do get in touch with us any time, for any reason. We’re happy to receive feedback and answer any questions: if we don’t immediately have answers, we’ll investigate and get back to you as soon as possible! 

Did you know…? – Working on your thesis? Help is available

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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.

Library help

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 below
  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.

University of Aberdeen theses are also available in the Digital Collections section of Primo. There are both Research and Taught Course theses.

Information Skills

Our Find it Fast! Wiki is packed with material to help with your information skills, from planning your search to referencing. There are specific sections for Taught Postgraduates and Postgraduate Researchers. 

Live Q&A sessions for PGR students

Library staff will be running live Q&A sessions for PGR students next week on 21 & 24 June. Please do come along and our team will be happy to provide guidance and short demonstrations based on your needs. Sign up on the Course Booking site.

Remember we are here to support you throughout your studies, so please do get in touch (library@abdn.ac.uk) if you would like some help. 

IT help

The IT Services Team have created the Working with Long Documents section on Toolkit, which has plenty of handy videos and guides to help you with creating and manipulating long documents in MS Word.

The IT Services Training and Documentation team are also running sessions on 16 June:

  • Part 1: Adding Style to Your Thesis, 11am-12pm
  • Part 2: The Power of Section Breaks, 2pm-3pm

You can sign up on the Course Booking pages. Even if the session is full, it is worth getting on the waiting list as you may still be able to attend.

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

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

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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

Search our digital collections using ‘Find Databases’ on Primo

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Primo will tell you about the hundreds of thousands of digital resources available through the University and will link you to one of over 200 different online academic databases to let you read the material that you’re interested in.

Did you know, though, that if you go straight to the website of specific academic databases you can perform even more powerful searches, often looking across every word contained in every item within that collection? A simple search in Primo is the best place to start a piece of research but using the Find Databases option is the next step, improving the quality of any academic research that you do.

These databases often focus on specific subject areas, meaning that your searching becomes more focused and efficient, saving you time looking and giving you more time to read and write. See below for details of how to use the Find Databases feature in Primo to link straight to digital collections best suited to your area of study.

find-dbs-screen-2

Use the Find Databases option at the top of Primo. Please remember to log in with your username and password.

find-dbs-screen-1

You can search for specific databases or you can filter by subject area. It is also possible to browse an alphabetical listing of all databases available.

Once you have identified an academic database that you wish to search, simply click on its name to link out to it. You may be asked to log in again.

Please note that it is not possible to search across multiple databases at once using the Find Databases option. You must link out to each database that you are interested in and search them individually. This method will allow you to perform the most powerful searches available to you.

For further guidance on using Primo please see our short videos on its various features. For guidance on accessing online resources, particularly when off campus, please see our Library Guide on Accessing Electronic Information and the Toolkit’s section on Remote Access.

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

Information Skills workshops for PhD researchers: places still available

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The Library is here to help all postgraduate researchers as they begin, or continue their in-depth research, with a short series of Information Skills workshops designed to their needs.

The workshops will take place on the 11th, 12th and 13th of June and will help you understand the resources available to you as researchers here at the University of Aberdeen, and how to get the best out of them.

UL_library_workshops_Janet1psd

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

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

Across the three workshops we will look at:

  • Planning your search
  • Looking for books: using Primo and e-books
  • Databases of academic literature
  • Getting the best out of Google
  • Managing your references with RefWorks
  • Formatting Word documents with in-text citations and bibliographies

*IMPORTANT NOTE: The workshop focusing on the management of references
(Part 3) is not suitable for research postgraduates in the School of Law, as the software used does not support the OSCOLA referencing style required for legal theses.

To find out more, and to book onto the different workshops please visit www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and look for Library Information Skills classes.

We look forward to seeing you at the workshops!

Library workshops for taught postgraduates

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Once the exams are over, many taught postgraduate students will be turning their attention to their dissertations or projects and the Library is here to help you with a series of workshops that cover the research process from choosing where and how to search for high quality sources to ensuring that your referencing is as good as it can be.

UL_library_workshops_Janet1psd

There are three workshops on offer and they will be taking place from the 20th to the 22nd of May. We call them Information Skills Refreshers as they aim to remind you of the best ways to use our resources and services as you embark on such a large piece of work. The three workshops are:

  • Part 1 – Starting your dissertation research. Covers planning, using Primo to find print and electronic books and how to get the best out of search engines such as Google
  • Part 2 – Going further with your dissertation research. Covers how to identify, access and use the most suitable academic databases to find research level material in your subject. Also introduces RefWorks, a software to help you manage your references and write your dissertation or project.
  • Part 3 – Managing your dissertation research. Carries on from Part 2, going into more detail on referencing and using RefWorks, as well as touching on how best to avoid possible accusations of plagiarism.

PLEASE NOTE: RefWorks is of limited use to those using Footnote referencing styles, such as OSCOLA.  Subject specialists from the library will be on hand to give support and advice.

To find out more about the workshops and to book a place please visit www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and look for Library Information Skills. Be sure to read the important information about each course before booking.

 

Information Skills workshops for PhD researchers : places still available

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The Library is here to help all postgraduate researchers as they begin, or continue their in-depth research, with a short series of Information Skills workshops designed to their needs. With so much academic literature available through the University of Aberdeen, these workshops will give you the confidence and skills to locate and manage the materials you need.

The workshops will take place on the 5th, 6th and 7th of February and will help you understand the resources available to you as researchers here at the University of Aberdeen, and how to get the best out of them.

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 your references using RefWorks*

Across the three workshops we will look at:

  • Planning your search
  • Looking for books: using Primo and e-books
  • Databases of academic literature
  • Getting the best out of Google
  • Managing your references with RefWorks
  • Formatting Word documents with in-text citations and bibliographies

*IMPORTANT NOTE: The workshop focusing on the management of references

(Part 3) is not suitable for research postgraduates in the School of Law, as the software used does not support the OSCOLA referencing style required for legal theses.

To find out more, and to book onto the different workshops please visit www.abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking and look for Library Information Skills classes.

We look forward to seeing you at the workshops!

Exporting to RefWorks – difficulties

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Many users are experiencing difficulties today (Tuesday 2 February) exporting records into RefWorks from a range of databases. This is occurring at universities across the UK and the problem is under investigation by RefWorks. If at all possible we would suggest saving your search strategy or results by other means e.g. save to list, so that you can export to RefWorks later, once the difficulty has been resolved.

Susan McCourt, s.mccourt@abdn.ac.uk