Month: February 2023

Changes to the spaces at Craiglockhart library

27/02/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

Changes to the spaces at Craiglockhart library

We have made some changes to the library spaces at Craiglockhart campus over the past few months. By removing unused bookshelves at the rear of the library the area is now much more open and the space is being used more effectively.

The relaxation space has been made larger and is brighter and less confined. There are lots of helpful books and posters promoting relaxation, taking time out from your studies and de-stressing. Look out for our different suggestions throughout the year from birdwatching to beachcombing. We have provided some new games, non-academic books and origami paper. We have increased the amount of seating and returned the cushions and throws to the area.

Shelf Help

Our shelf help books are now in a dedicated space making them easier to find.

The jigsaw tables have been moved away from study spaces and there are extra puzzles to help complete.

There are 4 new single study booths and 2 extra round tables for groups, along with some new social seating. All these spaces are available on a first come first served basis so if you think you would like to use any of them, arrive early as they are proving popular!

PCs

Along with the changes to the library spaces some of our PCs now have dual monitors.

We hope you like the changes and think the new spaces are useful, and please remember, your feedback is always welcome.

We have access to shelf help through our blog https://libguides.napier.ac.uk/shelfhelp

And more information on Craiglockhart library https://my.napier.ac.uk/library/about-the-library/craiglockhart

LGBT+ History Month 2023

22/02/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

LGBT+ History Month

LGBT+ History Month and the Library

As we approach the end of February, we are coming to the end of LGBT+ History Month. While the book displays may come down, we would like to stress that this is not a monthly note in our calendar. We are an ally 365 days of the year, please browse our LibrarySearch catalogue for further reading. Also in addition, we have our virtual bookshelves https://blogs.napier.ac.uk/library/virtual-bookshelves/ and a reading list over at our LibGuides page https://libguides.napier.ac.uk/wellbeing/sexuality

We want the library to be a safe and inclusive space for all our users.

We are currently working on decolonising our reading list which we hope will be published soon.

Pets of the Library Part 2

20/02/2023 / julietkinsey / 1 Comment

Pets of the Library Part 2

After the last few years of remote working and with staff working more from home now, meeting their feline companions during online meetings has been so much fun. Little furry faces and tails have often popped up mid-way through a very important discussion. Many of our staff have loved being able to spend more time with their creatures of choice; I know I love having a friendly work buddy to hang out with at home during the workday.

So to celebrate this year’s International Love your pet day we think it would be nice to introduce you all to some of our furry friends.

Love Your Library Week

13/02/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

❤Love Your Library Week, 13-17 February ❤

Love is in the air this week! To celebrate Valentine’s Day, why not drop by the library and help yourself to some love heart sweets until stocks last. Leave us a little note telling us what you love about the library or what we can improve. We love getting feedback!

Library Information

Information on all the services the Library provides can be found on the My Napier Library Webpage. Useful information includes opening hours, how to search for and borrow books, using our Click and Collect service, and how to order Inter-Library Loans. As well as finding information relevant to your subject area using our Subject Guides. And much much more. Have a little browse. Additionally, if any important updates come in about the library, you will find them there.

My Napier Library webpages

Library resources

One of our best resources is LibrarySearch. We love to boast about it but we may be biased. It is the quickest and easiest way to search across our three libraries for the books and online resources you require. You can find hundreds of thousands of ebooks and subscription resources online without leaving your home. It really is that amazing.

Don’t forget, if you have any questions about the library, you can contact us via email at library@napier.ac.uk or call us on 0131 455 3500. We are here to help.

by Sarah Jeffcott

You can read about our previous Valentine’s Love your Library event here.

Head bust of Charles Darwin wearing goggles

Charles Darwin Day

12/02/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

Charles Darwin Day

What an adventure! Virgin jungles, unclimbed mountains, teeming oceans, tropical rainforests, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes – Charles Darwin saw it all on his five-year voyage around South America. And all the time the young gentleman naturalist was exploring the pristine wildernesses and the unexplored islands, he was taking assiduous notes, writing up his observations more than 20 years later.

Nothing escaped his notice: the flatworms, spiders, and parasitic ichneumon wasps fascinated him every bit as much as the giant tortoises and the massive bones of extinct beasts that he strapped to his horse and hauled back to his study.

He explored, observed and thought about it all. The primaeval world in all its glory and grotesqueness was laid out before him. By the end of his trip, he’d written a 770-page diary, 1,750 pages of notes, and collected nearly 5,500 skins, bones and carcasses. But it wasn’t only the natural world that impressed itself upon Darwin’s consciousness. He saw naked poverty and the horrors of slavery and genocide up close and personal. He realised, once and for all, that nature – including every manifestation of human behaviour – was not the result of a benign creator but rather a long journey through adaptation and evolution.

Natural Selection

No wonder he blew apart the received wisdom on the origins of creation when he published his “On the origin of species by means of natural selection” in 1859. It sold out immediately and rocked the scientific and religious communities to their very foundations. Those reverberations are still being felt today.

Something that is perhaps unknown is that Darwin had a strong connection to Edinburgh. It was while studying medicine at Edinburgh University that Darwin learned how to classify plants, stuff birds and identify rock strata and colonial floral and fauna.

It’s Darwin’s birthday today. He was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire on 12^th February 1809. Why not celebrate by reading all about him and his works. (I’ll be honest – I’m starting with “Darwin for beginners”.)

By Lesley McRob

Sources and further reading

Photo by Misael Moreno

Further reading available on LibrarySearch

Read our blog post on another Victorian trailblazer names Charles: Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ Birthday

07/02/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

Charles Dickens’ Birthday

Happy birthday, Charles John Huffam Dickens – born this day 211 years ago and still going strong!

Not many authors get their names turned into adjectives, but our Charles did. If I were to describe circumstances as “Dickensian”, you’d know exactly what I mean. It’s thanks to this forensic analysis of the seedier aspects of London life that he’s generally considered to be the greatest Victorian novelist.

Childhood

He didn’t have the best start in life, young Charles. His father had a decent job but was so financially reckless that he ended up in debtors’ prison, and his 12-year-old son was withdrawn from school and sent to work in a factory. It was all grist to the mill, though, for Dickens. This harsh start provided a rich source of material for him to draw on when he wrote his sprawling, serialized novels and created his many memorable characters – so much larger than life that they live on in our cultural imaginations more than two centuries on.

Characters

Who has not known an Ebenezer Scrooge? (I’ve known a few). How many of us have skelped an artful dodger around the lugs? (I’m not admitting to that one.) Who has not cheered on Philip (Pip) Pirrip as he rises up to become a gentleman and then remonstrated with him when he treats brother-in-law Joe so abominably? Who has not cried with Bob Cratchit as he strives to keep his young son alive?

You’ll have your favourite characters. Some are sweet and innocent, some are cruel and heartless; still, others are preposterous buffoons. My favourite is Betsey Trotwood, David Copperfield’s eccentric aunt. She’s stern and stubborn, to begin with but comes good in the end. If you’re looking for character transformation, look no further than BT.

Charles Dickens on LibrarySearch

We’ve got all Dickens’ books. If you haven’t read any, why not start today. Log into the library catalogue LibrarySearch to see which are available:

In order of publication:

Pickwick Papers (1836-37)

A Christmas Carol (1843)

Oliver Twist (1837-9)

Nicholas Nickelby (1838-9)

The Old Curiosity Shop (1940-1)

Barnaby Rudge (1841)

Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-4)

Dombey and Son (1846-8)

David Copperfield (1849-50)

Bleak House (1852-3)

Hard Times (1854)

Little Dorritt (1855-7)

A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

Great Expectations (1860-1)

Our Mutual Friend (1864-5)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (incomplete when Dickens died in 1870)

By Lesley McRobb

Read more on another Literary Master, Jane Austin in our post on her here.

Sources

photo by Taha (Unsplash)

LGBTQ+ History Month

01/02/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

LGBTQ+ History Month

Today is the 1^st of February and the 1^st of February is the start of the celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK. Throughout the month, events are held nationwide to raise awareness and celebrate achievement and diversity while combating prejudice.

Events and celebrations are organised by the LGBTQ+ History Month organisation which was founded in 2004. The first LGBTQ+ History month was in February 2005 by was run by Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick. The organisation has three taglines ‘claiming our past, celebrating our present, creating our future’. The main aims are ‘increasing visibility, raising awareness and advancing education’. Whilst ‘working towards creating safe spaces and promoting welfare’. You can find all events that are taking place this month on the LGBTQ+ Plus History Month website here.

Behind the Lens

The organisation runs a theme each year in order to raise more visibility of lived experiences. This year is ‘Behind the Lens’, celebrating LGBTQ+ peoples’ contributions to cinema and film. Looking at directors to animators, from special effects to lighting directors and beyond. As ‘at, a time when LGBTQ+ lives are in the media we also encourage you to look ‘Behind the Lens’ and listen to LGBT+ peoples’ lived experiences.’ Check out the LGBTQ+ History web pages here.

Here at The Library

Each campus library will have a display with information and books to celebrate the theme ‘Behind the Lens’, please feel free to have a look and you can borrow any book that takes your interest. Follow our social media for upcoming posts celebrating and happy LGBTQ+ History Month. You can also check out our LGBT+ bookshelves on the blog.

We have many, many more books and articles for you to read here at the Library so why not check out what’s available in our library catalogue: Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk

Sources: LGBTQ+ History web pages

Read more on this on the blog: Check out last year’s post LGBTQ+ History Month 2022

Month: February 2023

Changes to the spaces at Craiglockhart library

Like this:

LGBT+ History Month 2023

LGBT+ History Month

LGBT+ History Month and the Library

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Pets of the Library Part 2

Pets of the Library Part 2

Like this:

Love Your Library Week

❤Love Your Library Week, 13-17 February ❤