Study Skills, Wellbeing and Inclusion

Studying effectively, wellbeing and inclusion are three things that tend to go hand in hand when it comes to students’ progression and getting the best out of their experience as a university student. A big part of our role as a university institution is to provide our student community with the necessary tools, resources, and support. All tailored to meet all three of these needs throughout each phase of their university journey. We at the Edinburgh Napier libraries also love to see our student community and patrons thrive. Thrive in academic terms, in their career progression and in their own personal lives and development. Read on to see some of the resources, services we have available at the library to support you. Getting you through your studies in terms of study skills development, inclusion and accessibility, and personal wellbeing.

 

Study Skills…

In terms of books and resources, our research collection has an abundance of material. All of which can help you develop new study skills or enhance your current skillset as well. Our Research Collection resources and materials can be found in all three of our campus libraries. Within these collections there are most specific titles on literature searching and research. These are, of course, tailored to subjects within all Edinburgh Napier schools. We also have books and study guides on conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses, as well as referencing. And how to write a great dissertation or research paper. All available resources can be found and requested through LibrarySearch. You may even find one or even a couple more books you didn’t even realise you needed! All books can be checked out at our self-service kiosks and will automatically renew for up to four months, unless requested by another user. You will be notified if this is the case and will have seven days to return the book from when you are notified via email.

Study Skills: LibGuides

Our LibGuide is also a very useful webpage of ours regarding advice and tips on how to develop your study skills. There is even a page where you can measure your research performance as well! Each school also has a specific page created and written by our subject librarians with links to useful and relevant databases and websites for each course. You can find an A-Z list of all the relevant databases which we are subscribed to here as well, such as CINAHL, British Standards Online, EBSCO and many, many more.

There are also pages on literature reviewing, critical thinking and referencing – all of which are some of the fundamental study skills you will need throughout your university career. A section on the use and effective utilisation of reference management systems has also been added should students wish to use ones such as EndNote or Mendeley.

If you have read through our Libguide and still feel that you need a bit of extra support with developing your study skillset, you can email library@napier.ac.uk and we can put you in touch with one of our subject librarians, and most often one that is also specialised in the field and subject of which you are studying. They can arrange a one-to-one appointment with you in person or through a Teams call if needed. Our Libcal also consistently advertises any related tutorials and workshops we have regarding specific study skills such as literature searching, referencing and even getting the most out of using the library for your research.

Wellbeing…

As well as your studies, our libraries also try to support the well-being of our student community as much as we can. As we are aware, there can be stressful periods, particularly when it comes to exam season and looming assignment deadlines. It is important to take regular breaks when you can . Our campus libraries  have relaxation spaces to unwind. These corners usually consist of a few comfortable couches in a section of the library with plenty of natural lighting. We also have our  Wellbeing Collection where the contents and resources available within this collection can be viewed online and physical. Topics covered include mental health, neurodiversity, sleep, body image and university life. Our library staff have also curated displays of physical books and resources from our Wellbeing Collection in each campus library.

 

<p>We always welcome suggestions for our Wellbeing Collection – if you have any that spring to mind, do email library@napier.ac.uk and we will carefully consider all suggestions for our displays and catalogue. Links and contact details for various helplines and support services both within and external to the university are also listed in the Wellbeing Collection page of our Libguide.

 

Inclusion…

Accessibility and inclusion are very important to us at Edinburgh Napier libraries and are two of our most fundamental values. We aim to support the individual needs of all of our patrons by providing equal and equitable access to our resources, collections and services. We frequently collaborate with the Student Wellbeing and Inclusion team. And other relevant departments to help us help you in the best possible way.  Also, we always welcome any feedback, suggestions and comments that come our way regarding the service we provide at the library.

Some examples of accessibility tools we have are…

  • Read Aloud Functionality for E-Resources.
  • Keyboard navigation.
  • A Helperbird browser extension which allows users to change text size, colour and spacing as well as adjust colour contrast.
  • Height-adjustable desks.
  • Accessible toilets.
  • Ergonomic Equipment such as mice and keyboards.
  • Laptop riser stands.
  • Noise-Cancelling headphones.

 

More information on our Accessibility and Inclusion webpage.

 

By Rachel Downie

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