Edinburgh Napier University

Month: November 2025 (Page 2 of 2)

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day

 

Remembrance Day takes place on the 11th of November each year. It is also known as Armistice Day.

 

The Armistice was an agreement signed by the Germans and the Allies to mark the end of fighting in World War I. The signing of the Armistice took place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and is still recognised today with a two-minute silence held at 11am on that day.

 

Remembrance Sunday occurs on the second Sunday of November. It is a time to reflect on the service and sacrifice made by those in the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, who have fought to protect our freedom and our way of life. We also remember the important role of emergency services and those who have lost their lives due to conflict or terrorism.

Memorial Services are held throughout the United Kingdom, bringing together people from different faiths, cultures and backgrounds

 

The poppy has been used as a symbol of Remembrance for over 100 years. It is also a symbol of hope for a peaceful future. During the devastation of World War I, the landscape became fields of mud where very little could grow.  Over time, the countryside healed, and beautiful, bright red Flanders poppies grew in their thousands. The sight of poppies growing in former battlefields inspired Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write his now famous poem, In Flanders Fields, after he lost a friend in Ypres in 1915.

 

Click the link to read the poem In Flanders Fields

 

We Will Remember Them

By Sharon McMichael

Our War Poets Collection

 

Library Support during Exams

Library Support during exams.

 

It’s the time of year again, and I think we say nearly every time. Exams and assignments creep up quickly. We understand this time can feel like a lot. And the library wants to support you in the best way possible.

If things feel like they are way too much, there is wider support through the Wellbeing and Inclusion team; their webpages are filled with wonderful advice and contact information.

Exam Support Resources

We have a wide range of Exam Support Resources. Starting off with our Training and Events Calendar. Here you can find introductory sessions to advance research support to 1.1 appointments with subject librarians and academic skills advisors to help you along your academic journey.

Sessions are available online and in person, so double-check the information listed just in case. And if these times don’t suit, you can contact your subject librarian directly.  Not sure who your subject librarian is? Information is listed on the myNapier pages.

We also have study skills webpages, with helpful tips and tricks. Full of material that will help you with essays and dissertations, report structure, help with collecting data and grammar.

Here you can also find our libguides, which are divided into two types.:

  • Our subject guides have been specially designed by your subject librarians. These guides are filled with the best and most relevant resources to journals, databases and reference material to whatever subject you are studying.
  • Our Research Guides are created by the library team to help build research and digital information skills, covering things like analysis and data collection.

Together, these guides will give you ways to study more effectively and help you handle any assignment you may be facing.

 

Wellbeing and Exams Support at the Library

Exams can be stressful, and we want to help with that stress. Again, if things feel too much, please contact our wellbeing and inclusion team.

Each campus library has a relaxation space to help you take your mind off things. If you feel like you need a break, please visit them. Filled with comfy sofas, plants, and some games just to provide a bit of distraction.

We also have our wellbeing collection, which is available both in person and online. Through the wellbeing ligbuide, you can access a wide range of books to help combat that exam stress.

And from a previous post, we have some top tips to beat exam stress:

Here are our top tips to help get you through.

Top Tips for Beating Exam Stress

  1. Timetable and prepare a study plan.
  2. Create a study space that is comfortable, quiet, well-lit, organised, and has no distractions nearby.
  3. Put your information into a format that allows you to absorb it best.
  4. Take regular study breaks. Alternating subjects you’re studying will also help.
  5. Remember self-care!
  6. Schedule fun activities to reduce your stress.
  7. Eat nutritious foods and exercise regularly to keep your brain power and energy up!
  8. Make sure you have all the items you need for any exams. Get them ready the day before to avoid rushing on the day.
  9. Remove anything distracting to help you focus. Try putting your phone in a different room when revising.
  10. Write down revision targets for the day, review your progress, and update your revision timetable and targets appropriately.

Most of all:  Remember to rest – get a good night’s sleep – and also relax! Check out our Virtual Relaxation Space,

 

Poetry under fire: what poems did during the First World War

Poetry under fire: what poems did during the First World War

5.30pm, Tuesday 11 November 2025
Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh Napier University (hybrid)
What did the First World War do to poetry? What did poetry do during the First World War? In this lecture, Dr Julia Ribeiro Thomaz will explore a brand new corpus of war poets to interrogate not what is a good or bad war poem nor what war poems say about the war, but rather the social and cultural functions accomplished by poetry in 1914-1918: inventing itself, creating social links, anchoring the war in relation to a poetic past and multiple imagined futures, mediating the experience of war, and producing knowledge about the conflict. She will explore how the expansion of our definition of war poetry allows us to ask new questions about the First World War, as well as future possibilities to continue broadening our understanding of what war poetry was and, above all, what it did and continues doing for those writing and reading it.
Dr Julia Ribeiro Thomaz is a postdoctoral researcher at Université de Lille. She completed her doctorate on French poetry of the First World War, at Université Paris Nanterre.  Julia has already published widely in academic journals, and is a Fellow of the International Society for First World War Studies.
This lecture continues the annual series of Remembrance lectures at Edinburgh Napier University, marking the historical significance of Craiglockhart as a War Hospital during the First World War, famously the meeting place of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.  We also remember our late colleague Catherine Walker, who was for many years curator of the War Poets Collection.  Funding comes from the Centre for Arts, Media and Culture and the Centre for Military Research, Education & Public Engagement.
This year the event is also the Dennis Showalter Memorial Lecture, selected by the International Society for First World War Studies. Named after Dennis Showalter, the leading historian of Germany during the war and a longtime friend and supporter of the Society, it is delivered each year by a leading early career researcher in First World War Studies.
The event is held in the Rivers Suite at Edinburgh Napier University’s Craiglockhart Campus (Google map | travel info).  There will be a wine reception from 5.30pm; the lecture will start around 6pm.  The event will also be streamed via Zoom.
By Andrew Frayn
Read more about the War Poets Collection

Bonfire Night and The Gunpowder Plot

Bonfire Night and The Gunpowder Plot

In 2018, UK consumers spent £316 million on Bonfire Night, also known as Fireworks Night or Guy Fawkes Night, according to market research company Mintel. Most of that money went up in smoke, spent on fireworks and bonfires. Fireworks displays remained the most popular way to celebrate, with 38% of the population attending an event.

The Gunpowder Plot

Bonfire Night traces back to a 17th-century religious and political plot. In 1605, English Catholics, led by Robert Catesby, planned to blow up King James and his government during Parliament’s State Opening on November 6. They aimed to install a Catholic head of state to end Catholic persecution, following years of religious strife with the Roman Church.

Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes, a minor conspirator, gained fame due to his role in guarding the explosives. After an anonymous tip-off, authorities searched the Palace of Westminster’s cellars and found him with 36 barrels of gunpowder. This discovery led to today’s ceremonial “search” of Parliament before each State Opening, carried out by the Yeoman of the Guard, who are rewarded with port.

The plot began in a pub, the Duck and Drake. Fawkes, a mercenary, was hired to ignite the gunpowder. The conspirators rented a cellar beneath the House of Lords and filled it with explosives, delaying their plan twice. Eventually, authorities discovered the plot, and Catesby was killed resisting arrest. Others were tortured, tried, and sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Fawkes escaped the full punishment by breaking his neck on his way to the scaffold.

Following news of the plot’s failure, Londoners celebrated spontaneously, lighting bonfires. A later Act of Parliament mandated annual commemorations with church services of thanksgiving, though it was repealed in 1859.

This ‘search’ continues today before every State Opening of Parliament, albeit ceremonially, with the searchers, the Yeoman of the Guard, rewarded with a glass of port.  

Continue reading

Make online reading easier: three accessibility tools worth trying

Make online reading easier: three accessibility tools worth trying

Accessing eresources can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when dealing with dense text or distracting layouts. To help, the library has created tutorial videos that walk you through some excellent accessibility tools. Here’s a quick overview of three tools that can make reading online resources much easier.

1. Read Aloud in Microsoft Edge

For students who learn better by listening or need to reduce eye strain, Read Aloud is a built-in feature in Microsoft Edge browser that reads webpages and PDFs aloud. You can choose from different voices, adjust speed, and select specific sections to hear. This tool is especially helpful for auditory learners and anyone who finds long reading sessions tiring. If you’re using Edge, you will find Read Aloud button at the right end of the address bar (you might need to click the three dots first) or you can turn it on using Ctr+Shift+U keyboard shortcut. Check out this short video on Read Aloud to see how to use it.

Accessibility Tools

 

  1. Helperbird Browser Extension

Helperbird is a versatile extension that helps make online reading more accessible. Its free features include:

  • Reading mode: Removes distractions for a cleaner reading experience.
  • Basic text-to-speech: Listen to content read aloud using standard voices.
  • Text adjustments: Change text size, spacing, line height and more for better readability.
  • Dyslexia tools: Use overlays and a dyslexia ruler to reduce visual stress and maintain focus.
  • Accessibility options: Reduce motion and highlight links for easier navigation.

These functionalities allow you to customise webpages to suit your needs, making reading less stressful and more efficient. You can add Helperbird extension to any browser, for instructions go to helperbird.com. For an overview of how to use it, see our bite-sized tutorial on Helperbird.

 

  1. Reader View Extension

Webpages often include ads and pop-ups that distract from the main content. Reader View removes these elements and presents text in a clean, simplified format. You can change fonts, text width, alignment, and colour schemes, creating a distraction-free space that supports focus. You can see how it works in this short Reader View tutorial. This extension is available for Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari.

 

Accessibility pages

 

Need More Support?

These tools are just a start: find out what support we offer on Library Accessibility and Inclusion webpage. And to see how your uni life can be made more accessible visit the Disability Inclusion team’s webpages.

By Patrycja Respondek

Eresources and Accessibility

Fancy Doing a Edinburgh Napier University Postgrad?

Fancy Doing an Edinburgh Napier University Postgrad?

You may be a student with us who is coming towards the end of their studies and university journey, or you may be a student who has just graduated and is wondering what the next chapter in your career pathway is going to look like. What if we told you that your university career does not have to end here? A postgraduate degree or a Master’s course is essentially a qualification that can be undertaken once you have obtained an undergraduate degree. It allows you to gain specialised knowledge and skillset within a specific area or field of study. Edinburgh Napier University offers a wide range of postgraduate degree courses and qualifications – all of which tie in with our five prominent schools: The Business School, School of Applied Sciences, School of Arts and Creative Industries, School of Health and Social Care and School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. Find out more about postgraduate courses and degree programmes we offer on our Courses webpage.

Fun Fact

Fun fact: Edinburgh Napier University graduates and alumni are offered a 20% discount on tuition fees for any Master’s or postgraduate course of their choice. There are, of course, many more reasons why doing a postgraduate qualification with us can be beneficial to your career progression, employability and skills enhancement.

Benefits of doing a Postgraduate course with us…

  • It can make you a stand-out candidate in terms of employability and career progression. The specialised knowledge and transferrable skills which you can gain from undertaking and completing a postgraduate degree is often very attractive to potential employers whether you are looking to enter a specific career field or progress within an area which you may already work in. It can open many promotional opportunities in the workplace for you, or alternatively, give you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in a new field or area if you are only just getting started with your career journey, or maybe even looking to retrain and change careers or direction. Many postgraduate courses that we offer are vocational and offer work placement opportunities as part of their course curriculum, which can ultimately give you the opportunity to acquire invaluable experience in a specific industry or field which can be an effective talking point in CVs, job applications and future interviews. In general, pursing and completing a postgraduate or Masters qualification demonstrates and shows dedication, commitment and ambition, and that you embrace new challenges and opportunities to progress – all of which can make you a stand-out candidate in job applications, interviews and the hiring process overall.

 

  • Network Building Opportunities. Doing a postgraduate or Master’s qualification is also great for networking and can sometimes even lead to paid employment or positions being offered within the specific company or industry that your assigned work placement was. Building expertise and a specialised knowledge in a specific area or subject also opens many doors in terms of integrating into a specific academic community or industry. You will often liaise and interact with academics and lecturers who can provide you with guidance and encouragement with your studies as well as exploring your options after university and future pathways. You will also come across many fellow students during your postgraduate course or Masters degree as well, where a chance to build a specialist and professional network may arise!

 

  • Building expertise in a specific field or industry. You may be a student who has just graduated from an undergraduate course, either with us or a different academic institution entirely. There may be a specific area or subject in your field which you feel you barely scratched the surface of and would like to study in further depth. A Master’s degree or postgraduate course usually provides the perfect opportunity to pursue a more specialised knowledge within a specific area or field of study and research. A higher level of independent study, in-depth research and analysis is often expected from individuals who choose to undertake a postgraduate or Master’s. This may sound overwhelming at first, but it provides a great opportunity for you to get stuck in with delving into a topic or subject area that interests you to an extent more than you would at the undergraduate level. This can often lead to further study and the chance to pursue a PhD, should research and academia be where your key interests lie.

 

  • Postgraduate study and Master’s programmes are often quick progression routes. While an undergraduate course can take up to four or more years to complete, a master’s or postgraduate qualification will often only take a year or two at most. This offers a relatively fast and time-efficient route to gain a qualification and transferable skillset to progress in your chosen career path, whether you are a new graduate waiting to start their career in a specific field, looking to advance within your current field or change direction entirely.

Postgraduate Information Event…

If this blog post has made you consider pursuing further study, whether it be a postgraduate degree or a Master’s course, we have a Postgraduate Information Event coming up on Thursday the 20th of November 2025. You can find all the information you need about enrolling on and what it is like to undertake a postgraduate course here. You will have the chance to speak to academics and staff about the degree programme you have an interest in pursuing, as well as advice regarding funding, admissions and student support available. You will also have the opportunity to talk to current postgraduate students about their experience at Edinburgh Napier University.

 

You can find more information and register by going to the link here.

 

By Rachel Downie

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