Edinburgh Napier University

Author: mayagreen (Page 8 of 14)

World Book Day 2024

World Book Day 2024

World Book Day 2024 – 7th March

When was the last time you got lost in a good book? Not a textbook. Not some dry academic thesis you have to crib for an exam. I mean a rollicking great thriller, or a classic Victorian spinechiller, or an autobiography of that sporting hero you’ve always admired. When was the last time you tucked yourself up in bed with Stephen King, Jane Austen or Terry Pratchett?

World Book Day promotes the idea of reading for pleasure. There is a wealth of evidence that shows that reading for pleasure – just the pure, unalloyed enjoyment of it – is important for personal development and helps in educational success. It stimulates the imagination, brings comfort, expands your horizons, helps to build social connections and promotes better health and well-being. All that from a book!

World Book Day is specifically aimed at children. But we want to remind you that reading for pleasure is like riding a bike – once learned, you never forget how to do it. So, if it’s been a while since you picked up a book just for the sake of it, why not do so today and re-discover that childlike state of wonder that only books create. As far as I’m concerned, the best thing about reading for pleasure is that I get lost in my own personal world and nobody else gets a look in.

World Book Day is celebrated on the first Thursday of March. But feel free to pick up a book on any day of the week, any month of the year. And if you happen to be in any of our libraries when you do so, why not pull up a chair, sit back and settle into your story.

Check out our relaxation space to settle into your story and find out more about World Book Day in Scotland.

By Lesley McRobb

A lover of books, read all our previous posts. 

Library Training

Library Training

The library offers a wide range of training events to help you with your studies.

Trimester 2 is rolling in and not to add panic but soon assignments and exams will be coming up. Here at the library, we want to help where we can. We run sessions that are in-person or online to help with your studies. Workshops and events are here to help you get started with the skills you need for success at University. There are bookable sessions on a range of different topics and regular drop-ins on different campuses.

Training Calendar

You can find them all on our training and events calendar. Sessions are available for all modules and levels and can range from a basic introduction to using LibrarySearch and academic journals for first-year students to subject-specific research sessions for postgraduate students and staff.

We have basic information sessions or more in-depth sessions looking at literature reviews, references management and copyright. These sessions run throughout the year so don’t worry, they are not a one-off.

If these times don’t work or you prefer a one-on-one session, you can contact your subject librarians or contact us via email, phone or ask at the help desk.

Subject Guide Training

We also have our subject guides that are created and designed by your subject librarian.  Here you will also find out more about the resources and support available from the Library.  ​You will also find libguides which are also created by subject librarians. There, you will find more information about courses and databases.

And you also read our previous posts about helpful library information.

Leap Year: Origins and Interesting Traditions

Leap Year: Origins and Interesting Traditions

Today is the 29th of February, so read about Leap Year: Origins and Interesting Traditions

Introduction: Why do we have a Leap Year?

Happy new (leap) year from the blog team everybody! Ever wondered why February has that one extra day added to the calendar every four years? It is all primarily to do with the sun, and how the Earth’s orbit around it is not completely aligned with its rotation on the sun’s axis. Because of this, it takes our planet 365 ¼ days to rotate around the sun.

Even though this is only a tiny discrepancy, it would eventually knock our calendar year off course. So an extra day was added to make up 366 days every four years to establish a strong synchronisation with the solar year and calendar year. Nevertheless, we also skip a leap year every century unless the year is divisible by 400 to maintain this synchronisation. You know just to make things seem even more confusing! So, for example, we have skipped a leap year in the years 1700 and 1900, but not in the years 1600 or 2000. This means that the year 2100 will be a common year in future terms.

History and Origins of Leap Year

For centuries, different cultures have strategized and tested various ways of keeping the calendar year aligned with the seasons. There were a few cultures who did not only add an extra day when the necessity arose. They would sometimes add an extra week or even an extra month! Then, in 46 B.C., Roman Emperor Julius Ceasar proposed adding an extra day to February every four years. This was the advice given by astronomer Sosigenes. From this emerged the Egyptian solar calendar which divided the 365 ¼ period into twelve months each containing 30 or 31 days in total, albeit February. This has been nicknamed the ‘Julian Calendar’ because of its founding father.

Nevertheless, a tiny discrepancy remained which led to the first introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. Several European countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Portugal were first to adopt the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. This reformed calendar saw the leap year being skipped when any ‘century’ years not divisible by 400 arose. By the time the Gregorian Calendar was introduced in England, this error had increased to a total of eleven days. A decision was made in the year 1752 for the 2nd of September to be followed by the 14th of September, skipping the days in between. These are often referred to as the ‘lost days’ – and their loss was felt majorly.  There were outbreaks of rioting and civil unrest, people demanding these eleven days to be brought back. These riots were known as The English Calendar riots of 1752.

Romantic Traditions of Leap Year

Love is in the air – across the world, leap year is known to have a few unique romantic traditions. The most notable one is that women will often propose to men on the 29th of February. This tradition emerged after Queen Margaret of Scotland brought in a new law that permitted women to propose to men on leap day in  1288. Women will also traditionally don a red petticoat on this day to make their intentions clear. If their man rejected the proposal, he was obligated by law to provide either enough fabric to make a dress or twelve pairs of gloves. It has since spread vastly across Europe and beyond.

Superstitions and Statistics…

The chances of being born on the 29th of February are extremely slim – one in 1,461, to be precise. This is effective because a leap day only occurs every 1,461 days. In Scotland, it is even believed to be unlucky to be born on a leap day.  The negative superstitions about leap years do not stop here as well. During the Roman era in Italy, the month of February was associated with death. And its extension was viewed to be prolonging this alleged period of doom and gloom. In Greece, it is widely believed that weddings which take place during a leap year will soon be followed by divorce.  It’s not all about those romantic traditions.

Celebrations

Despite the superstitions surrounding leap year, many still like to toast the occasion and celebrate it. In fact, there was a famous alcoholic beverage made to traditionally celebrate Leap Day at the Savoy Hotel located in London.  Invented by famous bartender Harry Craddock. Its ingredients consist of Grand Marnier, gin, lemon juice and vermouth.  The recipe for this cocktail can be found in Craddock’s famous The Savoy Cocktail Book, should you wish to mix your own this year.

Anthony, a small town in Texas, is recognised as the Leap Year Capital worldwide as it is a global hub for celebrations and festivals. This all began in 1988 when neighbours Birdie Lewis and Mary Ann Brown, who were both born on leap day, proposed the creation of a leap year festival. Since it’s approval, it has been celebrated every four years and evolved into a four-day-long event with people travelling from all over the world. It consists of parades, food, music, and even hot air balloon lifts. If you were born on a leap day, that sounds like the ideal location to celebrate!

To Conclude…

And this does indeed mean that our campus libraries will be open for one extra day this year.  We have just the book for you:  ‘The Observer’s Year: 366 Nights of the Universe Moore’ should you want to learn more about leap year. But otherwise, we hope you have found this blog post to be interesting and informative!

By Rachel Downie

Photo sources Glen Carrie

LIke superstitions, you can read previous articles here 

Changes at Craiglockhart Library

Changes at Craiglockhart Library

We wanted to let you know about some changes which have been made to the study spaces at Craiglockhart Library. Following the removal of the rolling stacks, a bright and spacious area was created and it was decided to move the collaborative desks there. Some social seating has been installed in the space created once the desks were moved, and this is already proving popular. The relaxation space will be made slightly larger too. We hope you like the changes!

Craiglockhart libraryCraiglockhart library Craiglockhart library

 

Feedback

Remember we always love feedback, you can email anytime at library@napier.ac.uk

Check out our library webpages for the latest updates 

 

And you read previous posts about the changes to our library

By Vivienne Hamilton

World Radio Day

World Radio Day

13th February marks World Radio Day  🎶 play Radio Gaga by Queen 🎶

What is World Radio Day?

Declared by UNESCO in 2011 and then proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012, February 13th became World Radio Day. The objective of the day is simple, to celebrate the radio, as a public service, as a network and communication. February 13th was chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Radio in 1946 (Wikipedia.org/World Radio Day). And as UNESCO states on their website ‘In an era marked by the dizzying speed of technological innovation, the radio beginning in its second century as dependable and widely utilize’ (UNESCO.org)

The History of the Radio

Canadian Reginald Fessenden is the pioneer of the radio and in December 1906, his voice was broadcasted.  The radio was crucial to the First World War and heavily relied upon. It wasn’t until the 1920s that radio resembled what it is today, filled with speakers and music. The 1950s saw a boom in radio broadcasting programmes (dramas to comedy), music and adverts.  it is considered the Golden Age.  One of the most famous programmes was the War of Worlds.  However, soon Radio would be competing with the world of television (Britannica/radio)

The radio was a huge revolution in the world of communication. News became instantly accessible. It changed consumer world with advertising. It transformed the world of music, making it the venture it is today. (university of Minnesota) 

The Radio and the Library

Interested in radio, you can browse our expansive library catalgoue till your hearts content.  This includes databases such as the wonderful world of Box of Broadcasts.   You can also browse the school of Creative Arts and Industries subject guides. Here you can find more of the impact of radio.

 

Interested in more United Nations Day, have a browse here

 

Photo Source Anmol Arora Unsplash 

 

Love Your Library

Love Your Library

Love Your Library 2024

It’s back! It’s that time of year again. The old cliché of chocolates, flowers, and books. We joke but it is Love Your Library Week. Hearts rejoice. This week we will be running our annual feedback drive. Every year around Valentine, we ask what do you love about the library? But also, what do you hate? And you can be honest. This is your library.

Love Your Library in the Libraries

Our libraries will be pretty in pink with their displays. There will be post-it notes, heart-shaped of course. And you can tell us what you love and what you hate.  There will be a display at each library campus. If that isn’t enough, we will also be handing out sweets. We will be running this all week so you have plenty of time to let us know. We love getting feedback, it helps us understand what we are doing right and what we need to improve. And we listen to all feedback. It can be anonymous.

 All Year Round

We should add that we appreciate feedback all year round. Each library has a comment box, and you can always contact us or give us a shout on social media. Let us know what you think about our library services.

Read previous posts on our library services and our previous feedback drives here.

Physiotherapy and Sports & Exercise Science Resources

Physiotherapy and Sports & Exercise Science Resources

Happy Friday everyone. We have promoted our Physiotherapy and Sports & Exercise Science Resources this week. You might have seen our book display at Sighthill Library Campus. Or our digital signage slides promoting different resources the past few days. Or even our social media posts. If not, don’t worry we have you covered with this article.  We will summarise this week and highlight all the Sports and Physiotherapy resources. If you have an interest in the sports sciences or are a student of either Applied Sciences or Health & Social Care, then we have you covered.

On Monday, we gave a shout-out to our physical book display and reading lists.

Research Databases

On Tuesday, we gave a shout-out to our research databases. Research Databases are a collection of online scholarly works that can be articles, case studies and periodicals. We have a database tab on LibrarySearch. There are 3 that we would like to highlight; Medline, PubMed and Sportdiscus:

  • Medline: covers a wide range of medical journal articles and references with a focus on biomedicine.
  • PudMed: developed by the National Library of Medicine in the USA. Thousands of articles and citations that range from biomed to life science.
  • SportDiscus: Provided by the Sport Information Resource Centre. It covers sport and fitness and related disciplines.

Journals:

Half way the week, it was about the journals. We have 4 journals to promote. We want to add that not all journals can be found in databases but you can either search them individually on librarysearch or on the journal tab. Like the research databases, they covered a wide range from fitness to medicine.

  • International Journal of Sport Medicine
  • Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
  • British Journal of Sport Medicine
  • Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise

Non-Research Databases:

Not only do we have research databases but we have non-research databases. And it was our non-research databases that took the spotlight.

  • Anatomy.Tv (Also known as Anatomy and Physiology Online): Here you will find over 20 interactive Modules, 3D anatomy and media-rich content.  Case studies and quizzes are available.
  • Sage Research Methods: Research essential. Provides information on writing research questions, how to do a literature review, research methods, collecting and analysing data and much more. It covers all research methods used in the social sciences.

Once again, you can find these all on LibrarySearch.

We hope you found this post insightful. Don’t forget to check out the libguides and previous posts on databases

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year

(新年快乐)   Xīn nián kuài lè”

Happy New Year!

 Chinese New Year which is also known as the Spring Festival, begins on Saturday, 10th February 2024 until 24th February 2024. The holiday begins with the new moon that occurs between January 21st and February 20th.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Traditions focus on seeing out the old year and welcoming in the luck and prosperity of a new year.

Chinese New Year origins are steeped in legend. Thousands of years ago a monster named Nian (“Year”) attacked villagers at the beginning of each new year. However, the monster feared loud noises, bright lights, and the colour red, so villagers used these to chase the beast away. In the form of fireworks, lanterns and red became the primary colour.

Red signifies prosperity and good energy to ‘ward off evil spirits and negativity.  This is why red lanterns are hung in streets and red couplets are pasted on doors to scare away bad spirits. Red is also incorporated in clothing and gifts. Celebrations include visiting family members, feasting, and respecting ancestors. And for good fortune, money is gifted in red envelopes. Celebrations include firecrackers, fireworks and watching lion and dragon dances.

Year of the Dragon

2024 is the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon is as an extraordinary creature in the Chinese calendar. Symbolising ‘power, nobility, honour, luck and success’. Ancient Emperors would regard themselves as dragons due to their powerful and dominant nature. So what does the Year of the Dragon have in store for you? Monkeys, Roosters and Pigs are set to have the luckiest year, while Rats, Ox, Dragons, Horses, Dogs and Goats might have more of challenging year ahead. You can find your individual readings

And with this, 2024 is see as the year of change, whether it be a year of opportunities or challenges or perhaps both. If you are looking to change things up this year, 2024 might be for you, good luck!

 

 

You can read more about the Year of Dragons Horoscope.

 

Links

Read more about New Year Traditions in our post New Year Traditions From Around The World

Find more resources at Library Search

Photo source: Til Man 

Supercharge Your Study

Supercharge Your Study

Do you struggle to find the time to get the head down and do some proper study?  Do you find it difficult to find a comfortable environment in which to settle down and gather your thoughts?  Or do you crave peace and quiet?  Do you lack the motivation to open your notes and put them into order?

We get that everyone studies in different ways. We know many of you like to study in our large, open communal spaces, and we know some of you prefer to study on your own in our silent areas.

But we’d like to offer you an alternative to both these options: a supported structured study session hosted by Library staff where you can study on your own, in peace and quiet, but within a group environment.

SuperCharge Study Session

There is good evidence that working together creates an atmosphere that increases productivity. So join us for a hosted session. We won’t tell you what to do. You’ll work on your own at your own pace. We won’t ask you what you’re working on, and we definitely won’t ask you to share. But we will offer support. We are friendly and welcoming, and we’re on your side. We will offer the space, peace, warmth and an uplifting atmosphere for you.

It’s the new year. Why not start 2024 as you mean to go on – with enhanced concentration, optimal learning opportunities, maximum productivity and flourishing levels of creativity.

You can read previous articles on studying tips 

We have feedback sheets around the library to fill in or you can answer these questions below and contact us.

  1. How long would you like to study for?
  2. How often would you like a dedicated hosted study session?
  3. What time of the day suits you best?
  4. Would you prefer virtual or on-campus?

Australia Day

Australia Day takes place on 26th January and is the country’s national day which celebrates national unity and acknowledges its citizens and their contribution to the country. It marks the date in 1788 of the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove. Around 750 mostly petty criminals were transported from the UK along with around 300 medical and military personnel to establish a colony which has since become a desirable place to live and a vibrant tourist destination.  Between 1945 and the early 1980s many UK nationals emigrated to Australia through the £10 ticket programme which sought to bring in migrants to fill labour shortages. The programme saw more than a million UK nationals leave for Down Under. Nowadays it’s one of the world’s top destinations for backpackers hoping to experience some of the enviable Australian lifestyle.

Australia

Australia has come a long way since 1788 when that first penal colony was established. There are iconic and innovative buildings and architecture such as Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Australia now celebrates its indigenous heritage in the form of Aboriginal art and culture. There are also stunning natural wonders: vast outback, Uluru, Great Barrier Reef (A UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the vast outback and spectacular coastlines. The Australian wildlife is pretty unique, there are those cute koalas and bouncing kangaroos. Sydney also hosts the Mardi Gras one of the world’s largest Pride festivals. Australia boasts top-flight cricket and rugby teams, tennis players and let’s not forget surfing which must be the country’s national sport. Then there’s the barbecue-the country’s best-known foodie export. Simple cooking on coals outdoors works well in Australia; perhaps we should have left it to them. We’ve all been to a barbecue in this country where the sausages have been burnt or which has been cut short because of the weather.

Long before remote teaching was introduced for students during the covid pandemic, Australia had been remotely educating students living far from the nearest school in the outback. School of the Air launched in 1951 using radio to deliver classes to these children. Now wireless technology is used enabling better communication and faster marking!

Neighbours

We couldn’t think about Australia without giving a mention to what must be Australia’s most famous export – the soap opera Neighbours. Launched in 1985 it quickly became a daytime tv favourite of students. Set in the fictional Ramsay Street in the suburb of Erinsborough, Melbourne it’s the show that launched a thousand pop careers (Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and  Stefan Dennis to name a few). With far-fetched storylines, impossibly good-looking residents and seemingly endless sunshine it’s no wonder that for 30 minutes each day from Monday to Friday we were quite happy to be whisked away to the other side of the world. In 2022 it was announced that Neighbours would end, and the final episode aired on terrestrial tv on 28th July 2022. Only a few months later Amazon Freevee announced the return of Neighbours on their platform in 2023 so loyal fans will still be able to follow their favourite soap once again.

Finally, Happy Australia Day to all our Australian staff and students!

You can use Library Search to find books and articles on Australia, soap operas, and Australian tourism.

Image source by Joeyy Lee

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024 The Library Blog

Theme by Anders NorénUp ↑