Edinburgh Napier University
This session introduces the Campus Libraries and signposts to further support.
We’ll demonstrate how to:
Are you a student or member of staff looking for UK Industry Market Research data? Well the good news is that the Library now subscribes to the research industry database IBISWorld. Covering a wide range of topics from accommodation and food service activities, to construction and transportation, it’s sure to have what you’re looking for!
The database has an easy-to-use and intuitive layout. Each industry report has the same menu options; covering a variety of topics, including industry at a glance, industry performance, operating conditions and key statistics. In addition, you can create your own presentations with access to easily downloadable formats including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and PDF. Whats more there are also new interactive charts allowing you to manipulate the data to work for you!
Interested? Access the database from the link on Keith Walker’s Business School Subject Guide or go to LibrarySearch and navigate to it from the Databases link.
As a starting point I’d suggest going to your profile in the top right-hand corner of the screen. You’ll find FAQs, useful tutorials and a short video to help you make the most of IBISWorld.
Right, I’m off to find information on the chocolate and biscuit production in the UK!
By Cathryn Buckham
Despite Covid, Tokyo hosts the delayed summer Olympics of 2020 this month representing the ultimate challenge to the world’s top athletes. Organisers estimate some 11,000 athletes, from 205 countries will compete in 330 events in 28 sports in front of TV audiences numbering billions. Today’s intense interest, however, contrasts markedly with the more haphazard nature of the very first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896.
Reproduction of the cover of the 1896 Olympics Official Report (Olympic Studies Centre)
Then, 300 competitors, all men and mostly local, took part in 43 events in athletics, cycling, swimming, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, gymnastics, shooting and lawn tennis.
These sports, with the exception of shooting and tennis, would have been broadly familiar to any ancient Greek. However, some of the events, one armed weightlifting for example, appear slightly odd to us today.
The indifference shown by the established sporting authorities to what they all then regarded as a passing fad meant that the non-Greek competitors tended to be sportsmen of the amateur and gentlemanly kind rather than necessarily the world’s best.
Take the tennis, for example, a sport pretty unfamiliar in Greece at the time. The singles was won by an Irish undergraduate, named John Boland. Boland was spending the Easter holidays in Athens with a friend and had no intention of competing. However his friend, one of the local organisers, persuaded him to enter the tournament at the last minute. A recreational player, with little experience of competition, Boland ended up winning all his matches.
He then repeated the feat in the doubles forming a scratch partnership with German player, Fritz Traun. Their success no doubt helped assuage Traun’s disappointment at having previously lost both in the singles and also in the 100 metres sprint.
Unlike future winners of Olympic tennis, Boland did not enjoy a stellar career in the game. In fact there is no record of him ever winning anything again. He did, however, go on to serve as an MP for 18years.
Carl Schuhmann was the most successful athlete at the games, winning both the individual vault and contributing to the Germans’ success in both team gymnastic events.
Bizarrely, Schuhmann then fought his way to the final of the wrestling where he faced local man, Georgios Tsitas. The contest turned into a two-day affair. Darkness forced an end to proceedings on the first day with Schuhmann winning his 4th medal on resumption the next morning.
Carl Schuhmann and Georgios Tsitas at the 1896 Wrestling final (ac-wuestenrot.de)
To huge national acclaim the marathon, which actually started in Marathon, was won by an Athenian mineral water salesman Spyridon Louis. Hailed as a national hero, his colourful later life included serving jail time for falsifying papers.
Rather than spending millions on purpose built stadia, as is the norm today, the Greeks used what they had available. The swimming events took place in the sea off Piraeus, 2 out of the 3 open events being won by a Hungarian Alfred Hajos. Entry to a fourth event was peculiarly restricted to members of the Greek Navy. The Panathenaic Stadium hosted 4 sports, and the formal ceremonial. It was a refurbished facility excavated out of solid marble on the site of a stadium that hosted the ancient games dating back to 144CE. The track, a narrow horseshoe shape, caused some runners problems when cornering. It’s still possible to channel one’s inner Olympian today and run round that same track provided you pay the stadium tour entrance fee of 5 euros.
The Panathenaic Stadium Athens (Greeka.com)
Oddly no Gold medals where awarded. Gold, silver and bronze medals didn’t appear until St Louis in 1904. The first winners each received a silver medal and a laurel branch, runners up a copper medal. There was nothing for coming 3rd.
Retrospectively, however, the IOC upgraded gold, silver and bronze to the top 3 in all the Athens events.
From this fairly modest start and despite the initial lack of international enthusiasm the Games developed into the multi-million dollar extravaganza we are now enjoying.
By John Baillie
Many of you will have visited the Lions’ Gate garden at Merchiston campus (you get a good view of it from the Library’s Relaxation Space!). Well the good news is that Callum Egan, the garden co-ordinator (working with ENSA, the Business School and the Development Office), has secured funding from the Scottish Government’s Community Climate Asset Fund to develop areas at Craiglockhart and Sighthill campuses.
Raised beds, a water harvesting kit, top soil and compost have already been purchased, along with plants with culinary and medicinal benefits. The fund has also been used to buy apple and plum trees. The team working on this would like to create a micro-forest at Sighthill, and at Craiglockhart there’ll be a small orchard and a thinking walk around the grounds.
Interested? Read more about it in the Lions’ Gate blog
https://blogs.napier.ac.uk/thelionsgate/university-community-an-orchard-and-a-micro-forest/
The good news is that the Craiglockhart orchard has now been created. I was lucky enough to be part of a group of 15 helping out with the planting of 2 plum and 10 apple trees. Take a look next time you’re on campus. It’s directly opposite the chapel entrance. Before and after photos below.
Orchard, Chapel Lion’s Gate Garden
Plants Lions’ Gate Garden
On a library-related note! Check out the Garden Collection of books held at Merchiston Library. Merchiston campus too far away? Request items via LibrarySearch.
By Cathryn Buckham
Eilean Donan CastleNow that it’s summer we are longing to get out and about a bit more to see what the UK has to offer, but the cost of staycations has rocketed and many of our home attractions seem as out-of-reach as foreign parts. If you feel you need an escape from the city and your studies, you could try a virtual escape using Box of Broadcasts, our online off-air service. BoB is your passport to the best of the British countryside, seaside, lochs and mountains:
Scotland – Grand Tours of Scotland; Grand Tours of the Scottish Lochs; The Skye Trail
North of England – Britain’s Most Beautiful Landscapes (The Lake District); The Yorkshire Dales with Paul Rose; Robson Green: Walking Coast to Coast
UK walks – Britain’s Best walks with Julia Bradbury
Rivers and Canals – The Thames with Tony Robinson; The River: A Year in the Life of the Tay; The River Wye with Will Mallard; Great Canal Journeys
Railways – Great British Railway Journeys; Walking Britain’s Lost Railways
Find them all here: BoB
By Vivienne Hamilton
Libguides are a fantastic resource for finding information bespoke to your subject area. Our Librarians have spent time creating custom made guides that help you get the most relevant and useful information on your topic.
We currently have 27 different subject guides available with something to help everyone, no matter what you study.
There is a full list of the guides available here: https://libguides.napier.ac.uk/
You can scroll through the full list, or narrow your search by subject or Type.
Alternatively you can click on your Subject Librarian, and find a list of their guides as well as their contact information.
The Lions’ Gate Garden is a permaculture habitat adjacent to the library at Merchiston campus. The gardens, allotment, pond, and outdoor laboratory provide a space to relax and unwind.
Three years ago, Research Fellow and Interaction Design Lecturer Callum Egan sparked the idea of using digital technology and environmentalism to create “techno gardens to make real spaces for people”.
The digital interactions aim to inspire people on educating and taking action for climate change and ecosystems.
Some of these interactions include:
The pandemic has even taught us all to be more resourceful and individuals have shown a growing hobby for urban gardening! As the seasons change at Lions’ Gate, we can be more ‘fruitful’ by generating natural resources, from strawberries to Christmas trees. This creates social spaces and could even make homemade jams and chutneys!
Photo by Dave Michuda on Unsplash
But how can we incorporate more ‘greenness’ into university teaching spaces and libraries?
https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/?search=
You can find more information about the Lions’ Gate Garden project in the link below:
https://blogs.napier.ac.uk/thelionsgate/
How can universities become a spur for sustainable development in the next generation? One way would be by engaging more with their local communities.
Here at Edinburgh Napier, we encourage you to become involved in groups, societies or activities that help make campuses greener places for working and studying.
We are even committed to minimising our carbon footprint beyond the campuses. 80% of our waste is recycled, while the remaining 20% is used for fuel production. Further information can be found in the links below:
https://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/environmental-sustainability
https://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/environmental-sustainability/get-involved
One of the upsides of the Covid pandemic is that it has taught us all how to be more digitally resourceful. Our academic libraries are capitalising on these eco-friendly practices:
Further resources:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/onedrive
https://www.qs.com/improve-sustainability-higher-education/
Highland Games are a traditional event held in many Scottish towns during the summer and are a mixture of sporting, cultural and social events. The well-known events such as tossing the caber and the hammer throw are only for the strongest and fittest competitors!
Origin and history
It is believed that the Highland Games originated in Ireland around 2000BC and they were brought to Scotland with 4th and 5th century migrations of the Scotti people into Dalriada (Argyll). The games may have become a way of choosing the strongest and most able men for the household of clan chieftains, with musicians and dancers also sought to add prestige to the clan. The first historical reference to Highland Games-type events was made during the 11th century. They were banned following the Battle of Culloden in 1746 but the ban was lifted in the early 19th century.
The Braemar Gathering is the most famous of all Highland Games. Queen Victoria attended the games in 1838 and royal support has continued since then. Queen Victoria’s endorsement of the games ensured the growth of such events and their export around the world. Highland Games now take place in many different countries, particularly countries where Scots emigrated to in large numbers such as Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
The Ceres Games in Fife are considered the oldest, continuous Highland Games in Scotland and began in 1314.
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Events
It wouldn’t be a Highland Games without the traditional strong man events such as tossing the caber and the tug of war.
Tossing the caber-The caber is a large wooden pole and the name derives from the Gaelic word cabar which refers to a wooden beam. The caber is around 20 feet long and normally weighs around 150 pounds. Competitors must balance the caber in their hands and perform a run-up before they toss it. Throws are judged on their straightness – a perfect toss sees the small end of the caber facing away from the thrower at a 12 o’clock angle.
Hammer throw-The “hammer” used consists of a metal ball weighing around 22 pounds attached by a steel wire to a grip. Competitors use the handle to whirl the hammer around their head and throw it as far as they can.
Tug of war-This event involves teams of eight pulling against another team of eight, encouraged by another team member who shouts instructions and encouragement to spur their team to pull the other one across the line to win the event.
These competitions make the games a thrilling event, but to add to the spectacle there are also other attractions.
Highland dancing – Dancers give dazzling displays on pointed toes of dances such as the Highland Fling and the sword dance. They wear colourful tartan outfits and compete in solo and group events.
Pipe bands-They will play for entertainment and in competitive events.
More recently Highland Games have become a celebration of country life and many now include events such as:
Animal exhibitions-Displays of Highland cattle, Clydesdale horses and Shetland ponies.
Sheep dog trials-Competitions against the clock.
Food stalls-Showcasing local produce with free tastings.
Arts and crafts.
Re-enactments-Groups give displays of sword fights, spinning yarn and cooking.
More recently novelty events have been added such as wellie throwing and tossing the haggis.
Sadly due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions most of Scotland’s major events have been cancelled this year. A few events are still going ahead and the calendar can be viewed here.
Hopefully you will be able to visit a Highland Games in the future and get to enjoy all they have to offer.
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Article written by Vivienne Hamilton
We’ve come a long way since Evelyn Roxburgh graduated from Heriot-Watt College in 1923 with a diploma in electrical engineering – the first woman in Scotland to qualify as an electrical engineer. Evelyn spent much of her career in Metropolitan Vickers, one of the biggest engineering companies in the country.
And then there was Langholm-born Dorothy Buchanan who, in 1927, became the first female chartered engineer registered by the Institution of Civil Engineers and worked on engineering projects as far-flung as Sydney, Kharthoum and Belfast.
Nevertheless, there is still a huge gender imbalance in the scientific industries, and that’s why we need an International Women in Engineering Day. Now in its 8th year, INWED aims to raise the profile of women in engineering and inspire women and girls all over the world to enter the industry. INWED is celebrated on 23rd June all over the world. See here for what’s happening in the UK.
Despite boys and girls having an equal interest in science and technology in their school years, only around 25% of workers in the STEM sector are women. Equate Scotland aims to help change this. It works with further education institutions, employers and students to develop women’s scientific expertise, skills and confidence. Find out about them here
Here at Edinburgh Napier, 20% of our staff and students in the School of Engineering & the Built Environment are female. We welcome girls and boys of all backgrounds. Why not join us? Find out more here
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