Manga is Japanese comics, and graphics, in newspapers, magazines and books, that emerged in the 1920s. The word consists of ‘man’, ‘whimsical’ and ‘pictures. Manga demonstrates stories of characters through pictures and expressive lines. It is usually printed in black and white due to cost savings; however special editions are printed in colour.
Manga comic at Merchiston Library
History:
Although Manga emerged during the 20th century, the earliest association was found on scrolls created by Japanese, Buddhist monks in the 12th century. They depicted chapters of animals mirroring human gestures. Printing techniques flourished in the 19th century and Manga focused on politics, although the government censored artists and even closed publishers.
Post-World War II, American occupation of Japan influenced the style, so it became more animated and entertaining for readers. These were called ‘Red Books’ and have influenced more contemporary pictures and stories today that suggest emotions and actions.
Manga Genres:
The Manga sub-genres consist of romance, fantasy, horror, and adventure. The most popular and modern classics are Naruto, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Fruit Basket, and Bleach. A lot of other Manga has been satirical and can focus on darker areas like corruption and injustices.
As Manga is mainly comic books, they have also become ‘anime’ meaning animations in Japanese. Anime uses movement to explain complex stories.
Bleach
So, if you are ready to read Manga, you may find that the print copies are not your usual way of reading as traditionally it is read back to front, from the top right to the left!
You can find Manga resources from how to master the art of drawing Manga to Bleach via the Library Search.
Today’s celebrations come to us from Big Cat Rescue. World Lion Day is celebrated to raise awareness and support for their protection and conservation. It was started in 2013 by Dereck and Beverly Joubert to celebrate these legendary animals (nationaltoday.com)
Lions are the second largest cat in the world, they can weigh between 300 and 550 pounds. They used to roam all over Africa and the Eurasian continent. But now it is estimated that there are only 30 000 and 100 000 lions left (daysoftheyear). World Lion Day was started in 2013 by Dereck and Beverly Joubert to bring attention to the dwindling population of these big cats as they are listed as endangered species.
We also want to give a huge shout-out to our own lion; Logie. Logie is the library’s mascot. Why a lion you may ask, well it’s all due to the Lion’s Gate Garden at Merchiston Campus. And you all named him back in 2019, a shortened version of logarithms which was invented by John Napier. He has been with us ever since, proudly promoting our libraries.
Photo of Logie the Lion at Merchiston Library
You can find out more about these majestic creatures by following the hashtag #WorldLionDay on Twitter, the Big Cat Rescue or watching some documentaries on BOB (Box Of Broadcasts)!
While it may seem doom and gloom, raising awareness matters and individuals can make a difference. The demand to tackle climate change and to take care of our natural environment is there. Let’s join Logie and roar for the lions.
Have you ever wondered what else Library Assistants do when they aren’t at the desk?
Starting our Day
Our day begins with emptying the book return bins as we check all returns to see if they have been requested or belong to another campus. If they belong to another campus or are requested at another campus, they will be put into our library crates for the porters to pick up and deliver.
We will check the library for any repairs and take any lost property to security.
The MFDs must be checked to see if the paper needs filled or if there are any issues that need to be resolved, for example, paper jams.
Using ALMA, our library management system, we compile a list of requested books and process them for the Click and Collect shelf. Any requests for postal loan users are parcelled up and put in the post.
Picture of books on a library shelf
We also use ALMA to generate other lists such as the missing list.
We can check our bookshelves to see if any of the missing items are there.
Our lapsafes are checked daily to make sure all laptops and chargers have been correctly returned.
During the day
We scan the bookshelves with our hand-held scanners to check for missing and mis-shelved items. We process new books and journals as they arrive and put them out on the shelves.
There is a procedure for all our tasks, and these are updated as necessary and receive an annual check.
We arrange displays and put up decorations and posters for campaigns and events such as Pride, Love your Library, and Book Week.
We write articles for the Library Blog, update the library’s digital signage, and post items on Twitter and Instagram.
Creative planning at work
A day in the life of a Library Assistant: Training
There are all sorts of training courses that we attend throughout the year such as GDPR, Mental Health Awareness, and Fire Safety.
Should extraordinary events such as Covid-19 arise we respond by taking appropriate steps to fulfill University or Library guidelines.
For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to place social distancing stickers on the study desks, put seat covers on unavailable seats, block off bookshelves and make sure hand sanitisers were available for use throughout the library.
A day in the life of a Library Assistant: Summer
During the summer we will be involved in larger projects such as weeding and stock moves, but we are also on hand to help at the helpdesk and answer your phone and e-mail enquiries.
When term begins again we will be available to help with all your queries such as connecting to Eduroam, issuing books from the self-service kiosks, using the lapsafe, how to operate the MFDs, booking a group study room and so much more!
A lot has changed since John Napier was born in the tower at Merchiston Castle in 1550, during turbulent times for Scotland.
Times are still a little turbulent… but what would Napier think of our modern-day university campuses?
As you may know, Edinburgh Napier has 3 campus locations – at Merchiston, Craiglockhart and Sighthill. Not long after being renamed Edinburgh Napier university in 2009 (previously Napier University), the University opened its brand new £60m Sighthill campus in 2011.
Sighthill Campus, photograph from Edinburgh Napier Image Bank
Applied sciences courses include Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Marine Biology and Conservation, as well as Sport Sciences, Social Sciences, Psychology, Policing and Careers Guidance. Facilities include Sport and exercise science labs, biotech labs and an environmental chamber to simulate high altitude conditions!
Health and Social care courses include Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health professions and Social Work, as well as Health & Social Care Sciences. Step inside and you’ll find a 1000 sq metre Clinical skills centre with hospital wards, where students can treat ‘patients’ in a life-like setting.
Nursing, photograph from Edinburgh Napier Image Bank
The opening of the 2011 Sighthill campus, with its brand new 5 storey Learning Resource Centre library, meant the bringing together of staff from a number of small ‘school of health’ libraries at Livingston St John’s hospital, Canaan Lane campus which was on the grounds of the Astley Ainslie Hospital and Comely Bank campus which was situated within the Western General Hospital’s grounds.
However, Edinburgh Napier was present at Sighthill long before 2011!
Sighthill Campus was originally opened in 1968 as custom-built accommodation for Edinburgh College of Commerce. The Edinburgh Corporation established the college in 1966 and subjects taught here would have included management and business studies – which you will now find at Craiglockhart campus!
In 1974, Edinburgh College of Commerce was amalgamated with Napier College of Science & Technology – and Napier College of Commerce & Technology was born. In 1986, Napier College became Napier Polytechnic, and then Napier University in 1992.
Notably, in 1984, her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Duke of Edinburgh came to Sighthill campus to open the newly refurbished library! The library was given the apt name of ‘The Queens Library’.
Queen Elizabeth II opened Sighthill Library
Our present-day Sighthill LRC has a range of study environments fit for any royalty 👑 👑 👑!.
Across 5 floors, we have around 300 networked computers, spaces for laptops, study booths and collaborative desks for group work.
Our book collections are spread across the 3rd and 4th floors, with group study rooms, silent study areas and a relaxation space also available.
You can also borrow laptops from our LapSafe or ask for help at our Help Desk on LRC2.
The 22nd Commonwealth Games begin in Birmingham this month and are expected to be the largest yet staged.
Edinburgh has played host to the games twice. The first of these in 1970, the 9th British Commonwealth Games, was the first major multi-sport event ever staged in Scotland.
The Commonwealth Games Newsletters: A Fantastic Insight
The Library through the JSTOR database has access to an archive of the official newsletters published in the lead-up to those games.
These give a fascinating insight into the organisational efforts required to stage the games, reflect the excitement the games generated, and highlight some of the societal and technological changes we have witnessed since.
In addition to the nearly £4 million capital sum spent on creating the major venues, a general appeal was launched to fund the games with an initial target of £200,000. The newsletters tell us that contributions received ranged from a single 3d (1.5p) stamp from an anonymous donor to £25000 from both Edinburgh and Glasgow Corporations. Dinner dances, whist drives, and fashion shows are all reported as helping to swell the coffers as the games approached.
For a celebration of athleticism, a donation of £1000 from a cigarette manufacturer may raise eyebrows today but was received without qualms at that time.
Donations in kind were also received. One fuel company offered to provide 10000 gallons of petrol for the official vehicles. How much would that be worth at today’s prices?
The vehicles were supplied by solid British manufacturers including Leyland and Rootes and volunteer drivers were recruited. Specific mention is made of the 20 “lady drivers” provided by the Edinburgh Junior Chambers of Commerce Wives Group.
Tickets could be purchased by post, or in person at the official ticket outlet, R W Forsyth’s, one of Princes Street’s leading stores.
In true Scottish fashion, the January newsletter tells us, “Telephone bookings cannot be entertained, as orders must be accompanied by the appropriate costs before tickets can be released”.
So, Nae cash! Nae ticket!
Edinburgh’s First Commonwealth Games
A day at the bowls arena cost 7/- 6d (38p) but a hefty £4 was required for prime seating at the closing ceremony, though there was an unreserved open-air seating option at 15/- (75p). Comparable seats at Birmingham are priced at £290
Teams were housed in a “Games village” at Edinburgh University’s Pollok Halls. It was reported that the catering subcommittee was “evolving Eastern and Western menus”, and one-third of the dishes were “non-British in origin”. However, haggis, porridge, and Scotch broth would be available as “novelties’’.
A very precise 42/- 3d (£2.11) per day was allocated to feed the competitors but no one would be “refused seconds”. It was also noted that washing and toilet facilities would be available on every floor of the accommodation!
Modernism was creeping in. The games were the first to be measured in metric, so 400 metres replaced 440 yards etc. They were also the first with electronic timing and backstage at the weightlifting a “unique scoreboard with writing in light” was specifically mentioned. CCTV was also introduced so that competitors did not have to join the audience to watch their rivals in action.
Whilst upward of a “million paper photocopies” were to be provided for the press there was heavy emphasis placed on modern telecommunications. 500 extra private telephone/telex circuits were being installed, along with 200 new public telephones, including 12 in a bus for use on the cycle road race. Unfortunately, the mechanics of this latter operation are not elaborated on, but the concept of the mobile phone would appear to be not that new.
Events would also be broadcast on TV in colour, though the latter had only arrived in Scotland the previous December and was not yet that widespread.
Whilst today we take for granted many aspects involved in organising major sporting events, these newsletters reflect the remarkable nature of many of the preparations back then.
At an estimated £778 million it would certainly require many successful whilst drives to help assuage the costs of the 2022 games.
I wonder however if that same palpable sense of excitement at the ‘new’ evident from these newsletters can be duplicated in Birmingham.
So, you’ve finished your undergraduate degree, passed your exams and graduated. Phew!
We give you our warmest congratulations and hope you’re now enjoying a well-earned rest. But as your thoughts turn to the future, can we interest you in some further study? Have you considered doing a postgraduate degree?
As a post-graduate, your employability is greatly boosted. In fact, according to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, around 1 in 7 jobs now require a post-graduate degree. And following on from that is the fact that the job you get afterwards will probably be better paid. In 2018, the median postgraduate salary was £6,000 higher (£40,000) than the median graduate salary (£34,000).
Here at Edinburgh Napier, we have a wealth of help and resources to help you in your post-graduate research. See here for more details at Postgraduate Research (napier.ac.uk)
Edinburgh
As an Edinburgh Napier graduate, you’ll be eligible for 20% off your Masters fees. Our programmes are created in collaboration with industry and employers, and 96.2% of our post-graduate students are in work or education six months after graduation. We have a range of study options for our PGs – including online and distance learning programmes.
But what exactly is an emoji and where did they come from?
Emojis are popular icons that demonstrate how we feel, our emotions, moods and expressions. For example, a smiley face represents that we are happy 😊. They are used to communicate in texts on our phones 📱, emails 📧 on our laptops or tablets 💻, and even on professional channels like Microsoft Teams! Most of the emojis are animated to exaggerate the sender’s emotions.
It originally derives from the Japanese word, ‘kanji’ meaning picture. The great thing about emojis is that no words are needed to describe how you feel- it is all pictorial!
In 1999 Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita created the first 176 emoji while working for mobile internet service. You can see this work at the New York’s Museum of Modern Art
Exhibition of Emojis https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/emoji-shigetaka-kurita-standards-manual/index.html
In 2007 Google was the first to incorporate them into Gmail (email service). But it was not until 2010 that the emojis were released on both an iPhone and Android, and now each emoji has an unlimited resolution.
Emojis create a culture of inclusivity that helps some neurodiverse users to communicate more easily when online. They can use pictorial emojis as a communication method that helps their sensory processing. Emojis produce visibility and give users voices, through the power of pictorial expression, representation, and storytelling. Apple has even proposed new emojis that represent people with hearing aids and prosthetic limbs.
What the librarians are reading: Books we recommend! Part 2
Stumped for your next read? Curious what the book professionals are reading? Look no further! Here’s a peek into what the staff here at Edinburgh Napier University Library (ENULibrary) have been reading over the last year.
Check out recommended books from all genres and Interests (we are a diverse lot!) Some are available right here at the Library. For the books we don’t have, why not try your local library? Edinburgh City Libraries have a huge selection of books and we love supporting them.
The Book Reviews
Marian
“A tale for the time being” by Ruth Ozeki
“Intricately interwoven plots, fascinating settings in British Columbia and Japan, full of ideas, touching and thought-provoking, shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize.”
“Extremely loud & incredibly close” by Jonathan Safran Foer
“This deals with difficult themes but is full of humour and zaniness, and very well-written. ”
“If you could choose a superpower, what would it be? Invisibility? Immortality? You might want to reconsider your options after reading Vicious, a smart, witty take on the superpower/superhero genre. This is a grown-up page-turner with plot twists and snappy dialogue throughout, and it’s all shot through with deliciously macabre humour. V.E. Schwab is an American author who lives in Edinburgh. We’re lucky to have her.
You can borrow this one from us! Check out LibrarySearch
Cathryn
“The Fair Botanists” By Sara Sheridan
“Set in 1822 Enlightenment Edinburgh at the time of the impending visit by King George 1V to the city and the move of the Botanical Garden from Leith Walk to where it is now at Inverleith. Sir Walter Scott who was responsible for organising the King’s visit features as does the rare flowering of the Agave Americana in one of the Botanics glasshouses. The story follows the twists and turns of the lives of the 2 main female characters Elizabeth Rocheid who arrived in the city after the death of her husband and the enigmatic Belle Brodie. I enjoyed this book as it was based in Edinburgh and I recognised all the places it mentioned, the historical and botanical references were also really interesting .”
“On Starlit Seas” By Sara Sheridan
Historical novel set in Georgian times, based around the true character, recently widowed author Maria Graham. She’s been used to travelling around South America with her husband but now she must make to the journey back to England to visit her publisher. She books a place on a ship bound for Bristol captained by Captain James Henderson a roguish smuggler. For those who love chocolate, the story is woven around the consumption of chocolate and the Fry family of Bristol are characters in the novel!
International Women in Engineering Day is a campaign from the Women’s Engineering Society that began in 2014 to celebrate and highlight women in engineering around the world. Although women are still under-represented in their professions today, the campaign also encourages more women to work in the sector. You can find more information at https://www.inwed.org.uk/about/
Drawing
Over the years, women have made an important contribution to engineering particularly during the industrial revolution and to the war efforts by delivering many technical elements. Examples include munitions work and manufacturing respirators.
Here are some amazing women pioneers in engineering that have and are inspiring future generations of women to work in the engineering profession:
Victoria Drummond was the first British marine engineer and was awarded a war medal for her bravery at sea during World War Two. Drummond also worked on the Caledon Ship Works in Dundee. You can find a trail in Dundee on women that have contributed to engineering: https://www.dundeewomenstrail.org.uk/
Christina Koch is an engineer and NASA astronaut who contributed to scientific instruments on several space missions.
Did you know that today it is also estimated that only 25% of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) are women? This shows that girls are often stereotyped from an early age in the classroom, as boys are more likely to pursue these subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Computing. The sector needs to be more diverse, and Equate Scotland also works with women to be more inclusive: https://equatescotland.org.uk/
At Edinburgh Napier, 20% of our staff and students in the School of Engineering & the Built Environment are female. You can find more information about our engineering courses here:
BEX students in the Seven Hills complex for the ‘Student Stories’ series. 4th year Civil Engineering students who took part in international beX work experience during summer 2019. Louise Amy Rogers pictured.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word refugee originates from two Latin words: “fugere” meaning to flee and “refugium” – a place to flee back to. But specifically, the word refugee was first noted in 1685. It referred to the 50,000 Huguenots, French Protestants who fled religious intolerance in their home country.
There are no identifiable Huguenots today, but that’s the point about refugees – as local, national and global circumstances change, so do the movement of people and the labels we attach to them. Wherever there is war, famine, natural disasters or a clampdown on human rights, there will be refugees.
So, there have been refugees since there have been established human communities around the world, but it wasn’t until 1951 that there was an international standard on how to treat them. The Refugee Convention defined a refugee as someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted.
A refugee’s journey can be long, dangerous and highly publicised, but in fact, most refugees don’t travel far. Most stay in neighbouring countries until it’s safe enough for them to return home. Those who travel the furthest often feel the most alienated and are often least welcome in their host countries. With this in mind, Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival that celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Refugee Week 2022 this year
This year’s festival runs from 22th-26th June. Its theme is healing – a celebration of community, mutual care and the human ability to start again. It will promote a programme of arts, cultural, sports and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns.
Here at Edinburgh Napier University, we have an amazing project designing refugee housing by Lara Alshawawreh. Check it out here.
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“Vicious 
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“On Starlit Seas” 
