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A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

29/05/2023 / / 0 Comments

A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

Improve your search results with Boolean search operators.

Introduction to Boolean

First off, what the heck is Boolean you may be asking? Boolean search operators are simple terms like AND, OR and NOT or modifiers like quotation marks “”, parentheses () or an asterix*. You use these in conjunction with your search terms to help narrow down your search.

Most search engines, databases and of course library catalogues allow you to use these when looking for books or articles.

Top Tip 1: AND

This makes sure that your search results include all the words you need.

e.g. Zombies AND Aliens

It will remove any results that do not contain all these terms.

Top Tip 2: NOT

This is a great option for editing out results when searching.

e.g. Apocalypse AND Zombies NOT Aliens

Top Tip 3: Quotation marks “”

Quotation marks are one of my favourite search modifiers. Use them to make sure you have an exact match returned. This can be handy for a book or article title if you know exactly what you are looking for.

e.g. “Brave new world”

Top Tip 4: Asterix *

This little “star” is better known as a wildcard and is a pro tip for those who struggle with spelling or want to find results with a variation of the keyword.

e.g. If you use it with say the word Develop* it will return results including “development,” “developer,” and “developing.”

Top Tip 5: Parentheses ()

This is where you can start to get fancy! Use parentheses to group together keywords and control the order they will be searched for.

e.g. (Alien OR Zombie) AND Apocalypse

Now there is another Boolean operator OR (seen above helping out the zombie and alien search) which didn’t make the top 5 but is definitely top 6. Use OR to allow results using multiple keywords.

e.g. (Aliens OR Zombies OR Kittens) AND Apocalypse.

Combining Terms

The best thing about Boolean is it allows you to combine all these operators to make highly specific searches saving you time and effort trawling through pages of results.

e.g. (Aliens OR Zombies) AND Apocalypse AND “Tuesday Morning” Start*

LibrarySearch

Our LibrarySearch Library catalogue helps you to get started with this. Simply click on “Advanced Search” and you will see options to use Boolean operators.

Screenshot of Librarysearch Boolean search operators

So why not give them a go today!

By Juliet Kinsey

Read more study tips in our article on preparing for exams.

 

Stress Awareness Month promotional image

Stress Awareness Month

04/04/2023 / / 0 Comments

  Stress awareness month

April is stress awareness month, its aim is to remind us of the importance of taking time to pause and understand what the purpose of stress is, our triggers, how it affects us physically and mentally, and the impact it has in our day-to-day lives. 

It began in April 1992 in response to the rising crisis that stress has caused in our society. It is designed to open up conversations about stress in our lives and remove some of the stigmas around talking about stress.

This Year

The month also allows us to look at the methods that can be applied to help us deal with stress and become more resilient. Furthermore, it asks us to take a holistic approach to stress looking at not only our minds but the health of our bodies also.

The 30 Day Challenge

This year Stress.org.uk is challenging people to pick one action each for their Physical, Mental and Emotional Well-being to carry out every day. This is based on the idea that it takes 30 days to create a new habit. For instance, Why not try taking the stairs instead of the lift, eat one extra vegetable with Dinner or make a little time each day to meditate. Check out their website for more ideas.

University Resources

Look out for various activities and events that may be happening in your workplace or online. You can visit your staff Internet’s Health & Wellbeing page to see what services are available.

For students, visit your University’s Wellbeing page, and see what they offer. This may include signposting you to other organizations.

Additionally, Students at Edinburgh Napier University can access the Student Wellbeing, Support and Inclusion page using the following link: Wellbeing Support and Inclusion

Or perhaps you would like to look at the various resources our library offers, by visiting the Libguide’s Wellbeing Collection page.

Why not check out our Virtual Relaxation Space for a wide range of activities to relax with.

 

Above all, The most important thing to take away is, you are not alone and there is help available.

Information related to stress can also be found on the NHS website and there is support available from many sources through the University Webpages.

 

Sharing ideas:

What do you do to relieve stress, let us know in the comments? 

 

How to reduce stress:

Meditation

Breathing Exercises

Go for walks in nature

Spend time with loved ones

Exercise

Playing games

 

By Mo Almas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Quick Guide to Finding a Book with LibrarySearch

18/04/2022 / / 3 Comments

Finding a book with LibrarySearch


Are deadlines coming up? Assignments due? And Google just won’t do. Our quick guide to finding a book with LibrarySearch that will save the day!

There are books, journals, peer-reviewed articles and much more. We have over 225 databases, 33 000 journals, 100 000 books and well over 300 000 e-books all available at your fingertips at LibrarySearch. We can’t sing the praises of LibrarySearch enough!!

That’s all great and everything but the question now is how does it work?

Simply go to librarysearch.napier.ac.uk, access it through our web pages or click the shortcut here.

Don’t forget to sign in the right-hand corner to give you full access.

librarysearch screenshot

In the search bar, type the book title. If you don’t have any books in mind, you can type the keywords for your subject area and let LibrarySearch do its magic. There are filters on the side to narrow down your search for example if you only want books and books for a certain decade and books from a certain campus.

Librarysearch screen shot

Once you’ve spotted a book that looks useful click on the link. You will be able to see if it’s available online or in one of our Campus Libraries. If it’s available online just click on the links to take you right on through to your book. If the book is on one of our shelves note down the Dewey Decimal number. It will tell you where your book is positioned. Afterwards, If you get stuck check out our guide or ask one of our lovely Librarians who will be happy to help!

All there to make life easier. Like we said LibrarySearch is there to save the day

By Maya Green

 

Discovered your book on LibrarySearch, but need help spotting it on the shelf? Try our Guide to the Dewey Decimal System here!

Still stuck finding something useful then why not check out our LibGuides

SCONUL Access Logo

SCONUL Access Scheme. Accessing University and Higher Education Libraries

28/02/2022 / / 0 Comments

SCONUL Access Logo

The SCONUL Access Scheme: Accessing University and Higher Education Libraries

Overview of the Scheme

SCONUL (Society of Colleges, National and University Libraries) is a reciprocal scheme that allows staff and students of Edinburgh Napier University to access other participating higher education libraries within the UK and Republic of Ireland.

There are currently 182 SCONUL members(libraries) providing access to study space, borrowing or for reference only.  Access to computers and online resources is generally not permitted.  You will be able to login to the Eduroam network using your Edinburgh Napier University username and password.

 

Who can use this Scheme?

Eligible staff and students of Edinburgh Napier University can register for SCONUL Access.  You must be in good standing with the university and have no outstanding library fees/fines or overdue items on their library account.

Students must be fully matriculated and possess a current matriculation card.  Staff should possess a current staff card.

We ask that you always check the website of the library you wish to visit or call them directly for further information about the services available to you.  Some libraries may have added requirements you need to be aware of before visiting them.

How many libraries can I join?

You need only apply for SCONUL Access once.  After joining you will receive a confirmation email that will allow you to visit any of the participating libraries.

Please note that some libraries are not currently participating in the access scheme.

A full list of participating libraries and further information on how to join this scheme can be found on the SCONUL website  www.sconul.ac.uk

If you have any further questions about SCONUL Access please contact: SCONULEnquiries@napier.ac.uk

 

Learn more about what your Library has to offer here

A gentle reminder that access granted under the access scheme is a privilege and not a right.  Thank You.

 

By Carol Wilkie

 

Meet your Health and Social Care Librarian: Maria King

11/10/2021 / / 1 Comment

Introducing the Subject Librarian for the School of Health and Social Care, Maria King

Photo_of_Maria_King

I joined Edinburgh Napier in May and have worked in similar roles previously supporting health students at both Coventry University and The University of Salford and I’m looking forward to the move up to Edinburgh. I particularly enjoy the teaching and information literacy support aspects of the role.

I have an interest in punk pedagogy, a critical approach to teaching and learning which focuses on questioning and challenging dominant discourses. This influences my practice by increasing my reflection and improvement of my own practice, increasing flexibility of opportunities for engagement in learning, encouraging criticality and ownership of learning in students, and challenging practices of librarianship that dimmish under-represented voices and groups.

My other main area of interest and expertise is in inclusive teaching practices, specifically in relation to supporting neurodivergent students. I have previously delivered training support to other teaching staff to help them improve their own practices for supporting neurodivergent students. I am neurodivergent myself so bring lived experience to this area.

In my personal life, I enjoy discovering new restaurants, craft beer, quiz shows and pub quizzes, and reading – particularly crime! I am looking forward to exploring more of Scotland and increasing my step count!

Find out more information on the resources available in this subject area, and Maria’s contact details here.

You can access the Health and Social Care Libguides on the Library website. This Libguide will direct you to the most useful search tools for finding research-based literature/evidence, academic sources, grey literature, and reliable health statistics, and show you how to get the best out of these tools for your studies and professional practice.

Welcome to the Library: Introduction Sessions

16/08/2021 / / 1 Comment

Welcome to the Online Library

welcome sign outside library

This session will give you a quick introduction to using Edinburgh Napier University Library resources online.

We’ll demonstrate how to:

  • Find ebooks using LibrarySearch.
  • Find ejournal articles using LibrarySearch, and where to find specialist academic databases
  • Download the correct citation and permalink for items so that you can reference them in your University work.
  • Use LibrarySearch to organise your reading and search faster.

Welcome to the Library: Introduction Sessions

16/08/2021 / / 4 Comments

Welcome to the Physical Library

This session introduces the Campus Libraries and signposts to further support.

person holding booksWe’ll demonstrate how to:

  • Use the App to book study spaces, check your library account, add print credit and more.
  • Use the machines in libraries, like our printer/scanners, self-service checkouts and laptop loan safes.
  • Find a book on the shelf using the shelfmark number.

Contact Us

Email: library@napier.ac.uk

Telephone: 0131 455 3500

Twitter: @EdNapLib

Instagram: @ENU_Library​

 

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