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Edinburgh Napier University

Tag: Student Guide

Fun banner image repeating the title of the blog post Finding your book with Dewey Decimal Shelf Marks

Finding your book with Dewey Decimal Shelf Marks

07/10/2024 / / 0 Comments

Finding your book with Dewey Decimal Shelf Marks

HELP! How do I find my book?

Finding your book with Dewey Decimal Shelf Marks may seem confusing at first but really it is very straightforward. First off, make sure you have checked your book is available by looking it up on our Library Catalogue: LibrarySearch

For help using LibrarySearch read our quick guide here: Quick Guide to LibrarySearch

Not only will you find the shelfmark that will help you locate your book, but it will also show you if copies are available.

Screenshot for a book on Librarysearch

What’s it all mean?

Green means go! So if you see the words “available at” like in the above picture. You know you should be able to find the book on the shelf.

Here you can see that there is an available copy of this book. The word “available” is green (for yes we have it) and it is located at Merchiston Library shelfmark: 891.7342 BUL

Hurray! But now what?

Now you can go find your book!

The shelfmark is your book’s location so you will need to find it (kinda like a very simple treasure hunt!)

Start by matching the first part of the number: 891

891.7342

Once you have located the 891’s it’s time to delve deeper. Now you need to match the digits after the 891.

891.7342

That’s the 7342 after the decimal point. These numbers help narrow down the subject.

Once you have all the numbers matched you look at the Letters, in this case, BUL.

891.7342 BUL

The letters usually refer to the author or editor, not the title.

The author of this book is Bulgakov, so BUL are the letters to match.

These go in alphabetical order so work your way along till you find your book.

Quick synopsis:

  1. Match the first 3 digits
  2. Match the digits after the decimal point
  3. Match the letters

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It’s as simple as that…ok maybe not that simple!

If you have any problems a member of the Library staff will be happy to help! Also you can read more on the History of the Dewey Decimal system here on the blog in the article The Dewey Decimal Classification System

Image for blog post The 12 Days of Festive Library Resources

The 12 Days of Festive Library Resources: Part One

11/12/2023 / / 0 Comments

The 12 Days of Festive Library Resources

Part one

To celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of the Festive holiday break we thought we’d share some of our best resources.

Below is a list of some of our best:

Day One: Librarysearch

We have to start with our trusty Library Catalogue, LibrarySearch. Found at Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk.

This is a great place to start. Remember to sign in first before you start your search.

You will find information on everything the library has available and information on how to access it. Read our guide on how to get started with LibrarySearch.

Day Two: Box of Broadcasts

On the second day of Christmas, my library gave me

BoB (Box of Broadcasts) is an innovative shared online off-air TV and radio recording service for UK higher and further education institutions. It contains over a million items including an archive of all BBC TV and radio content dating from 2007.
BoB enables all staff and students in subscribing institutions to choose and record any scheduled broadcast programme from 60+ TV and radio channels. You can also edit programs into clips, create playlists, embed clips into Moodle, share items via social media and generate reference citations.

Please note that our BoB licence is for educational purposes only, and only for use within the UK.

Box of Broadcasts is a truly fantastic database.

Visit learning on screen and use your university login to start watching.

Day Three: LibKey Nomad

This amazing tool will help you get full-text access to books and articles! You can add it as a browser extension or go to their website. It’s so good it even works on Amazon! It will tell you all the possible sources for the literature you are looking for and where to get them. Check out our Libkey guide here and watch the video below.

Day 4: Wellness

Here in the Library, we believe that looking after your physical and emotional health is just as important as your studies. So we created the Wellbeing Collection. University life can be challenging, even at the best of times. We’ve gathered together these resources in the hope that they help you feel happy, healthy and comfortable at Edinburgh Napier. Our collection covers a range of topics and includes guided self-help approaches to supporting mental health, personal development and achievement. You’ll find stories of resilience and recovery, discussions of family matters, and practical tools to help with the everyday realities of University life, such as finance and exam stress. If you have any suggestions, you can email library@napier.ac.uk

Day 5: DigiMap

Digimap is an online map and data delivery service. Digimap offers a number of data collections, including Ordnance Survey, historical, geological, LiDAR and marine maps and spatial data. You can create or interrogate a map online by selecting an appropriate base map, adding annotations and customising the content, use measurement and query tools to learn more about any study area. Download the raw spatial data in a wide range of formats for use in local GIS, CAD or image processing software.

Read more about Digimap in our blog post “Introducing DigiMap”

Check out their DigiMap help guides on YouTube

Day 6: Databases

We provide 190 databases covering every imaginable subject, from engineering to art. We have you covered. You can find them all on LibrarySearch . If you need a bit of help on how to navigate, we have subject-specific Libguides to help you get a more tailored research experience.

Check in with the Blog next week for Part Two!

By Juliet Kinsey and Maya Green

Image of students studying for Blog post for Welcome to the library

Welcome to the library

01/09/2023 / / 0 Comments

Welcome to the library

We would like to welcome all our new students to the library and, of course, the library blog. This is a place to keep you informed about the library, such as changes to opening hours, equipment for loan and our library spaces.  Furthermore, we will also post lots of fun items too (check out our Lego and Barbie posts), informative posts (Out and about in Scotland and International Moon Day) and posts raising awareness (World Ocean Day and Stress Awareness Month).

Opening hours

Opening hours are listed on our webpage. Hours will change during trimester 3 and at holiday periods.

Library Search

Library Search is our catalogue which lets you search for books and articles and gives you access to thousands of ebooks and articles.

Book loans

Books can be borrowed from the self-service kiosks using your student card. Loans are for up to 4 months, provided the book is not requested by another user. You will receive a borrowing activity letter each week which will let you know whether your loans have been renewed or if they should be returned.

Click and Collect Service

You can make requests for books using our Click and Collect service. You can request books from any campus library and you can collect them from whichever campus suits you best.

Study spaces

All campus libraries have group study rooms bookable through Resource Booker. Additionally, We also have individual study spaces and collaborative desks which are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Laptops

All campus libraries have laptops for loan from our Lapsafes. Loans are for 2 weeks and the safes are self-service, operated using your student card.

Special events

Not only do we help you with all your studying needs, but in addition, we also run events throughout the year so keep a look out for posters and social media posts to see if booking is required. Previous events include an Easter Egg Hunt and Therapets visits.

Library tours

Want to learn about all things Library and get a head start on your studies? You can book a library tour to get all the information you need for your studies!

Get Connected

IT is offering Get Connected sessions at the beginning of term to help with connecting to university Wi-Fi, using the Napier app, multi-factor authentication and any other IT issues you may have. These are drop-in sessions at the times and places listed in the link.

Printing

Printers are available in all campus libraries-make sure that you have enough print credit to complete your job.

Relaxation Spaces

If you need to take some time out from your studies head to our Relaxation Spaces – there’s one on each campus. We have books, games, colouring sheets and suggestions to help you de-stress.

By Vivienne Hamilton

banner image for A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

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.

 

View of Edinburgh Places to Visit in Lesser Known Edinburgh

Places to Visit in Lesser Known Edinburgh

17/10/2022 / / 0 Comments

Places to Visit in Lesser Known Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyrood and Greyfriar’s Bobby statue are some of the most popular attractions for visitors to Edinburgh.  However, there are lots of other attractions which are less well-known but just as interesting and pleasant to visit. Here are a few of them:

Museum of Childhood

This can be found on the Royal Mile but is often overlooked by guidebooks. A treasure trove of old children’s toys, games, clothes and playthings.

The People’s Story

Housed in the Canongate Tolbooth at the bottom of the Royal Mile it houses collections which tell the stories of the working-class people of Edinburgh from the late 18th century to the present day using oral history, reminiscence and written sources.

The Pentland Hills Regional Park

Just south of Edinburgh these hills are the highest points around the city and are often covered in snow in the winter. There are many walks over the hills with an abundance of wildlife. There is also a dry ski slope should you want to try out a new pastime. Easily accessible on public transport.

Dean Village

Situated five minutes away from Princes Street, visitors can find the Dean Village, a beautiful oasis right by the Water of Leith. In the past the village housed mills of various kinds, and the remnants of the industry can still be seen today. Look out for mill stones and carved stone plaques with baked bread and pies. Follow the walkway along the Water of Leith and you will come to the impressive Dean Bridge designed by Thomas Telford, and the classical temple of St Bernard’s Well.

Places to visit in Edinburgh Dean Village

Surgeon’s Hall Museums

Just a short walk from the Royal Mile, the Surgeon’s Hall Museums are a unique collection. Full of surgical tools, fascinating paintings and more than a few body parts in jars. Learn about the evolution of surgery throughout the ages and find how great Scottish minds brought us some of the medical breakthroughs we take for granted today. The present Surgeon’s Hall was designed by William Henry Playfair and completed in 1832. It is a category A listed building.

Gardens – Dr. Neil’s Garden

This is located beside Duddingston Kirk on the lower slopes of Arthur’s Seat. Created from a wilderness by Drs Nancy and Andrew Neil. Two features of particular interest are the physic garden, which grows medicinal plants, and Thomson’s Tower. It was constructed in 1825 and was originally built for the Duddingston Curling Society. This was back when frozen lochs were the grounds for curling and other winter sports.

Kyoto Friendship Garden

This Japanese garden can be found in the grounds of Lauriston Castle in the Edinburgh suburb of Cramond. With bamboo shelters to picnic in, breath-taking views over Cramond Island to the Firth of Forth, avenues of blossom trees and calming water features. It’s no surprise that it is rated one of the top three Japanese gardens in Britain. The garden was created to celebrate the twinning of the towns of Edinburgh and the prefecture of Kyoto in Japan. It was opened in 2002. Its official name is ‘Castle Garden to Water and Beyond’. Continue reading

Contact Us

Email: library@napier.ac.uk

Telephone: 0131 455 3500

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