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Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with you! Star Wars Day

May the fourth is commonly known around the world by Star Wars fans as Star Wars Day. This is because May the 4th sounds a bit like “May the fourth”. Part of a very famous quote from the film “May the force be with you”.

The History of Star Wars

The Star Wars film franchise is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest in the world. Created by the founder, former chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, George Lucas. The first film came out way back in 1977. It was widely expected to be a flop and in fact, Lucas made a bet with Steven Spielberg that ended up costing him £40 Million! He traded a percentage of the takings that turned out to be the best bet Spielberg ever made. Here’s Spielberg talking about it

“[He  said] All right, I’ll tell you what. I’ll trade some points with you. You want to trade some points? I’ll give you 2.5% of Star Wars if you give me 2.5% of Close Encounters.’ So I said, ‘Sure, I’ll gamble with that. Great.’”

The film and its franchise have gone on to become one of the most beloved cult classics of our time. It still continues to grow and expand. The biggest spin-off so far is The Mandalorian and its scene-stealing star”Baby Yoda” aka Grougru.

Fun fact, did you know The Last Jedi was called “Space Bears” during its filming?

Why not have a quick Google search will have you lost for hours in all the amazing facts associated with this movieverse.

Star Wars Day

Events are held all over the world every year to celebrate this beloved Universe. From large get-togethers to home-based movie marathons. Why not host your own celebration this year? Get on some costumes and maybe try out some Star Wars recipes.

Library Resources

Want to watch the films right now? We can help! If you are an Edinburgh Napier University student or staff member then log into Box of Broadcasts (BoB) and you will be able to watch many of the films for free.

Also, check out librarysearch.napier.ac.uk for loads of fascinating items relating to Star Wars! We have a wealth of books, scores and articles.

All that’s left to say is “May the Force/fourth be with you!”

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/star-wars-movie-log-support-r2d2-2172948/

Read more form our blog on Geeky fun with our post on the History of Lego

🏳️‍🌈LGBT+ History Month 🏳️‍🌈

Celebrating LGBT+ History Month

February is the month we celebrate LGBT+ History here in the UK. It is a month-long celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and non-binary history, including the history of LGBT+ rights and related civil rights movements. In the United Kingdom, we celebrate it in February to coincide with the 2003 abolition of Section 28.

What we are doing

Here at the Library, we think it is incredibly important to support and promote equality and diversity. Furthermore, we are working hard to create more inclusive collections and to support our LGBT+ users and staff. For example, we are currently creating a permanent LGBT+ virtual bookshelf here on our blog, and we are training our staff to be inclusive in their actions and the language they use.

Resources

If you are an LGBT+ student you can join Edinburgh Napier’s LGBT+ Society.   You can also find out more about the student LGBT+ community on the Queer Napier site. Staff can join the University’s thriving LGBT+ Network or you can visit our web pages to learn more about becoming an ally.

In addition, The Library has a wealth of books and articles on the subject. From the history of LGBT+ rights to current Legal information to keep you informed. Use LibrarySearch to find what you are looking for, or contact us for help with any of your research needs. 

Here are some items available through the Library to get you started: 

Same-sex, different politics: success and failure in the struggles over gay rights

Lgbt Activism and the Making of Europe A Rainbow Europe  

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (LGBT) and the criminal justice system

Equality

Pride Parades and LGBT Movements: Political Participation in an International Comparative Perspective

Similarly, want to know more about Pride Month?  Check out our article here.

Photo source: Photo by Jas Min on Unsplash

Beginners Guide to Hosting Your Own Burns Night

Beginners Guide to Hosting Your Own Burns Night

Hosting a Burns Night Supper is a wonderful way to celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet. Burns Night is typically held on or around January 25th, the poet’s birthday. Here’s a beginner’s guide to hosting your very own Burns Night Supper:

The Gathering

Gather friends and family together at your chosen venue, whether it’s your home or a communal space. Decorate with Scottish flags, tartan tablecloths, and candles to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Encourage guests to wear something Scottish whether that be traditional kilts, tartan scarves, or sashes. Less formal options could be a Scottish sports shirt or your ENU hoodie!

Menu

The centrepiece of the meal is the traditional haggis. Not a meat eater? Many stores now have vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Haggis is traditionally served with neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes). BBC Food provides a guide to Burns Night Food. Serve Scottish whisky for toasts (non-alcoholic whisky is now available too, or you could opt for Irn-Bru!)

The Procession and Address to the Haggis

This is a key part of the evening. Traditionally, a piper plays during the procession of the haggis to add to the ceremonial atmosphere. Not everyone knows a bagpipe player, so you can also find some music on YouTube, Spotify, or Tidal. The host or a chosen guest then recites or reads Burns’ famous poem, “Address to a Haggis,” before cutting into the haggis and serving.

Toasts

Begin with a welcoming toast to the guests, followed by a toast to the immortal memory of Robert Burns. Other traditional toasts include the Lassies (a toast to women) and the Reply to the Lassies.

Scan of old book of Robert Burn's poetry

From The Edward Clark Collection at Edinburgh Napier University

Poetry and Songs

Incorporate readings of Burns’ poetry throughout the evening. “Tam o’ Shanter” and “A Red, Red Rose” are popular choices. Have someone lead the group in singing Burns’ songs like “Auld Lang Syne.” You can find a list of his works available on Library Search.

Entertainment

Consider playing music, particularly Scottish folk music (Spotify and YouTube have several pre-made playlists) or organise a quiz or trivia game related to Scottish culture or Robert Burns.

 Thank You and Farewell

End the evening with a thank you to your guests and a farewell toast. Express your appreciation for their company and participation in the celebration. Remember, the key to a successful Burns Night Supper is to create a warm and festive atmosphere that honours the spirit of Robert Burns and Scottish culture. Enjoy the evening!

By IanSudlow-McKay

 

Read about Robert Burns in our article on his life “Burns Night’

Introducing Digimap

Introducing Digimap

Digimap is an online mapping and data delivery service available to UK academic subscribers. The Digimap platform provides access to online maps and spatial data from the Ordnance Survey, as well as the British Geological Survey, OpenStreetMap, and other sources.

At Edinburgh Napier University, we subscribe to OS Maps in various scales, as well as selected collections which focus on specific map types. Our collections are Environment, Historic, and Society.

Figure 1 [EDINA Digimap Society Collection. https://digimap.edina.ac.uk/society]

Environment

The Environment collection includes coverage of Land Cover data. It classifies sea and inland waters, urban areas, farmland, and more. It is particularly useful for students and researchers interested in conservation, environmental studies, and urban planning.

Historic

The Historic collection includes OS maps and County Series maps going back to 1846. Explore how urban and rural spaces have changed over the centuries and discover the history of town planning in the UK.

Society

The Society collection is an important resource for anyone interested in studying contemporary society in the UK. The maps include data from the 2011 Census. The data is available in over 40 map layers and provides an innovative way of visualising demographic information.

How to use

Digimap is a great tool to experiment with analysing information and creating new projects. Why not have a go at viewing habitat information, downloading data for 3D designing using GIS, or comparing urban development across historical maps.

  • Use the ‘Roam’ feature to view, customise, and download maps.
  • Download map data to use with software such as GIS or CAD.
  • Import your own research data to add to maps.

For more guidance, take a look at the tutorial videos on the Digimap YouTube channel.

How to access

Digimap and selected collections are free to use through the University subscription.

To access Digimap, log in with your ENU username and password. You will need to register your details with Digimap and accept the license agreements for each collection. You will then be prompted to verify your email.

By Catriona Robertson

Why not check out our post on the AM Explorer Database

Library Relaxation Spaces

Library Relaxation Spaces

Physical relaxation Spaces

We know University life is devoted to study and learning, but we also want you to feel relaxed and comfortable every time you enter our libraries.  It’s essential to take time out, de-stress, and give yourself a break from your studies. Looking after your mental and physical well-being is crucial to your success at university.

With that in mind, we hope you’ll feel welcome in our relaxation spaces. These are small colourful areas we’ve designed for you to sit back, and enjoy the benefits of natural light and soft seating.

Each of our three campus libraries has its own dedicated space, ask the helpdesk for directions. In these spaces, we’ve provided puzzles, jigsaws, craft materials and colouring books and pens to help you feel relaxed and explore your creativity,  But maybe you just want to sit and do nothing for a while. That’s fine too – pull up a beanbag, talk to the plants, or just sit, put the notes down and let your mind wander. You’ll feel all the better for a break and ready to tackle your next assignment.

For more information on our relaxation spaces, please see here: Relaxation Spaces (napier.ac.uk)

Online Relaxation Space

Not only do we have physical spaces, but we also have an online relaxation space! Right here on the blog, we have an area dedicated to helping you take time out to relax from studying. Check out our online relaxation space at the top of this page. There is something for everyone, with links to breathing exercises, art therapy and relaxing music. To name just a few.

By Lesley McRobb

A Quick Guide to Using Boolean: Top 5 Tricks

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.

 

Pi Anyone? International Pi Day

Pi Anyone? International Pi Day

The 14th of March is International Day of Mathematics and International Pi Day.

What is International Mathematics Day?

On the 26th of November 2019 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation) decided March the 14th should be declared the International Day of Mathematics.

The main purpose of the day was to celebrate and highlight the importance of Mathematics. Making people aware mathematics is everywhere and used in everyday life, as well as in specialist industries.

Prior to the birth of International Mathematics Day, the 14th of March was International Pi Day. Continue reading

Charles Darwin Day

Charles Darwin Day

What an adventure! Virgin jungles, unclimbed mountains, teeming oceans, tropical rainforests, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes – Charles Darwin saw it all on his five-year voyage around South America. And all the time the young gentleman naturalist was exploring the pristine wildernesses and the unexplored islands, he was taking assiduous notes, writing up his observations more than 20 years later.

Nothing escaped his notice: the flatworms, spiders, and parasitic ichneumon wasps fascinated him every bit as much as the giant tortoises and the massive bones of extinct beasts that he strapped to his horse and hauled back to his study.

He explored, observed and thought about it all. The primaeval world in all its glory and grotesqueness was laid out before him. By the end of his trip, he’d written a 770-page diary, 1,750 pages of notes, and collected nearly 5,500 skins, bones and carcasses. But it wasn’t only the natural world that impressed itself upon Darwin’s consciousness. He saw naked poverty and the horrors of slavery and genocide up close and personal. He realised, once and for all, that nature – including every manifestation of human behaviour – was not the result of a benign creator but rather a long journey through adaptation and evolution.

Natural Selection

No wonder he blew apart the received wisdom on the origins of creation when he published his “On the origin of species by means of natural selection” in 1859. It sold out immediately and rocked the scientific and religious communities to their very foundations. Those reverberations are still being felt today.  

Something that is perhaps unknown is that Darwin had a strong connection to Edinburgh. It was while studying medicine at Edinburgh University that Darwin learned how to classify plants, stuff birds and identify rock strata and colonial floral and fauna.

It’s Darwin’s birthday today. He was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire on 12th February 1809.  Why not celebrate by reading all about him and his works. (I’ll be honest – I’m starting with “Darwin for beginners”.)

By Lesley McRob

Sources and further reading 

Photo by Misael Moreno

Further reading available on LibrarySearch

Read our blog post on another Victorian trailblazer names Charles: Charles Dickens 

Charles Dickens’ Birthday

Charles Dickens’ Birthday

Happy birthday, Charles John Huffam Dickens – born this day 211 years ago and still going strong!

Not many authors get their names turned into adjectives, but our Charles did. If I were to describe circumstances as “Dickensian”, you’d know exactly what I mean. It’s thanks to this forensic analysis of the seedier aspects of London life that he’s generally considered to be the greatest Victorian novelist.

Childhood

He didn’t have the best start in life, young Charles. His father had a decent job but was so financially reckless that he ended up in debtors’ prison, and his 12-year-old son was withdrawn from school and sent to work in a factory. It was all grist to the mill, though, for Dickens. This harsh start provided a rich source of material for him to draw on when he wrote his sprawling, serialized novels and created his many memorable characters – so much larger than life that they live on in our cultural imaginations more than two centuries on.

Characters

Who has not known an Ebenezer Scrooge? (I’ve known a few). How many of us have skelped an artful dodger around the lugs? (I’m not admitting to that one.) Who has not cheered on Philip (Pip) Pirrip as he rises up to become a gentleman and then remonstrated with him when he treats brother-in-law Joe so abominably? Who has not cried with Bob Cratchit as he strives to keep his young son alive?

You’ll have your favourite characters. Some are sweet and innocent, some are cruel and heartless; still, others are preposterous buffoons. My favourite is Betsey Trotwood, David Copperfield’s eccentric aunt. She’s stern and stubborn, to begin with but comes good in the end. If you’re looking for character transformation, look no further than BT.

Charles Dickens on LibrarySearch

We’ve got all Dickens’ books. If you haven’t read any, why not start today.  Log into the library catalogue LibrarySearch to see which are available:

In order of publication:

Pickwick Papers (1836-37)

A Christmas Carol (1843)

Oliver Twist (1837-9)

Nicholas Nickelby (1838-9)

The Old Curiosity Shop (1940-1)

Barnaby Rudge (1841)

Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-4)

Dombey and Son (1846-8)

David Copperfield (1849-50)

Bleak House (1852-3)

Hard Times (1854)

Little Dorritt (1855-7)

A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

Great Expectations (1860-1)

Our Mutual Friend (1864-5)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (incomplete when Dickens died in 1870)

By Lesley McRobb

Read more on another Literary Master, Jane Austin in our post on her here.

Sources

photo by Taha (Unsplash)

Scottish Traditions: Burn’s Night

Scottish Traditions: Burn’s Night

Burns Night is a traditional celebration of Scotland’s national bard, or poet, Robert Burns. It is held on 25th January, Burns’s birthday, when Burns suppers are held. They consist of a meal, poetry recitals and songs. The first supper was held at Burns Cottage by his friends on 21st July 1801, the fifth anniversary of his death.

If you think that you don’t know any of Burns’s work, ask yourself if you have ever sung Auld Lang Syne on Hogmanay/New Year’s Eve or used the lines “My love is like a red, red rose” on a Valentine card. If you have then you are familiar with some of his best-known work. Burns wrote his first poem aged 15 and in his short life wrote a vast number of songs and poems that can be accessed here. He wrote in a light Scots dialect which was easier for those outside Scotland to understand and often wrote about very humble subjects, for example, his poem “To a Mouse” is inspired by the field mice Burns saw while ploughing on his farm.

The Life of Robert Burns

Burns was born on 25th January 1759 in Alloway south of Ayr, the son of poor tenant farmers. He received little regular schooling, but his father taught him to read and write along with arithmetic, history and geography. He was also taught Latin, French and maths by John Murdoch.

For much of his life Burns, like his father, was a tenant farmer, all the while writing poetry and songs. But he struggled to make a living from farming and when he was offered a position on a plantation in Jamaica, he decided to emigrate. He could not afford the passage and a friend suggested he try to publish some of his work to raise the funds. In 1786 Poems in the Scottish Dialect was published and became an immediate success. Later that year Burns left for Edinburgh to publish a second edition which again was successful and earned him a substantial sum of money. He was well received in Edinburgh, often a guest of aristocracy, and made many friends, some becoming sponsors.

In 1787 Burns returned to southwest Scotland taking a lease on a farm in Dumfriesshire, but he also trained as an exciseman in case the farm was unsuccessful. He gave up farming in 1791 and moved to Dumfries where he made contributions to several volumes of songs, sometimes adding his own lyrics to traditional folk melodies and composing his own melodies from fragments of tunes. He continued to write poetry too, some advocating reform such as “The Slaves Lament”.

He continued to work as an exciseman, often making long journeys on horseback in all weathers and this may have contributed to his ill-health at a rather young age for the time. On 21st July 1796 Burns died aged just 37.  His body lies in the Burns Mausoleum is St. Michael’s Kirkyard, Dumfries along with that of his wife at the time, Jean Armour.

Burns is renowned for having had many romantic relationships which resulted in several children being born, although not all survived infancy. Today over 900 people worldwide claim to be descendants of Burns.

Host your own Burns Night

Due to covid-19 restrictions, many Burn’s suppers will be cancelled this year, but you could host your own with your household.

Need some inspiration to host your own Burns Supper? Why not try out some Burns Night recipes here. Penguin books have a guide on how to run your night and for inspiration, you can listen to or read some of Burns’s work through our Library.

By Vivienne Hamilton

Learn about other World traditions on our blog by reading:

New Year Traditions from Around the World

Spanish Christmas Traditions

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