Useful resources for EFI course organisers
Are you a course organiser looking for library resources for your new Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) course?
You might find these resources useful!
For links to our library databases, including image databases, primary sources, and newspaper archives etc: https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/finding-resources/library-databases/databases-subject-a-z
Take a look at our library subject guides, including one on Digital Scholarship:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/finding-resources/subject-guides
You will also find some great treasures in the collections of the Centre for Research Collections:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/crc/collections
See also https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/crc/research-resources
This link goes to the “collections as data” projects of the CRC:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/crc/digital-scholarship-centre
You might also be interested in DataShare: Edinburgh DataShare is a digital repository of research data produced at the University of Edinburgh: https://datashare.ed.ac.uk/
The University provides links to external sources of datasets here:
Alternatively, this Open University resource lists 81 freely open and available data sets: https://www.open.ac.uk/library/library-resources/datasets
Libraries moving out of lockdown: April 2021
As part of the Scottish government’s planned route map out of lockdown, it is expected that Edinburgh will move to restriction level 3 on Monday 26th April. From this date, we expect to be able to reopen ECA Library at Evolution House, West Port, and the Art & Architecture Library at Minto House, Chambers Street.
Access to the A&A Library will be via the Maltings Door off Chambers Street, not the Main Door. Please have your University card and PIN for door access ( Forgotten PIN | The University of Edinburgh ).
All the UoE Libraries will be open from 26th (apart from the School of Scottish Studies Archive & Library). Print collections will be accessible again for browsing and borrowing.
In addition, from 26th April the Main Library at George Square will open at 8.00am with access to pre-booked study spaces 8.00am – 23.59pm daily.
In response to students’ requests about increased access to study spaces during the exam period, more spaces have been made available:
- 142 study spaces now open at Murchison House, Kings Buildings
- 57 study spaces now open at Fire Station, ECA
When using the library study spaces you must pre-book using SeatED, you must wear a face covering at all times inside the library or study space, and you must adhere to the 2 metre physical distancing rule.
You can see more details about this on the library services updates webpage here.
You can find more information about availability of bookable on-campus study spaces here.
The University Centre for Research Collections at the Main Library, George Square, will be re-opened on 26 April for pre-booked appointments.
Please remember that before you return to campus you should have done the Return to Campus training modules in the ECA Handbook, which cover the key elements of fire safety, and the actions to take.
All of the changes we make are the result of following Scottish Government guidance, so please bear with us as circumstances can change at short notice.
You might also be pleased to hear that the National Library of Scotland is planning to reopen its reading room doors on 27 April.
The National Galleries of Scotland will be staggering their openings from 26 April to 16 May.
The National Museum of Scotland will reopen on 26 April.
Digital Skills Festival this May
The ISG Digital Skills & Training team will be hosting an online Digital Skills Festival from 24 to 28 May 2021. The week will be divided into 5 themes:
- Monday – Information, Data and Media Literacies
- Tuesday – Digital Creation, Problem Solving and Innovation
- Wednesday – Digital Communication, Collaboration and Participation
- Thursday – Digital Learning, Teaching and Development
- Friday – Digital Identity and Wellbeing
Free to attend for University of Edinburgh staff and students, the festival will include a number of interactive events, presentations, workshops and courses delivered by speakers from within and outside the University. To see more and to book onto sessions, go to their website
Web: https://www.ed.ac.uk/is/skills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uoedigiskills
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uoedigiskills
Media Hopper: http://edin.ac/1UGe2zO
Click & Collect service extended to ECA library collection
UPDATE: THE CLICK AND COLLECT SERVICE ENDED ON 26TH APRIL WHEN ALL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES REOPENED.
We are pleased to be able to let all ECA students and staff know that the Click & Collect service has now been expanded to include the ECA Library collection. This addition to what can be requested for pick-up at the Main Library will go live from Monday 22 March 2021.
You will be able to request print items from the ECA Library (Evolution House) collection, using DiscoverEd, for pre-booked collection at the Main Library, George Square.
You need to be logged into DiscoverEd to see the “Request using Click & Collect” link for each item.
It is hoped that Click & Collect might be extended to other site libraries later in the Semester, (including the collection at the Art & Architecture Library at Minto House, Chambers Street), but this will be dependent on staff capacity and availability.
Remember that the University Library provides access to a wide range of online resources, available through DiscoverEd:
- 1.4 million ebooks
- 185,000 ejournals
- 700 licensed databases
- 84,000 streaming videos
- 160,000 Open Access resources
Click & Collect service goes live!
The Click & Collect service is now available to all University staff and students. A maximum of 3 items can be requested at any one time.
Full details of how to request and collect items are provided on the Click & Collect web page.
You must request the item(s) you want through DiscoverEd, and you must pre-book a time to collect the item(s).
Dissertation Festival March 2021
Dissertation Festival : Mon 8 March – Fri 19 March 2021
- Do you want to find out more about the library resources available to support your dissertation question?
- Are you interested in learning how to manage the bibliographic and research data you’ve found?
Join us in a fortnight of online events and find out what the Library can do for you to help you succeed with your dissertation.
- Make your dissertation something special : find out about the fantastic collections available at the Centre for Research Collections
- Discover the full range of digital resources that you can access via the University
- Take the first steps to learn new skills in managing your bibliographic references and your research data
Find out more at : https://edinburgh-uk.libguides.com/dissertation
For more programme details see : https://edinburgh-uk.libguides.com/dissertation
Webinars for your dissertation research!
Discovering ProQuest Primary Sources:
The Library is excited to offer you the opportunity to join the ProQuest training team for a series of seminars exploring our extensive Primary Source collection. In each 30-min tutorial, you will take a deep dive into key ProQuest resources and will learn the best search strategies, tips and tricks for getting the most relevant results for your research projects.
See upcoming events or explore the full schedule here:
https://go.proquest.com/primary-sources-training-2021
Discovering Primary Sources: Who was Sally Hemings?
Date/Time: 27th January – 11am GMT
Duration: 30 min
This session will concentrate on Sally Hemings, once an enslaved woman owned by Thomas Jefferson, and use Black Historical newspapers to investigate her story.
Historical Newspapers used for this webinar include: Atlanta Daily World, The Baltimore Afro-American, Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Sentinel, New York Amsterdam News, Norfolk Journal and Guide, Philadelphia Tribune, and Pittsburgh Courier.
Register here
Discovering Primary Sources: Reclaim the Night
Date/Time: 16th February – 11am GMT
Duration: 30 min
This session will concentrate on Reclaim the Night, a movement begun in 1977 as a response to the Yorkshire Ripper murders.
Historical Newspapers used for this webinar include: The Guardian and The Observer, The New York Times, The Times of India, and other newspaper archives held offered by ProQuest.
Register here
Discovering Primary Sources: Decolonisation in Parliamentary Sources
Date/Time: 10th March – 11am GMT
Duration: 30 min
This session will delve into United Kingdom Parliamentary Papers and illustrate search strategies to find resources related to colonial history, specifically to do with the Atlantic Charter and decolonisation of Ghana.
Primary Sources used for this webinar include: all collections available in United Kingdom Parliamentary Papers.
Register here
Discovering Primary Sources: Birth Control in Periodicals
Date/Time: 31st March – 11am GMT
Duration: 30 min
This session will delve into how birth control has been used and discussed in periodicals since the early 20th century.
Primary Sources used for this webinar include: Periodical Archives Online, Periodical Index Online, the Vogue Archive, and Women’s Magazine Archive.
Register here
These seminars are free to attend. To book your place, please register via the links above or on this page:
https://go.proquest.com/primary-sources-training-2021
Not every book can be an ebook
It is a sad fact universally acknowledged that unfortunately, not every print book in our collections or out there in the world is actually available as an ebook! So what can you do to source a digital copy of an essential book, when the library print collections are not accessible due to Lockdown rules?
Firstly, double check on DiscoverEd for the title you need. You can filter your search results by “online resource”.
Then consider whether the Scan & Deliver service could be useful, if you just need one chapter, or 1 journal article. Please note that due to UK Copyright law and the CLA licence under which all Higher Education institutions operate, we are only permitted to copy 10% of a book, (or 1 chapter, whichever is greater), or 1 journal article from a journal issue. This is not an arbitrary decision by the library! You can see more about Copyright restrictions here: https://cla.co.uk/higher-education-licence
Consider using the Inter Library Loan service to get digitised journal articles or book chapters.
If you need a complete book, consider whether you can purchase a cheap second hand copy, eg using abebooks or another out of print book seller.
You could also try the various online archives of (usually out of print) books. Here is a list, in no particular order:
5: Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
7: OAPEN
8: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
For more information about open access educational resources and advice, take a look at the University of Edinburgh Open.Ed resource.
You could also explore the digital collections of the British Library and the National Library of Scotland.
If you are feeling very stuck please do contact your Academic Support Librarian for help.
New Scan & Deliver service
Scan & Deliver Service
- The new Scan & Deliver Service will provide online access to scanned book chapters and journal articles within copyright limits, where these are not already available online.
- Extracts from print items at the Main Library, UCF and site libraries will be available for request.
- The service launched on Monday 18 January at 9.00am.
- Scan & Deliver requests will be placed via DiscoverEd. Please do not contact EdHelp to make Scan & Deliver requests.
- This digital service can be accessed by all staff and students whether they are in Edinburgh or not.
- Full information about how to use the service is available on the library website.
Dissertation resources and help
Planning your dissertation?
The IAD Study Hub has a handy section on dissertation planning: https://www.ed.ac.uk/institute-academic-development/study-hub/learning-resources/dissertations
The Academic Support Librarians have published a Dissertations LibGuide .
Look out for news coming soon on the library webpages and twitter about the next library Dissertations Festival, which is scheduled for March 2021, and will be an online fortnight of events and webinars to help you with your dissertation research.
You can find examples of previously published Edinburgh University dissertations and theses on the Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA): see https://era.ed.ac.uk/
You can get more guidance and learn more about referencing and citations from our Referencing Libguide, and from self-enroling on the LibSmart course on Learn.
You can search our dissertations databases for UK and international full text dissertations and theses here.