Leap!

Ever wished you just had a little more time to do what you need to do?  If so, then today was invented for you!  It's a leap year, so we have one whole extra day tacked on to the month.

If the library was open on Saturdays, would you use it?

Extending our opening hours has resource implications for our library.  Before we decide whether or not to open the library on Saturdays, we would like your input.  Please complete the following survey:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Introducing IEEE Xplorer

This semester, ITB engineering students have access to a new database, IEEE Xplorer!

IEEE Xplorer has access to high quality technical literature, including full-text documents.  The database includes IEEE journals, transactions and magazines, conference proceedings and standards, and IET journals and conference proceedings.  Access it here from on-campus or off-campus.

The IEEE website offers a range of resources to help you use the database:

• self-paced tutorials (videos), such as Searching with IEEE Xplorer

• user guides (leaflets), such as Getting started with your search

If you are looking for information for a class or an assignment, IEEE Xplorer is an ideal place to start!

It's Engineers' Week!

From 27 Feb - 4 Mar, we are celebrating engineering in Ireland!  Check out the Engineers' Week website to find out what's happening.

To learn more about the engineering resources available in ITB Library, see below:

ITB Library subject guide: engineering on Prezi

Looking for inspiration?

Well, look no further!
The library databases are an excellent source of academic information for your assignments.  Academic Search Premier is particularly useful!  You can access it on-campus or off-campus.  The guide below will help you to get started.

Academic Search Premier

If you run into any problems accessing or searching the library databases, email us at LibraryInfo@itb.ie or come and speak to us at the library desk!

110 Best Books: The Perfect Library

British Newspaper, The Telegraph has published an article called 'The Perfect Library', in which it lists what is supposedly the 'perfect' reading list.


It lists classics such as Gullivers Travel's, Jane Eyre and War and Peace; romantic fiction such as Gone with the wind, Dr. Zhivago and Rebecca; and sci-fi such as 2001: A Space Odyssy, Do androids dream of Electric Sheep? and 20,000 Leagues under the sea. 


It also compiles lengthy lists in other genres such as Crime, History, Biography and Childrens reading - where (unsurprisingly) Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter feature prominently.


Sometimes you may be stuck for an idea as to what to read. Maybe you've missed out on a lot of 'essential' reading and need to catch up. Perhaps this list will help inspire some of your future reading and turn you on to something you havent read before. Why not check it out and see what all the fuss is about? Are these books 'essential' to you?

Want to hold on to your books for a little longer?

Although we promise not to interrogate you, beat you up, break your knees or make you sign a confession - we will fine you if your books are late!  So, remember...

You can renew your books:

• at the library desk
• online
• over the phone (01 8851047)

You can renew library books, up to two times, so long as:

• they are not overdue
• no one else has requested them

International Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the UN in 1999 as a means "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world". Its overall aim is "to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and  multiculturalism.

Why not take the time to embrace your language? Aim to speak it well! Use a dictionary or thesaurus to expand your word power....


The library at ITB has dictionaries and thesaurus for use. They're in the Reference section on the 1st floor. We also have lots of language books, grammer books and audio courses for those you you wishing to learn something new!


Give our catalogue a search!

Got 10 minutes to spare?

The journals in the library cover all sorts of topics!

Have a look at the display near the library desk

 

The age of the dictionary....

Are you looking for information for your assignments?

How do you search for information online?  Are Google and Wikipedia your go-to sources or have you tried the ITB Library databases?
The library databases are purchased with you, and your course, in mind.  They are full of useful information!  Have a look at one of the tutorials below to learn how to make your search as effective as possible...

Science Direct is an excellent database for students of informatics, engineering, social science, horticulture and a variety of other subjects.


Emerald Fulltext is an excellent database for students taking business modules.

Free e-books from Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a website which provides access to free E-Books. These books are freely accessible by anyone on the Internet and may be dowloaded because their copyright has expired. 

The site offers over 36,000 ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle or other portable device. It covers a vast amount of subjects, ranging from Astronomy to War and everything in between.

Users can search the site using its catalogue which allows for searching by author or title name.  Alternatively, users can use the Bookshelf option which allows you to search the site using subject headings. Its well worth a look!

http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/

Happy Valentines Day!

Zero tolerance in the library

From Monday February 13th, the Library will have a Zero Tolerance policy towards rule breaking in place. This will apply to:  

TALKING ON MOBILE PHONES

CONSUMPTION OF FOOD & DRINK 

(except water)

MAKING EXCESSIVE NOISE

Those in breach of these rules will be fined  and/or removed from the library.

Improve your communication skills

Communication forms the basis of human interaction. Our relationships, our education, our employment, our business transactions and our entertainment all rely on communication in one form or another. 

Therefore effective, unambiguous communication is a fundamental skill; everyone should try to master it, particularly when applying for jobs.

Career specialist website MindTools.com have compiled a collection of articles that give some good advice on developing your communication skills. They cover a wide topic area such as communication in person, communicating in writing, communication in meetings, presentations, cross-cultural communication and negotiation.

Talk quietly in the library!

 

Libraries mean different things to different people. To some it is just the place they go to pick up the books they need for an assignment and then leave again; to others it is a place to go to use the computers and to many others it is  the place to go for some quiet study time.

Unfortunately the library is not always as quiet as one would expect it to be. The traditional books-only library is now home to computers, photocopiers, self issue machines and patrons who carry mobile phones and laptop computers with them. However, the single biggest challenge to maintaining quiet is people talking.

Libraries are not the place to be if you want to have a chat and a laugh with a group of people, nor is it the place to have loud group discussions.

The library in ITB has 3 noise zones.

The Green area allows for collaboration among students; but this does not mean students can shout at the top of their voices and laugh their heads off  here. This area is for productive collaboration among students at a reasonable volume; it is not a social area to be used like the pub or the canteen.

The Orange zone is a quiet area. This means students must work individually and keep any talking to an absolute minimum i.e. a low whisper. There are computers in this area, but only one student can use it at a time - no group work is allowed. 

The Red Zone is a separate room in the library where students must work in absolute silence

Please respect the library for what it is; a library.

Students who do not co-operate will be asked to leave the library

Ever wished someone would read your notes to you?

We all learn in different ways – some of us prefer to read information, some of us prefer to listen to it.  If you learn best by listening, then you should know about a tool called Speech Maker, which is a feature of Read and Write Gold software!

Available on all the PCs in the library, Read and Write Gold software is an easy-to-use toolbar that supports all students in their reading, writing and research.  When you double-click on the Read and Write Gold icon on the desktop, it launches the toolbar that sits at top of your screen until you need it!

One of the more nifty tools is called Speech Maker.  This allows you to highlight text (from a Word document, a PDF, a webpage etc) and convert it into an audio file (like a music track, only with spoken words).  This file can easily be transferred to your MP3 player or listened to via your laptop or PC.  Have a look at this video to see just how easy it is! 

 

Questions about your rights or entitlements?

The Citizens Information Centre can provide you with many of the answers you need.......

and they will be on campus tomorrow (foyer of C Block from 11am – 2.30pm)

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/

Have a look at their website to see the type of information they provide - matters such as education, housing, social welfare, health, consumer affairs and family law.

You can also visit them, at their Blanchardstown office, on Snugboro Road…

For those of you doing ECDL.....

...Or those of you who just want to improve your computer skills...

Teach-ICT.com is a good free source of tutorial and course guide material

http://www.teach-ict.com/ecdl_home.html

Here you’ll find  course material and test questions to supplement your preparation for the ECDL exam.

The materials here were developed for syllabus 4.0. and there is now a syllabus 5.0. Whilst some of the materials are out of date, the tasks for modules such as Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Databases are still relevant.

Even if you are not doing the ECDL Course, or you are just technically challenged...the site is a useful place to find out stuff about computers...

It's National Libraries Day!

Today would be a good day to:

• browse the fiction books
• borrow a DVD for the weekend
• plan your next break with a travel book
• read the biography of your favourite star
• mull over a newspaper or magazine

Your library.  Use it.  Love it.  Join it!

Printing PowerPoint slides

Students often ask about how to print off PowerPoint slides from their lectures. Usually, they will want to print more than one slide per sheet.

Here is how to do it!

Open the PowerPoint Presentation.

You may need to enable editing before you can print it. This will appear in a yellow bar at the top of the screen, If this appears, click 'Enable Editing'


Go to the File Menu

Click on Print

From main window, under Settings, from the section Handouts, select number of slides per page as required

When you have chosen the required amount, click Print in the left hand column. You will then get a printout of multiple slides on one sheet.

Ever tried to remember the name of a book you borrowed once... ?

Here at the library desk, students frequently ask us the name of books that they have borrowed and returned.  Previously, for data protection reasons, staff could not access lists of books that have been borrowed in the past.  Once a book was returned to the library, and removed from a student's account, that was that!

However, you can now access your own Reading History when you log on to your online library account.

• Go to the library catalogue 
• Click on My Account (right-hand menu)
• Enter your name, student number and PIN (if you don't know your PIN email us at LibraryInfo@itb.ie)

If you currently have library books, click on the My Reading History button
If you do not currently have library books, your Reading History will probably appear by default