The IT Support Department has made wireless printing available through the Remote Access Portal (RAP). You can use this to print from your laptops, tablets etc. on campus. You can also print from off-campus. Read more on the ITB Student Hub...
All of the books, journals and other resources we have in the library can be found using the library catalogue: http://blanchlib.itb.ie. You can search for a book by title, author, keyword etc.
For instance,
To find a book called Starting a business in Ireland: we select "title" from the drop-down menu, type in the name of the book and click on submit
There are two different editions of this book in the library; the first was published in 2001 and the second was published in 2011. Select the book you want (usually the later one) by clicking on the title.
When you open the full record, you will see all the details of the book including table of contents, subjects etc. In the centre of the record you will see a number of rows, for instance the record below has 8 rows. This indicates that we have 8 copies of the book.
Status: "on shelf" indicates that the book is currently available in the library; if someone has borrowed the book you will see the date the book is due to be returned, e.g. "due 24-09-12". "Library use only" books cannot be borrowed.
Location: this indicates the area in which the book is shelved. Most text books are shelved on "Main shelves - level 2". Journals, audio-visual material, reference books and theses are just some of the materials shelved on "Main shelves - level 1".
Class number: the class number is located on the spine of the book. The books are shelved in order of class number. Class numbers range from 000-399 on one side of the library and 400-999 on the other side.
Do you still have questions about finding books on your reading list? You can contact us atlibraryinfo@itb.ie!
Did you know that all ITB students and staff have an online library account. If you are not on-campus this week you may wish to know how to renew your books online, reserve a library book or view your reading history.
You can also use your library PIN to access the online databases, including scholarly articles and conference papers, from home.
If you do not know your library PIN, email us to reset it: LibraryInfo@itb.ie
Opening times for the library during reading week are as follows:
Monday 27th CLOSED
Tuesday 28th October - 09.15 - 18.00
Wednesday 29th October - 09.15 - 18.00
Thursday 30th October - 09.15 - 18.00
Friday 31st October - 09.15 - 17.00
Please note that as the library is open on these dates, books and all other borrowed materials that are due will be returned will need to be renewed or will incur fines.
You may renew book online with your student number and library PIN at the following link:
As Reading Week approaches, here is a timely reminder to change your network password. You use your network password to log onto ITB PCs, to access Moodle, to access email, to print / photocopy etc.
Network passwords must be changed every 100 days. So change it now to ensure you can log in over Reading Week.
You can change your password as follows:
(1) Before it expires: change your password at any ITB PC. Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE and select the option to change your password
(2) Before or after it expires: bring your student card to SID or the Library Desk
(3) After it expires: sign up for password recovery before your password expires. Then you can recover your password from off-campus should it ever expire. You can register here and recover your password here.
(4) After it expires: there us a SMS Password Recovery service available to students who cannot come to campus. Call 1518 415090 and follow the directions. There is a €3.00 charge for this service; the charge will be added to your telephone bill/taken from your phone credit
Remember, the best option is to change your password, at an ITB PC, before it expires. But always have a backup plan, i.e. sign up for password recovery before you need it!
RefWorks is a handy online tool that allows you to keep track of the sources you are using in your assignments. It also allows you to create reference lists for those assignments.
For instance, Jack has 4 assignments this semester: Corporate culture, Domestic heating, Motivation and Network security. He has created a folder for each assignment
Each folder holds the references for that assignment. The references include:
recommended library books
articles that he searched for on the library databases
websites from scholarly sources
Some of Jack's assignments require him to find information himself. After searching the library catalogue, online databases and some scholarly websites, he has found 5 sources that he plans to include in his assignment.
Jack's sources do not come from a book list; he needs to keep track of them himself. RefWorks is a great way to do this. Jack can build up a collection of sources that are relevant to the subject he is studying.
RefWorks will also help him to generate a reference list from the Network Security folder.
Are you starting to write your assignments? Do you need to learn how to reference your sources correctly? Have a look at our referencing guides on Moodle....
Learning to reference is a vital part of student life. Referencing your sources correctly will help you to avoid plagiarism and loosing marks in your assignments!
As you are starting to write your assignments, you have probably be warned about the dangers of plagiarism. Plagiarism is a topic that students everywhere must get to grips with!
This short video from Bainbridge College gives a good overview of what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
Just to let you know, the Library and Student Information Desk will be closed this Friday, 24th October from 9.15 until 14.00 to facilitate staff training.
Have you ever lost marks in an assignment for silly reasons - like spelling mistakes, unclear explanations, missing references? If so, proofreading your work may may help to improve your marks.
Information Overload is increasingly a feature of our lives, especially for students. Today is a good day to stop and consider how information impacts on you...
Here is an interesting look at how we consume data. At TED@SXSWi, technologist JP Rangaswami muses on our relationship to information, and offers a surprising and sharp insight: we treat it like food.
Are you searching for information for your assignments? How can if tell if the information contained in a website is appropriate? The information we find in library books and journals has been edited so we know it is academic in nature. But, when we take information from non-academic websites, we must evaluate it ourselves before deciding whether to include it in our assignments...
Mind mapping is a technique that will help you organise your thoughts and ideas. It helps you to: (1) organise ideas from other people (e.g. from lectures, from books, from online resources etc.) (2) organise your own ideas (e.g. brainstorming about a topic, structuring an essay etc.)
It's a visual way of seeing the information and how it fits together.
Moreover, mind mapping helps you remember information because the maps are structured in a way that your mind finds easy to recall and review. Mind maps can be drawn by hand or using a piece of software.In this short video, Tony Buzan explains how and why he invented mind mapping...
You can create your mind maps on paper or electronically. Have a look at these free mind mapping websites.
College can be stressful time. Assignments overdue,
exams looming, short on funds; as exciting as college life may be, it also
brings with it a wealth of new stresses for students.
Simply being aware of this can help us get
through difficult times.
We've all heard about having ‘five a day’, that is
eating five portions of fruit and vegetables (chips don’t count!) to maintain a
healthy diet and lifestyle.
However, our mental health is JUST as important and there are five easy
steps we can follow that may have positive effects on our mental health and
well being.
Source: New Zealand Mental Health Agency
CONNECT...with yourself and with
those around you. Go for a
coffee or eat lunch with others from your class. Join a club or
society. There's a list of them here at http://itbsu.ie/ . Our friends and family offer us love and support, so don't be afraid to ask for advice, help, or even some time to just have a chat.
It is also important sometimes to DISCONNECT, to switch off our phones, tablets, devices and engage with the person in front of us. Sometimes we have too much information to hand and we can find it hard to connect with our friends and family.
GIVE...Doing good is good for us.
Helping others makes us feel needed and valued; it can reinforce social
connectedness and give us a sense of purpose – not to mention the benefits for
those we help and the wider benefit to communities by contributing to a more
compassionate society. You'll be surprised at how good you'll feel by helping your fellow students. College life is hectic and you may think you don't have time for help others. Sometimes all it takes sometimes is a simple thanks, a smile, a supportive shoulder to make a change to someone else's day...so give it a try!
TAKE NOTICE...of people, of yourself,
what's going on in college, the world around you, of all the positives in your
life.
KEEP LEARNING...college is, of course, a learning environment. That is you primary reason for coming to ITB. However, learning does not always have to involve lectures, books or traditional teaching methods. Doing new things is learning, be it starting a hobby, cooking something different for the first time or jsut finding out new things about your class mates. Such learning exposes us to new ideas and helps us to stay
curious and engaged while giving us a sense of accomplishment and a boost our confidence. What have you learnt or tried out for the first time recently?
BE ACTIVE...go for walk between classes to clear your mind. Take up a class or join one of the many sports clubs listed here http://itbsu.ie/ Engaging in exercise gives us new opportunities to meet people, to give us a much-needed break from a stressful day and, above all,
to make us feel good about ourselves. The brand new, state of the art Sports Pavilions is located beside the LINC building and is free for students to use, so make the most of it! Click on the link for more information about this excellent facility. http://www.itb.ie/CampusStudentLife/sports.html Sources: '5 A Day for Mental Health ' Wellbeing project published in October 2008http://foresight.gov.uk cited by TCD Student Welface and UNILINK service.
As you have probably noticed, the library has been very busy this term. Many of your core texts are in high demand.
Did you know that, if all of the copies of a book you need are on loan, you can reserve a copy?
Reserving books is a really effective way of ensuring that you can access your core texts. It's much easier than checking the shelves every day! When the book you reserved is returned, we will keep it for you at the library desk - we will email your student email account and you will have 3 college days to collect it.
The Computer Services Helpdesk is located in the Library (Block F).
Changing your password If you need to change your network password, bring your student card to the Student Information Desk (9.15am - 5.00pm, Mon-Fri) or the Library Desk (5.00pm - 8.00pm, Mon-Thurs).
Other technical queries The Computer Services Helpdesk is open:
Have you been reading about a lot of new topics and new ideas this semester? Do you sometimes find that the information just isn't "going in"?
SQ3R helps us to understand and remember the information we read. SQ3R stands for:
Survey : pre-read or scan the text to get an overview of the topic. Look at headings, diagrams, bold and italic type etc. to see the highlights of the text.
Question: after surveying the book or website, jot down some key questions about the content (who, what, when, where, why, how...)
Read: go back to the beginning and read the entire text. Answer your questions as you read.
Recite: put away the text and look at your questions. Can you answer them without looking at the text?
Review: reread the answers to your questions to ensure that they are accurate. These answers, or notes, should be a useful revision aid later in the semester.
SQ3R allows us to be active readers. It helps us to understand the information we read and to be able to retell that information in our own words. This is helpful for remembering and reusing information in assignments and exams.
Do you ever lose work because...
... you updated an old version of a document
... you can't find your USB / flash drive
... you're not sure if you saved it correctly
Dropbox might be the answer! It is an online hosting service that uses cloud computing to store and share files and folders. You can log into your account from any PC with an internet connection. That means you need only have one version of your document, you need only save it to one place and you won't need a USB or flash drive. (Although it is always a good idea to back up important files!)
Features of Dropbox File Sync
1. Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically (i.e. one version!).
2. 2GB of online storage for free, more if you join the space race .
3. Sync files of any size or type.
4. Sync Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
5. Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.
File Sharing
1. Shared foldersallow several people to collaborate on a set of files.
2. You can see other people’s changes instantly.
Online Backup
1. Automatic backup of your files.
2. Undelete files and folders.
