Sign up to one of our free skills sessions

Did you know that alongside sessions built into the curriculum, the library offers a rolling programme of open skills sessions you can sign-up to to help you make the most of library resources?

Our courses, still currently online, range from focusing on key databases such as Medline and CINAHL to find health literature to support your learning, assignments, dissertations, practice or research, to use of specialist resources such as RefWorks to help you manage your references. You can learn in-depth advanced search techniques to underpin systematic reviews and, new for 2022, we are offering sessions on the Web of Science platform which, uniquely, provides a range of multi-disciplinary searchable citation indexes- ideal for researchers wishing to track literature in their fields.

All these databases, and more, are available through our A-Z databases page, via NHS OpenAthens accounts for our NHS members or network logins for University members; targetted sessions are available for all our key audiences including NHS staff, researchers, academic staff and, of course, students.

Here’s what people have said about our courses:

I am very happy for having this opportunity to learn such an important skill from a great teacher!

Found the interactive part of the session ( ie doing my own searches) very helpful

To see the latest programme and book-on, visit our Library training calendar today or email liaison@sgul.ac.uk for more information.

Information Skills Training: April to June

In the upcoming months we will again be offering a variety of library skills training sessions. There are different sessions suitable for your level of expertise or year of study, for students, academics and NHS staff.

Below you can find out more about the different training sessions we offer and the dates for these sessions. To book, please visit LibCal and register for the session you would like to attend. These sessions are all held online, via Microsoft Teams.

Don’t forget, we also continue to run our Library Research online drop-ins, Monday to Friday 12-1pm. At our drop-ins we can help you with getting started with finding information for your assignment, doing in-depth literature searching projects and referencing enquiries.

Visit our website to find out more or email liaison@sgul.ac.uk.

Training sessions on offer

My Learning Essentials: Hunter & Harvard

Wednesday 26th May, 1-2pm
Tuesday 22nd June, 1-2pm

This session is suitable for SGUL or FHSCE undergraduate or postgraduate students who have specific referencing or literature searching enquiries relating to their assignments.  You will be able to discuss your query with the librarian, and receive guidance on how to effectively use Hunter to find academic books and articles and how to use CiteThemRight to ensure your referencing complies with SGUL’s specific Harvard Referencing Style.

Book here.

Literature searching for your dissertation

Tuesday 18th May, 11.00-12.30pm
Tuesday 15th June, 11-12.30pm

We know databases, like Medline (aka PubMed) and CINAHL, can be daunting, but with a little help and guidance, we are short you will get to grips with them in no time. If you have a longer research project, like a dissertation, or you just want to impress in your assignments, this session is for you. You will learn how to effectively run a literature search in a database relevant to your subject. The sessions are suitable for St George’s and FHSCE staff and students.

Sign up here.

RefWorks

Thursday 13 May 1-2pm
Wednesday 16 June 12-1pm

In this session, we will introduce you to the reference management software RefWorks. We will show you up to set up an account, add references, manage them and how to use RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM), a Microsoft Word Add-in.

Book here.

Training sessions for NHS staff

NHS Library induction

Thursday 20th May, 12.30-1pm
Tuesday 15th June, 11-11.30am

Library induction for NHS staff, introducing you to the range of services and resources on offer to those working for St George’s Hospital, Queen Mary’s Hospital and other community-based sites.

Sign up here.

Finding the Evidence

Thursday 29th April, 1-2.30pm

Monday 10th May, 12-1.30pm
Wednesday 26th May, 12.30-2pm

Friday 11th June, 11-12.30
Monday 21st June, 1-2.30pm

Finding top-quality evidence is a priority for health care practitioners. This session will introduce the high-quality resources available to you, as well as provide training in how to use them effectively to support evidence-based clinical practice or decision-making.

The session will cover: The range of evidence-based healthcare resources available, including: NICE Evidence, the Cochrane Library and BMJ Best Practice.

How to use the NHS databases effectively and identify the most appropriate database for your need. This includes how to create and plan a search strategy using subject headings and keywords and how to combine searches and apply limits to focus your results; how to access full-text articles where available or locate articles through St George’s journals page; and how to save your searches and set up alerts.

You can book your slot here.

Systematic Reviews: finding and managing the evidence

Wednesday 28^th April, 1-3pm

Tuesday 25^th May, 11am-1pm

Thursday 24^th June, 11am-1pm

This course will focus on in-depth literature searching for systematic reviewers and how to manage your results. It will provide you with an overview of the systematic review process, the know-how of creating effective search strategies, systematic searching of the literature, managing your results and documenting the search process.

You can book this session here.

At the end of this session you will be able to:

• plan robust search strategies for literature searches in support of systematic reviews
• carry out systematic, advanced searches on the Ovid platform
• save searches strategies and create alerts
• plan how you will manage your search results and report on your search methodology.

If you have any questions about these training sessions, don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing liaison@sgul.ac.uk.

Welcome to St George’s Library 2020/2021

A very warm welcome to those new to St George’s and welcome back to those returning to their studies. As we won’t be meeting most of you face-to-face for a while, in this blogpost you can find all the information you need to get started with the academic year.

If you are joining us this year, be sure to complete your library induction quiz which forms part of your online induction.

Help and support

Your Liaison team is here to support you in your learning and research. Most of you will meet your liaison librarians for training  sessions as part of your course. We will show you how to use the resources we have, how to research an essay topic and how to get to grips with Harvard, the referencing style used at St George’s.

New for autumn 2020, we are launching daily, weekday Library Research drop-ins online for anyone to get help on the spot with things you might find tricky. If you are unsure of where to start or are looking for some tips and tricks on how to make the most of the databases we have, you can meet us via Microsoft Teams (available to everyone at St George’s). No need to book – just click on the relevant link in our events calendar, between 12-1 on the day you want help.

You can also get in touch with us about any questions you might have about finding information for your assignments or referencing using our dedicated email address – liaison@sgul.ac.uk. We can support you via email or a 1-2-1 appointment via Microsoft Teams so you can get specialised help from your liaison librarian. 1-2-1 appointments are online meetings, you will need to be in an appropriate study space, you cannot take calls or have conversations in the library.

If you have a more general question about the library or need help with passwords or book loans, the library team can answer all your questions via email, so there is no need for you to come in. Email library@sgul.ac.uk with any questions you might have and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Online resources and library guides

You can access library resources online through your SGUL username and password 24 hours a day from the library homepage.

The library has invested more than ever this year in enhancing our e-book collection with hundreds of new titles added in the last 6 months, and access to new collections including AccessMedicine, and LWW Health Library collections. We also provide access to e-resources such as healthcare databases and study skills resources like Cite Them Right Online. You will be using most of them during your studies at St George’s. The infographic below highlights a few of the resources available to you, including Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy, JoVE (Journal of Visualised Experiments and Science Education) and BMJ Learning.

To find out more, take a look at these how-to videos on a variety of topics, we are expanding this collection over the coming months. The videos offer a quick introduction, in the case of BMJ Learning, or more detailed guidance on Hunter – Library Search , and Cite Them Right for example. You can watch them all on YouTube.

If you are new to St George’s, have a look at our Library Essentials Libguide, which covers everything you need to know to get started with using the library. We have many more Libguides, including general ones on literature searching and printing at St George’s, as well as subject specific ones for courses taught at St George’s.

The library has a dedicated module on Canvas. This will be developed further to provide self-directed units on finding information for your assignments and referencing essentials, so keep a look out. Depending on the course you are doing, we also have dedicated subject pages within your course modules where you can find information on your library training sessions.

In-person services

Over summer, we started a ‘Click and Collect’ service for physical books. It allows you to reserve books via Hunter – Library Search, and come in to pick it up when it is ready. To find out more about this service, please visit our Covid response page. We are working on restoring our ‘Browse and Borrow’ service, which will allow you to pick books up from the shelf yourself. More details on this service will be made available soon. Check our website or social media sites for updates.

Throughout September, the library is open 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with library staff on hand should you need help. We will be extending these hours from October to include weekend opening. Please check our website for updates.

In line with St George’s policy, we ask you to not come on campus or use the library unless it is essential that you do so. All spaces available are for individual, silent study only and you must wear a face covering in the library. It goes without saying that you need to keep a distance of 2 metres from library staff and other library users, including your friends! Disinfectant sprays and paper towels are available throughout the library. It is your responsibility to wipe down your study space and PC before and after use.

Stay in touch

To stay up-to-date with library services and opening hours, please visit our Covid-19 response page. We are active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, where you can also get news and service updates.

Finally, we would like to welcome you again to St George’s and wish you a successful year! Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any library-related questions.

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Phone: 020 8725 5446

Email : library@sgul.ac.uk

Web: https://www.sgul.ac.uk/library

Holiday Library Update

In less unusual times, we know that many of our students would be heading away from SGUL right now to enjoy a few weeks’ holiday; and while it’s easy lately for the days and weeks to blend into one, we hope that everyone does get a chance to take some time off over the coming weeks (even if our entertainment options these days are a little different than in the past).

That said, we know that many of you will also be working to stay on top of your studies. With that in mind, here are three quick reminders of some of the ways your library can help.

1. Access online resources with your SGUL password

Hunter allows you to search a huge collection of online journal articles that you can access with your SGUL login. For tips on finding articles in Hunter, check the Hunter FAQs.

Or browse a list of learning resources – including HSTalks for lecture videos, Cite them Right for referencing help, our most popular online resource BMJ Best Practice, and many more – that can also be accessed with your SGUL login.

Help with offsite access

Our quick video shows you the easiest way to log in to journals and other online resources when you’re offsite. There’s also a PDF helpsheet to guide you through the process.

If you’re having problems logging in to any of our journals or online resources, let us know at journals@sgul.ac.uk. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Resetting your SGUL password

You can reset your SGUL password here, as long as you’ve registered an alternate email address; if you haven’t done this yet, contact the Student Life Centre to set one up.

If you have problems resetting you password, email ITAV@sgul.ac.uk.

2. Explore e-books

There are now over 3000 e-books available in Hunter – so whatever your topic, it’s quite likely there’s an e-book that can help. To find out, search in Hunter for Books and more; then select Online Resources in the filter at the left to see which titles you can access straight away using your SGUL login.

See our short video on finding and accessing e-books in Hunter.

Use the Online Resources filter to see e-books only

Temporary access to extra e-books

A number of publishers are making their e-book collections freely available during the Covid-19 health crisis – so you may be able to view e-books now that you wouldn’t usually be able to access.

From Monday 13th April you’ll be able to access all of these through Hunter while free access lasts. For now, you can log in to publishers’ websites to see what’s available and start reading. Try:

• E-book Central from Proquest – access to titles from 150 publishers until mid-June
• LWW Health Library – e-books and videos in a range of medical disciplines until 22nd May
• ScienceDirect Textbooks from Elsevier – 256 textbooks available until 10th June

For a full list of these offers – as well as a growing collection of free resources on Covid-19 – check the new list in our Databases A-Z. We’re updating this list as new resources become available.

Borrowed books?

We’ve suspended holds for now, so you won’t be asked to return any books you’ve borrowed until further notice. Books will continue to renew automatically.

3. Get 1-2-1 help from a librarian

Working from home

The library team may now be working from kitchens, bedrooms, sitting-rooms and a few other places besides – but we’re as committed as always to getting you the information, research and referencing help you need.

We continue to provide 1:1 support for everyone at St George’s. To make an appointment, please email us at liaison@sgul.ac.uk. In these unusual circumstances, we use Microsoft Teams to guide you through the databases and answer any questions you might have.

We are focusing our efforts on developing online material on Canvas and helping you make the most of our e-resources. For any queries or help needed email us at liaison@sgul.ac.uk. We are happy to help!

Introducing: Lunchtime Learning workshops

Do you find literature searching laborious? Does Harvard Referencing ruin your day? The library can help.

In response to recent student feedback, the library is offering a new series of workshops to support you with your academic work.  These sessions are over lunchtime so you can fit them into your busy schedule and they will give you a head start for your assignments.

My Learning Essentials: Hunter & Harvard Drop-In

Tuesday 25 February 1-2pm

Monday 23 March 1-2pm

Do you have a burning question about referencing or finding academic sources through Hunter? These drop-ins give you the opportunity to speak to a librarian and find a solution. There’s no need to book, just turn up on the day!

Literature searching

We know databases, like Medline (aka PubMed) and CINAHL, can be daunting, but we’ll let you into a little secret: Librarians LOVE them! So, not only will you learn how to effectively run a literature search on a relevant database, you’ll also make a librarian’s day!

There are two versions of these Lunchtime Learning sessions. One specifically for medical students and one for other St George’s University (SGUL) and Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education (FHSCE) students…

Literature searching for your Audit, QI project or Research (medical students)

Wednesday 1 April 11am-12:30pm

Suitable for Medical students, T Year and above, who are undertaking a literature review as part of an audit, QI project or research for publication.

Here is the booking form for this session.

Literature searching for your dissertation, review or research project (SGUL/FHSCE students)

Tuesday 11 February 2-3:30pm

Wednesday 4 March 11am-12:30pm

Suitable for all SGUL and FHSCE students, e.g. biomedical, paramedic, midwifery, pharmacology

Here is the booking form for this session.

RefWorks

Monday 17 February 10:30-11:30am

Wednesday 11 March 2-3pm

Students BEWARE! Free, online Citation Tools can be inaccurate and unreliable. Learn how to manage and store your references using RefWorks – the only Citation Tool supported by the library. 

RefWorks is available with your SGUL username and password. Come along to find out how to import references to RefWorks from various databases. You’ll also get a chance to use Write N Cite to create in-text citations and generate bibliographies in Word.

Suitable for any students undertaking extensive pieces of academic writing such as dissertations, theses etc.

Here is the booking form for this session.

Libraries Week 2019: Celebrating Liaison Librarians

Libraries Week takes place between 7th – 12th October 2019. This year’s campaign is focused on celebrating the role of libraries in the digital world. Over the course of the week we’ll be introducing you to different teams within the Library and explore how they use technology to support our community.

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To round-off this year’s Libraries Week celebrations we’d like to highlight the work of our Library Liaison team and how they can help you connect with the right digital resources at the right time to grow your learning and, ultimately, improve your grades, practice or research.

Meet the team

For each of our distinct user groups – students, academic staff and researchers and NHS practitioners – you will find dedicated Library Liaison staff, available throughout the year to provide specialist help and support with the Library’s resources, in print as well as online.

Your Liaison Librarians for SGUL students, staff and researchers are:
Zena Ali zali@sgul.ac.uk
Beth Jackson eljackso@sgul.ac.uk

Your Liaison Librarians for Faculty of Health and Social Care students, staff and researchers are:
Anna El-Jouzi aejouz@sgul.ac.uk
Anne Binsfeld abinsfel@sgul.ac.uk

Your Liaison Librarians for NHS staff, researchers and placements students are:
Karen John-Pierre kjohn@sgul.ac.uk
Stephen Reid sreid@sgul.ac.uk

The team provides one-to-one support for staff and students and offers innovative, practical teaching sessions for all on a range of topics such as online literature searching for your assignments or evidence-based practice and managing your references.

How do we support our users?

Finding Information

For each course or trust clinical workforce group, Liaison Librarians have developed online Subject Guides curated by the relevant Librarian. These guides outline the key high quality digital resources (think literature search databases, websites, search engines and evidence-based tools) for your bespoke area and are a great launch pad to start your resource exploration.

Liaison Librarians also design and run curriculum-embedded and open information skills courses to help you use these digital tools efficiently and find the best available evidence. Users can also make an appointment to see one of the team or drop in to our Research Enquiries Desk for advice.

Evaluating Information

In this era of fake news and health scams, how do you know you can rely on the information you find online? Liaison Librarians can empower you with useful frameworks to help you be more discerning when looking for academic information for your assignment. Liaison Librarians also know about the best checklists to use to critically appraise the quality of scientific papers and we’re happy to share this knowledge with you during one of our training courses.

Managing Information

To keep information overload at bay and assist you in keeping track of your references, ask your liaison librarian about tools like RefWorks or Mendeley. These tools allow you to create personalised databases of references which can be integrated into Microsoft Word, saving you time when writing  up assignments or research manuscripts. They can also introduce you to Cite Them Right, the online bible for formatting citations for a whole host of material ranging from academic journal articles to tweets.

Get connected, get creative and learn new skills

If you want to brush up on your searching or referencing skills, there are plenty of opportunities to get face-to-face help from the Liaison team

Visit the Research Enquiries Desk (RED)
When? Monday to Friday 11am – 2pm (subject to change)
Where? Small, quiet study area towards the rear of the Library

Book on to our Information Skills workshops
See the Training pages of the website for course information and our booking form.

Book 1-2-1s or bespoke group training
By emailing liaison@sgul.ac.uk

Library @ IMBE
Zena Ali runs office hours on the 6th floor of Hunter wing and the 2nd floor of Jenner wing. Upcoming dates include:

Hunter:
Thursday 7^th November 1pm – 4pm
Tuesday 3^rd December 1pm – 4pm

Jenner:
Thursday 17th Oct 1pm – 4pm
Tuesday 19th Nov 10am – 1pm
Thursday 19th Dec 1pm – 4pm

We hope you’ve find this brief introduction into the range of work and support our liaison team carry out informative and inspiring. To find out more, visit our new website  where you will find audience-focused pages that highlight what’s on offer for students, teaching staff, researchers and NHS staff, as well as contact details for your Liaison Librarian.

Welcome to St George’s Library!

Welcome to St George’s to all our new undergraduates and postgraduates and a warm welcome back to all of our returning students. After your summer adventures, we hope you have a great start to the new academic year! This time of year can feel quite hectic and there is a lot of information for you to absorb, so here are some things to keep in mind while you settle in to University life.

Your Library Induction

The Library now has a home on Canvas, St George’s Virtual Learning Environment. All new students will have been given access to the Library module, but if it’s missing from your Dashboard our previous blog post will show you how to self-enrol.

You can find the Library module here. There are separate resources, created by your specialist Liaison Librarians, for St George’s students (IMBE) and St George’s/Kingston students (FHSCE). When you click on the appropriate banner you will find an “induction” section, which pulls together all the important information you need as a new student and takes you to your induction quiz.

The quiz is a playful and interactive way of engaging with the Library and getting to know the resources and services we have. It has been put together to show you, as new healthcare students, how important it is to access and use up-to-date information as you are on your way to becoming qualified professionals. It only takes about 15 minutes and you need to complete it before Monday 14th October, after which you’ll be automatically entered into our prize draw! This year we have got great prizes from businesses in Tooting and beyond…

Library Tours

If you attended your induction week welcome lecture, you’ll have had a virtual tour of the Library via our new welcome video. We had a great time creating this video for you over the summer, shot in the library with REAL Librarians.

If you’d like to meet us face-to-face for a brief overview of the services we offer, we’ve also organised a series of short Library tours.

The next set of tours will be running on:

• 30^th September 12 pm and 1 pm
• 1^st October 12 pm and 1 pm
• 2^nd October 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm
• 3^rd October 12 pm, 1 pm
• 4^th October 12 pm, 1 pm

Ask at the help desk for more information! The Library tours are a great chance for you to become familiar with the space, get more information on using the Library and ask any questions you might have.

What you can expect from us

The Library supports you throughout your studies, both in person and online. The Library and computer rooms are open 24/7, all you need is your student ID.

The help desk is staffed every weekday 8 am to 6 pm and this is where you can get help with passwords, your Library account, finding books on shelves and pick up your reserved books. The Research Enquiries Desk (RED) is staffed Monday to Friday from 11 am to 2 pm with Librarians who offer support if you have research questions, need help searching databases or with referencing.

Your Liaison Librarians also offer tailored, embedded teaching and training sessions throughout your degree, and run a programme of bookable Information Skills sessions throughout the year. If you’ve got a question for your Librarian, or would like to book an appointment, you can contact them by emailing liaison@sgul.ac.uk.

We know you can’t always be in the Library, so if you need support while you’re away from St George’s, check out our series of LibGuides. Here you’ll find subject-specific guides for your course (e.g. Medicine, Midwifery, Biomedical Science, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy). These all follow a similar format and give you an overview of which textbooks, journals and databases are most relevant to your course. They also guide you through evaluating information and referencing correctly.

As well as these subject guides, the Liaison team have also developed support for specific resources (e.g. RefWorks) and for using the Library. Library Essentials will be especially useful for getting to grips with our services and Library StART can help you with finding appropriate resources for your academic writing.

Throughout your studies, you also have access to the complete Microsoft Office Package and to tailored training on Office 365 (email ITTraining@sgul.ac.uk for more information). Additionally, the Library functions as a base for the Academic Success Centre, where you can get help with academic writing, effective revision and note taking. They offer 1-to-1 support and lots of online resources, available via the Study+ module on Canvas. The Careers service is also based in the Library, have a look at their online resources and to book an appointment with them.

What we expect from you

To keep the Library as pleasant a space as possible, for all users, we expect you to follow the Library’s rules and regulations. Full details of our expectations can be found on Library Essentials, but key points to remember include:

• Always having your student ID card on you
• Not eating in the Library
• Taking phone calls outside the Library entrance
• Respecting the function of the different study spaces, such as the silent study area.

We’re also trying to improve the availability of study spaces and discourage users from “desk-hogging”. A new Study Break Pass scheme launches on the 1st October: find out more information about it here.

As you can see, we have got lots on offer for you and we are here to help should you have any questions or need extra support. Have a fantastic year at St George’s!

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Remember the complete your induction by doing the online quiz and with a bit of luck, you will win one of our amazing prizes! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, for a bonus entry into the prize draw and for regular updates!

HSTalks – online lecture resource from St George’s Library

Through the HSTalks Biomedical and Life Sciences collection, St George’s students and staff have access to 2,500 online, multi-media seminar-style talks, covering the latest research and development as well as the fundamentals of the biomedical and life sciences.

Presented by leading experts, the resource can be easily embedded into virtual learning environments, such as Canvas, as recommended components or additional/supplemental lectures. The lectures are suitable for blended and flipped classroom programmes as well self-motivated additional learning.

For password-free, onsite access visit:  https://hstalks.com/biosci/

For off-site access, log in with your SGUL network login.

There are various ways to search for lectures, including by subject categories and therapeutic areas.  Talks have also been organised into series within the subject categories, for example: Cancer Genetics or Stroke Prevention

Contact your Liaison Librarians Anna El-Jouzi (FHSCE) aeljouz@sgul.ac.uk or Zena Ali (IMBE) zali@sgul.ac.uk for further information.

Making the most of your Winter Break

This week we have a guest post by DrRosie MacLachlan, Lecturer in Learning Development

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You’ve reached the end of a very busy term, and are looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation. But for many courses, January means not just short-lived resolutions and depleted bank balances, but also assessment deadlines and exams. So how can you make the most of the winter break, taking well-deserved time off to recharge, while also making sure you come back ready to smash those January deadlines? Here are some top tips that we think may help:

Think about your environment

After several hectic months, you may feel you’ve finally settled into an effective study routine. Maybe you’ve found your perfect library desk – distraction-free, and not too noisy – or achieved domestic harmony with housemates keeping you well fed during study sessions. Suddenly, at the end of term, everything changes. If you’re going to be elsewhere during the holidays, don’t let the new environment disrupt your flow; make sure you take some time to think about where you can study. Even if you’re only staying somewhere for a couple of days, choose a space and make it your study zone. Find a table you can work at with no distractions, whether in a local coffee shop or a corner of your bedroom, and train yourself to associate this space with work.

Library Tip: The Library is closed from Friday 23 December 3pm and re-open Monday 2 Jan 9am-9pm (self-service). Computer rooms are accessible throughout this period with a valid ID card.

Make a plan

Let’s be honest, this really has been a busy term. You probably don’t remember everything you’ve heard in every lecture, and the temptation for studying over the holiday may be to plunge straight back into those notes. However, you’ll find you can study much more effectively if you use the extra time to take a step back and consider the long view. How do topics you’ve studied this term connect to each other? Where are there gaps in your knowledge, and can you best fill them? Use your first study sessions of the holidays to review what you’ve achieved so far, and be strategic about what you need to cover next: study smarter, not harder.

Library Tip: For help in organising your study time check out Exam & Essay Survival Hacks book display. Our Wakelet also links to the catalogue records for the books.

Reduce distractions

For lots of people, this time of year is all about catching up with old friends – and renewing family tensions. While you may not be able to control any noisy relatives staying in your house (see tip 1, about finding a good study environment), just as many social distractions are likely to come from your tablet or smart phone. Having a productive break is all about achieving balance: spend time with those you love, and spread the online cheer, but make sure you can focus when you need to. If you struggle with online distractions, programs like Cold Turkey and FocusMe allow you to block certain sites and notifications for a set period of time – turn them on for an hour’s study, and then reward yourself with 15 minutes of social media.

Library Tip:  MBBS student and Learning Advcocate Ele Clancey tried the Forest: Stay Focus app and recommends it as a way of keeping focussed.

Make the most of those around you

If you do have a full house this holiday season, make the most of it. For those preparing written assignments over the break, getting your ideas down in words can be made much easier by first talking them through with someone. This doesn’t need to be someone who knows much about the topic at hand, just someone who is prepared to listen to what you say, and question you on anything that isn’t clear. Equally, if you need to revise for a multiple choice exam, prepare flashcards with all your key definitions and ask somebody else to test you on them. So, next time somebody at home politely asks how your course is going, grab them!

Relax

Finally, make sure you do take time to relax over the next few weeks. Holidays are great for spending time with loved ones, and if you have something special planned give yourself time to switch off and enjoy it. Remember too that short mid-winter days affect energy levels – it’s important to listen to your body and rest when you need it. Make sure you spend some time outside during daylight every day, and don’t forget that (much as we may hate to admit it) there’s life outside your course and St George’s.

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Dr Rosie McLachlan runs the Academic Skills Centre in the Library Foyer

The Academic Skills Centre drop in is now closed for Christmas, and will re-open on Monday 9th January.

Please email Rosie at rmaclach@sgul.ac.uk for a booked appointment or alternative support during this period.

The most up-to-date information will be available on www.vle.sgul.ac.uk (login required) – search for Study+

Library ♥ Moodle: Find out more about the team and the new Pronunciation Guide

This post is about getting the know the Moodle team and also includes a brief introduction to the pronunciation guide for students.

Meet the team (in their own words)

Pete Roberts 

“The Learning Technology Services team (with an emphasis on Learning) look after existing Technology Enhanced Learning platforms – like our Moodle VLE and Myprogress.  

There’s a lot I like about our role in St George’s – for example it’s nice that staff and students can just drop in to see us during the working week. This connects us with our users so we can address issues quickly and make improvements where necessary. I really like the variety, one minute we’ll be helping someone to make a screencast and the next we’ll be helping staff design a learning activity in Moodle – like the pronunciation guide with Dr SanYuMay Tun – which speaks unfamiliar medical terms out loud.  

It’s quite interesting that no one can seem to agree on what a Learning Technologist is – or for that matter the job title which seems to be different at every University, but it’s really a bunch of different skills covering technology and pedagogy.   

It’s taken me a while to realise this, but you really do learn all the time – and skills you don’t even think about from years ago come in very useful. For example I did a BSc in Biological Sciences and recently a PG Cert in Online and Distance education with the Open University – but I regularly draw on experience from every other random thing I’ve ever done – I was in a band, produced videos, developed web sites large and small, was an online journalist, teaching assistant, photographer, sound engineer, ambient DJ and electronic musician. Funnily enough it all helps.”

Kerry Dixon 

“I graduated last summer with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences. As part of my degree I  completed a placement year at St George’s as a Learning Technologist enabling me to gain experience and new skills. After graduating I worked for a while in electronic clinical trial assessment before rejoining St George’s in November. I am interested in science communication/ education and I enjoy creating online learning resources and activities such as quizzes.”

 Jacquelene Gill 

“With a degree in BSc in Managing Business Information and subsequent qualifications in learning and technology I have had a varied background in IS/IT.  I have enjoyed developing systems, training users and managing the implementation/upgrade of various technologies.  I am currently supporting Myprogress (the ePortfolio system used at SGUL) for both students and staff which keeps me busy.  Aside from work I love arts and crafts, knitting, music, singing and the simple things in life.  I do try to incorporate creativity into my work as long as time, resources, ‘brain power’ permit. “

Ludmilla Dias  

“I am currently studying a Computer Science degree at Brunel University London. For my placement year, I am working as a Learning Technologist at St George’s University to gain work experience in relation to my degree. Alongside the Learning Technology Services team, my role involves tasks surrounding Moodle and Myprogress. By the end of my placement, I hope to gain skills that I can use in the future, potentially for my Final Year Project, and further understanding of the career fields I could possibly get into.”

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The Pronunciation Guide on Moodle

The pronunciation guide is a new resource created for students by Dr SanYuMay Tun, with the help of the Moodle team.

She gave us a few words on how she came up with the idea for the guide.

In my teaching sessions, I was finding that students were sometimes hesitating to contribute in discussions because of uncertainty over how to pronounce words they had only come across in written form.

To help with this, I developed an audio pronunciation guide so that you can hear the words spoken aloud and practise saying them confidently. The concept is that I add new words according to requests, which are anonymous. There’s also a feedback page so suggestions and comments would be great. Give it a try!

Dr SanYuMay Tun

The guide can be found in the Student Help Area in Moodle.