Easter Holiday Library Update

The Easter holidays are just around the corner, but whether you’re planning to spend the next few weeks close to St George’s or a little further afield, we hope that our online services and support will make you feel that help with your studies is never too far away. Below we’ve put together some quick reminders of just some of the help and resources you can access no matter where you are.

Online books and articles

Our search tool, Hunter, is the best starting point for discovering e-books and journal articles that you can access from anywhere using your St George’s login and password.

• to find articles, select Articles and more from the dropdown menu
• to find e-books, select Books and more from the dropdown menu. Then use the filter options to limit your results to Online Resources.

E-learning tools

Your St George’s login also gives you access to our collection of online learning tools, many of them using video, quizzes and other interactive features to help you master topics. Try out some of our new and popular resources from the links below, or view a full list here.

• *New* Complete Anatomy – a powerful 3D anatomy platform that also features lectures, quizzes and more. Install the app from the app store on your device, then use our activation code to set up your free account.
• LWW Health Library – a large, searchable collection of key texts, videos, cases and self-assessment questions. We have access to all content in the Medical Education and Occupational Therapy collections.
• BMJ Learning – hundreds of accredited and peer-reviewed learning modules.
• JoVE Science Education – video tutorials in biology, chemistry and clinical skills.

Complete Anatomy is our newest online learning tool. Find instructions to install it on your device here.

Having trouble logging in to view an e-book, article or online resource? Our PDF guide or short video on offsite access may be able to help. Otherwise, email us at journals@sgul.ac.uk and we’ll try to resolve the issue.

Help with writing assignments and referencing

We have a large collection of books that can help with planning and writing assignments, both on the shelves and as e-books – this search in Hunter brings together lots of these titles. (Use the Online Resources filter on the left to show just e-books that you can access straight away). Our Writing for Assessment collection brings together resources on academic writing, study skills and dissertations and much more.

For a refresher on referencing, have a look at the Referencing Essentials unit in the Library Module on Canvas (login required). This includes a helpful guide to using Cite Them Right, the book and website that show you how to reference in the style used at St George’s. You can access the online version of Cite Them Right here.

If you’re working on a longer project or dissertation, you might be thinking about using a reference management tool to help organise your sources. St George’s supports RefWorks, and you can learn more about this web-based software and how use it in our blog post, RefWorks LibGuide or series of RefWorks videos.

Don’t forget your Liaison Librarians can answer any research or referencing enquiries you might have. Get in touch by emailing liaison@sgul.ac.uk or coming to one of our daily online drop-ins.

Easter weekend opening hours

Over the long Easter weekend from 2nd April to 5th April, the library and computer rooms will be open 9am to 9pm. There will be self-service only with security staff on hand. The helpdesk will not be staffed during this time. We will reopen on 6th April at 8 am.
After Easter, we resume normal opening hours, 8am to 11pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm Saturday and Sunday. The helpdesk will be staffed 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Should you have any questions about opening hours or our service, please email library@sgul.ac.uk. Don’t forget to check our website about our current capacity on our Covid-19 response page.

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!

Libraries Week 2019: Celebrating our Content and Digital Infrastructure team

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.

---

Today’s post features a contribution from our Content and Digital Infrastructure Team and will be highlighting what goes on behind the scenes to facilitate user access to our physical and digital resources.

In terms of connecting our library users to content, digital has transformed the parameters of our service and brought many benefits to our users, but with it has also come additional complexities and challenges. The Content and Digital Infrastructure team work together closely to meet these challenges and facilitate the opportunities offered by digital innovations to better meet the information needs of our users.

Meet the team

Lawrence Jones, our Content and Digital Infrastructure Manager, oversees the library’s activities in this area and has particular responsibility for systems such as our Library Management System and our library search tool Hunter – these integrated systems enable all the core activities around the library from access to the library space itself through to finding and accessing articles online.

Clementina Sanchez, our Acquisitions Librarian, supported by Georgina Coles, Information Assistant – takes care of the purchase, processing and cataloguing of books and e-books to ensure our book stock is kept current and in good condition – ready for when you need it!

Verity Allison, our Journals and E-resources Librarian, supported by Hilary Garrett, Information Assistant – manages the journals that the library subscribes to along with other specialist e-resources such as healthcare databases like Medline, and audio-visual resources such as Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy.

Interlibrary Loans Team – AKA Jane Appleton and Hilary Garrett, Information Assistants, locate books and articles from outside our collections on those occasions when we just don’t have the item you’re after.

Further information about using our resources can be found on the Using the Library webpages and on our  Help with Library Resources webpages.

How do we use technology to support our users?

Using the benefits of digital to enhance our physical services

The move from print to electronic journals has had a fairly dramatic impact on the physical layout of the library. With most journal subscriptions now online, we no longer require the rows and rows of shelving to accommodate print copies and can offer far more study spaces, which is of real benefit to our users today. The slideshow below shows before/after images of our silent study section after our last refurbishment:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In addition to this, recent upgrades to our Library Management System, Entry Gates and the installation of RFID self-service machines have made it easier than ever for our library users to self-manage their library accounts and borrowing activities, enabling the library to offer extended 24-hour opening. As long as users have their ID/Library access card with them they can access study spaces in the libraries and computer rooms 24 hours a day, borrow and return books throughout the day or night. Given the 24-hour nature of healthcare this facilitates better access for both our students and NHS trust users, as access to the library and our resources can be accommodated around any shift or study pattern.

To further support continuity of access for our users, our collection development policy supports where possible the purchase of e-book copies in supplement to print copies for reading list materials – so even if a physical copy of the book is not available, or if you are unable to be onsite, the content remains available.

Using the benefits of digital to enhance online access

The Library now manages access to thousands of journal titles, far in excess of what we ever could have accommodated physically in print, giving staff and students at St George’s access to far more content than before, with the added convenience that in most cases it can be accessed from anywhere and at any time.

However, with online journals the Library typically licenses the content for a specific period of time, whereas with print journals we owned the volumes and issues of the journals we purchased. The Journals and e-resources team negotiate the terms and conditions of these licences with our suppliers each year, making these transactions far more complex, but giving us the opportunity to ensure the licence enables us to use the content in ways that meet our needs in the ever changing Digital context. For example, in recent years we have seen improvements in licence terms around the use of content in VLEs (Virtual Learning Environments – such as Canvas, used at St George’s, University of London) to better support teaching and learning, and improvement in terms around data-mining to support research activities.

Supporting access to online subscriptions also requires maintaining a number of key systems, such as our link resolver, in addition to the more conventional library catalogue – which is also completely digital these days. The upgrades to our Library Management System and Library Search Tool – Hunter, implemented over the last two years have now integrated the functionality of the library catalogue and link resolver in to a single search tool, Hunter, enabling users to search in one place for books, journals, articles and more with live holdings information for all books and links through to the full text of articles that we have access to. These full text links are also integrated in to our other healthcare databases, and popular free tools such as Google Scholar (some set-up steps required, see below) and PubMed – look for the ‘Find it @ SGUL’ links to check for availability via St George’s Library.

Get connected, get creative and learn new skills

Use our library search tool Hunter– it is designed to search on material that St George’s University of London owns/subscribes to, focusing your search on the high-quality information resources selected by St George’s academics, researchers and librarians that you will be able to access with your university login.

Set up ‘Find it @ SGUL’ links in Google Scholar – for easier access to the full text of your search results where available via St George’s Library:

1. Click on the menu at the top left of the Google Scholar home page
2. Select ‘Settings’
3. Select ‘Library links’
4. Search for ‘st george’
5. Select ‘St George’s University of London’
6. Click Save

Bookmark the Library’s PubMed link: this link is customised to our holdings so that you will see ‘Find it @ SGUL’ links in for your PubMed search results, giving you easier access to the full text where available via St George’s Library.

Check for access via your local library:

At St George’s Library we manage a highly specialist collection – occasionally we get requests for resources which are just too general for our service but these can often be accessed for free via your local library. Wandsworth Libraries provide online access to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Oxford Dictionaries Online, and Press Reader (offers instant access to over 4000 newspapers and magazines) and more…why not register online today?

Need help?

We can provide help and support in person from the Library’s Helpdesk and Research Enquiries Desk, or if you have a query for a specific member of the team contact us on journals@sgul.ac.uk

We look forward to hearing from you.

Placing Holds: a quick guide

Books that are out on loan can be reserved in a few quick steps using the Library’s search tool, Hunter.

After finding the book you want, select Check availability of print copies to find out whether it’s available:

If all copies are out on loan, you’ll be able to reserve a copy. Just follow the three steps below:

If you haven’t already, sign in to Hunter.

• SGUL staff and students can sign in with their SGUL username and password
• NHS staff can find out their Hunter login by asking at the Library helpdesk or emailing library@sgul.ac.uk

After you sign in, a Place hold option appears. Click here…

…and select Request

Hunter confirms that your hold is placed:

When a copy of the book becomes available you’ll receive an email, and will then have one week to collect it from the Library Helpdesk.

International Women’s Day 2019

 

Happy International Women’s Day!

There’s plenty of superb female writing talent in the Library, from our own St George’s academics, to classic and contemporary fiction writers. As we were celebrating reading for pleasure during World Book Day yesterday, we thought we’d mark #IWD2019 by pulling together a selection of female-authored fiction titles available in the Library.

You can find these and the rest of our fiction on the shelves at PN3353, but if you’d like to browse them online, click the image below. Each item is linked to its Hunter record, so you can check to see whether a copy is available to borrow. If it’s on loan, remember you can place a hold by signing in to Hunter:

 

International Women’s Day is all about celebrating women’s achievements, so there’s no better day to mark the accomplishments of our first four female medical students. Admitted in 1915 due to a shortage of men during the First World War, two of them are pictured below. Helen Ingleby (L) & Hetty Ethelberta Claremont (R) went on to have successful careers in the medical profession.

You can read more about ‘The First Women of St George’s’ in this interactive timeline. Click the image below for more details, or read our profile of pioneering female medics during the First World War.

Festive reading from St George’s Library

Library staff have been busy searching Hunter this week to find some scientific (and not-so-scientific) festive reading for you, all in the name of spreading some good cheer. Have a look at our highlights below – we’ve linked to the Hunter record or full-text where possible.

---

Have you ever wondered why Rudolph’s nose is red? This intriguing observational study from 2012 sheds some light on the matter:

Intrigued by the occupational health hazards that Father Christmas might experience in his very unique role? This commentary explores some of the issues and recommends a comprehensive workplace occupational health program for the man himself:

That isn’t the only paper that is concerned with Father Christmas’ calorie consumption. The authors below present some quite worrying calculations:

Other researchers have concentrated their efforts on debunking the ‘naughty or nice’ myth, concluding that there are a number of socioeconomic reasons why Santa is, unfortunately, less likely to visit children in hospital. This is thankfully counterbalanced by the wonderful work NHS staff do to make the festive period special for their patients:

This next paper demonstrates that decorating your Christmas tree might not be such a festive activity if you have a colophonium allergy:

Finally, if you aren’t a Brussels sprouts fan, but feel duty-bound to eat some over the holidays, you might be pleased to hear that a nice glass of tannin-rich Cabernet Sauvignon might help improve the taste:

 

Happy reading!

 

References:

Carpenter, G. et al. (2018) ‘Wine astringency reduces flavour intensity of Brussels sprouts’. To be published in Journal of Texture Studies [Preprint]. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jtxs.12378 (Accessed: 18 December 2018).

Gether, L., Gyldenløve, M. and Thyssen, J.P. (2017) ‘Christmas tree dermatitis caused by colophonium allergy’, Contact Dermatitis, 77(6), pp. 412-414. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cod.12798 (Accessed: 18 December 2018).

Ince, C. et al. (2012) ‘Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study’, BMJ, 345:e8311, pp. 1-6. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/345/bmj.e8311.full.pdf (Accessed: 18 December 2018).

Park, J.J. et al. (2016) ‘Dispelling the nice or naughty myth: retrospective observational study of Santa Claus’, BMJ, 355:i6355, pp. 1-5. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/355/bmj.i6355.full.pdf (Accessed: 18 December 2018).

Straube, S. and Fan, X. (2015) ‘The occupational health of Santa Claus’, Journal of Occupational Health and Toxicology, 10(44), pp. 1-3. Available: https://occup-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12995-015-0086-1 (Accessed: 18 December 2018).

Wormser, G.P. and Ladenheim, A. (2018) ‘How many calories did Santa Claus consume on Christmas Eve?’, Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 130(1-2), pp. 73-75. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00508-017-1306-8 (Accessed: 18 December 2018).

September Update

Whether you’re back in Tooting or still a little further afield, the Library has a range of help and resources that you can connect to from (almost) anywhere, helping you get a headstart on your studies for the new semester.

Access online resources with your SGUL login

Use the new-look Hunter to search for e-books and online journal articles that you can access from anywhere with an internet connection.

• To find e-books, drop down to ‘Books and more’ before you search, then use the filter options to narrow your results to Online Resources.

• Search in ‘Articles and more’ to find online journal articles and similar material.

To open the full e-book or article, follow the links under ‘View Online’ and enter your SGUL login and password. You can find more help in our PDF guide to accessing e-resources from offsite.

For more advice about finding resources in Hunter, see the Hunter FAQs.

---

More online resources, including Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy, BMJ Best Practice and DynaMed Plus, can be found in the Databases A-Z.

• Find a resource in the A-Z list then follow the link for offsite access
• Enter your SGUL login and password to access

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Find more information about online resources and apps in the Useful Apps section of our Library Essentials LibGuide.

Forgotten/Expired password?

Use this link to reset it from offsite.

Note: you must have already set up an external email address and if you don’t receive a reset email, check your junk mail folder.

---

Contact the Library for help

The Library remains open 7 days a week, with 24 hour opening returning from Monday 17th September.

The Library Helpdesk is staffed as usual from 8am to 6pm every weekday. Call in and see us, or phone us on 020 8725 5466.

The Research Enquiries Desk can help with more in-depth queries about finding resources, referencing and more. Drop in or phone 020 8725 5514 during the RED’s staffed hours (see below).

Alternatively, email a query to liaison@sgul.ac.uk and a liaison librarian will get back to you.

	Summer	From Sep 17th
Library Opening Hours	Mon to Fri: 8am – 11pm Sat and Sun: 9am – 9pm	24 hours
Library Helpdesk staffed	Mon to Fri: 8am – 6pm	Mon to Fri: 8am – 6pm
Research Enquiries Desk staffed	Mon to Fri: 12pm – 2pm*	Mon to Fri: 11am – 2pm* from Sep 11th

*subject to change

Find more information about these and other services – including support with IT and academic writing – in the Getting help section of our Library Essentials LibGuide.

Hunter’s New Look

Hunter has had a makeover for the new term. While the search tool’s features remain the same, it has a fresh new look which will change the way you use and navigate Hunter. Read this blog post for a quick guide to some of the cosmetic changes that have been made to Hunter’s interface, or see our Hunter FAQs for further guidance.

Homepage
Searching
Viewing item records
Using ‘My Account’
Using your eShelf

 

Homepage

Hunter’s new homepage has a clean design with a search bar for all of our resources embedded in the centre of the page. The homepage header provides links to your account, interlibrary loans, databases and more. You can sign in on the top right hand corner for full functionality.

You’ll find links to our social media accounts and library blog along the bottom of the page. You can like or follow our accounts to keep up-to-date with the library.

 

Searching

Hunter’s search ‘widget’ has had a facelift and is now a deep blue instead of orange – you will find this embedded on the Library website and in our LibGuides. It will continue to perform the same search functions as before. You are still encouraged to select the category that you would like to search from the drop down list. You should then type in some keywords from your search topic and select ‘Search’ to view your search results.

Viewing item records

After performing a search you will see a list of search results displayed on your device. You can click on each individual result to view the item record which will appear in a pop-up window.  This will include information on full text and borrowing availability and you will be encouraged to sign-in to your account for full functionality. The slideshow below shows some examples of what a book, article and journal record look like in this updated version of Hunter:

 

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Using ‘My Account’

By signing-in to Hunter in the top-right hand side of the page, you will be able to view detailed information on your borrowing history, current loans, fines and hold requests. The overview section offers a quick snapshot of your account but the following tabs offer more detail about your Library record:

Loans: This tab will show you a list of items you currently have on loan and their due dates. You can also change the drop-down arrow to view your previous borrowing history.

Requests: This tab will highlight any items on which you have placed a hold. Click this tab to check your place in the queue, or cancel your request if you no longer need the book.

Fine + Fees: This tab will include the details of any fines or fees associated with your record. These might include fines for overdue items, or invoice and administration fees for lost or damaged books.

 

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Using your eShelf

Your eShelf will remain active and any items that you have previously added will automatically be transferred over to the new Hunter interface. The eShelf has a new icon, the pin graphic, which you can select to add items you want to save. The pin icon in the top right hand side of the page will take you to your eShelf.

The different tabs within your eShelf will allow you to view your save records as well as any previous searches you have saved. If you have lost track of your searches in a particular browsing session, you can view your search history for a reminder. More detailed guidance on adding, managing and removing items/searches from your eShelf will be published shortly.

 

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

We hope you’ll agree that the new interface looks and feel more modern and offers a more intuitive search experience. Further guidance is available in the Hunter FAQs on the library website. If you have any questions about Hunter, you can email us at liaison@sgul.ac.uk or a member of Helpdesk staff will be happy help anytime during staffed hours (Mon-Fri 8am – 6pm)

Coming soon: a new look for Hunter

Back in December 2017 we launched our new library management system and an upgraded version of Hunter. Since then, library staff have been busy behind the scenes delivering more improvements to our search tool.

Hunter’s last upgrade saw a number of changes, including automatic renewals and more detailed item availability, but the interface largely remained the same. This time,  familiar Hunter features will remain, including your e-Shelf and Library account, but the look and feel of Hunter will be quite different.

‘New look’ Hunter will be going live on Friday 3rd August 2018. Here’s a sneak peak of what you can expect…

Hunter Search Bar

Article View

Library Account View

A-Z Journals

Rest assured, library staff will be on hand to help you get used to the new look and we’ll be providing updated, detailed guidance on using Hunter in due course. Keep an eye out for further blog posts or contact us at liaison@sgul.ac.uk if you have any questions.

 

 

Quick Guide to Placing Holds

 

 

 

 

It’s now easier than ever to reserve a book that’s out on loan using the Library’s search tool, Hunter.

First check the Locations tab to find out whether the book you want is available. If all copies are out on loan, you’ll be able to reserve a copy. Just follow the three steps below:

If you haven’t already, sign in to Hunter.

• SGUL staff and students can sign in with their SGUL username and password
• NHS staff can find out their Hunter login (which is different from the Library username and password) by asking at the Library Helpdesk or emailing library@sgul.ac.uk

After you sign in, a Place hold option appears. Click here…

…and select Request.

 

Hunter confirms that your hold is placed.

When a copy of the book becomes available you’ll receive an email, and will then have one week to collect it from the Library Helpdesk.