WISER: courses for Historians, US Historians and Medievalists, Week 3

During Week 3 Bodleian Libraries will be a hosting a series of WISER events designed to help Oxford historians get the most out of the resources available to them. Sessions will provide useful tips and demonstrations, offering students and researchers opportunities to explore sources including ebooks, bibliographical databases, key online collections and web portals.

On Monday 12th May, ‘Online Resources for Historians‘ will offer a general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources available for all periods of British and Western European history. Aside from an exploration of bibliographical/reference research aids and databases, presenters will provide an insight to ebooks, ejournals, web portals and collections of online primary source materials. Students, researchers and anyone interested in the growing availability of online resources will benefit from this session. Book your place.

Also on Monday 12th May, ‘Sources for US History‘ will deliver an introduction to key information sources and finding tools for the study of colonial America and US History until 1990. For further details on this session, please see earlier blog post, or book your place.

On Friday 16th May, ‘Sources for Medievalists‘ will provide an overview of a range of e-resources relevant to British and Western European medieval studies. The session will include information on bibliographical databases, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Greek/Latin texts, Anglo-Saxon sources, chronicles, charters and literary works. The material presented will be of use not only to students, but also researchers and academics with an interest in this area. Book your place.

If you would like to attend any of these WISER sessions, please book your place using the links provided. For further details, see the posters below.

WISER Online Resources poster

WISER US history posterWISER Medievalist Poster

 

 

WISER: Sources for US History, Monday 12th May

On Monday 12th May, Jane Rawson will be presenting a WISER session on sources for the study of US History. The session will provide a useful overview of key resources available both locally and online, as well as delivering valuable information on the finding tools used to locate them.

Beginning with guidance on locating books, journals, articles and theses, the session will progress to an in-depth discussion of primary sources. A wide range of topics, periods and formats will be covered, with tips provided on how to start identifying the most useful online sources. Attendees will also be encouraged to look at sources which are of personal interest, with time provided for questions.

This WISER session will take place in the Abbot’s Kitchen training room at the Radcliffe Science Library, at 11am on Monday 12th May. The session is recommended as a good general introduction for those either starting their research on US topics or for those who wish to know more about the range of print, microfilm and electronic resources on offer. To attend, book your place here, or see the poster below for further details.

WISER US history poster

Trinity Term training opportunities for 2nd year historians: book your places now!

Working on your thesis? Do you have right research and information skills? Do you need to brush up your Français?

Second year undergraduate historians currently working towards their theses are encouraged to attend newly announced training sessions for Trinity Term. They will provide you with valuable information and support sure to stand you in good stead for your research.

The programme on offer aims to help you with locating and utilising a variety of source materials, whilst equipping you with knowledge on some of the key research tools available. Workshops scheduled include:

Aside from highlighting some of the key resources available locally, these sessions will also provide opportunities for refreshing and upgrading information searching skills. There will be chances to explore databases, e-journals and web portals, along with advanced searches in SOLO and the benefits of using RefWorks to manage your citations during dissertation research. Staff will be on hand to provide step-by-step demonstrations, with opportunities for putting theory into practice also provided.

For further details on these workshops, along with booking information, please visit the HFL website.

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Can’t come to a course?

The handouts and slides of sessions will be made available on HFL WebLearn > Guides & presentations.

Need specialist help?

Isabel Holowaty, Bodleian History Librarian is happy to discuss what sources and literature searching tools are best suited to anybody studying British and Western European history. Email her at isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk to arrange a 1:1.

If you are studying history outside Britain and West Europe, find your subject specialist here.

Do you have the right language skills? 

The Language Centre has a lot to offer for historians wishing to upgrade their language skills or, quite simply, start learning a language. More on this.

WISER: eBooks & eBook readers – Thurs 27 Feb.

WISER: E-books  (Thurs 27 Feb 3.00 – 4.00) (wk 6)
An overview of academic e-books looking at what is currently available in e-format, how to find and access e-books and how to make the most of e-book functionality.
Who is this session for?  All members of Oxford University and other Bodleian Libraries readers
Presenters: Hilla Wait, Jo Gardner and Ian Chilvers
Venue: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road > Book your place

WISER: E-book readers (Thurs 27 Feb 4.15 – 5.15) (wk 6)
How useful are e-book readers in academic work? Can they be used for accessing library materials? What are the features to look out for when considering purchase? These and similar questions will be considered with reference to the i-Pad, the Amazon Kindle and Sony Touch e-readers and smart phones.
Who is this session for? All members of Oxford University and other Bodleian Libraries readers
Presenters: Hilla Wait, Jo Gardner and Ian Chilvers
Venue: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road  > Book your place

Keeping up with Bodleian Libraries training opportunities: Why not follow us on Twitter @oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog.

Questions? – Please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Skills sessions in weeks 7 and 8

Open Access session for historians

open accessOpen Access for historians (Wed 5 June, 13.00-14.00) (wk 7)
If you are an RCUK-funded academic, researcher or student, or are research support staff or an administrator then you will need to know about the recent changes to Open Access (OA). Aimed at historians, this informal session will outline the key open access issues, Gold vs Green routes, publishers’ policies of key history journals, sources of information and support.  No booking is required.

Convenor: Isabel Holowaty (email isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk)
Venue: Rees Davies Room, History Faculty

WISERWISER Information Skills sessions

WISER: Electronic resources in Theology and Philosophy (Wed 5 June 14.00-15.30) (wk 7) – This presentation is especially suitable for undergraduates preparing to work on a thesis or extended essays. It will also serve as a refresher, for all levels of study and research, covering Bibliographical databases, Primary texts and Bible studies, and will include new databases such as 20th Century Theologians.
Venue:  Graduate Training Room,  Radcliffe Humanities.
Presenters:  Hilla Wait > Book now

WISER: Information Sources for African Studies (Fri 7 Jun 9.15-10.45) (wk 7) – This session will cover finding tools for locating African Studies materials, key portals and gateways for African Studies and online archives of primary texts. Starting with a presentation the session will also include time for participants to try out some of the resources demonstrated.
Venue: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road.
Presenters: Lucy McCann and Sarah Rhodes > Book Now

WISER: Alternatives to Google Reader (Fri 7 Jun 11.00-12.15) (wk 7) – Google is closing its popular feed reader, Google Reader on 1 July.  This session will show case alternative RSS feed readers and advise on transferring your favourite feeds with minimum effort.
Venue: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road.
Presenters: Jane Rawson and Angela Carritt > Book Now

WISER: Sources for Medievalists (Wed 12 June 14.00-16.00) (wk 8) – This interdisciplinary session will provide a general overview of  e-resources relevant for British and Western European medieval studies. It will cover bibliographical databases, biographical and reference tools, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Anglo-Saxon sources, Greek/Latin texts, chronicles, charters and literary works.
Venue: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road.
Presenters: Isabel Holowaty, Hilla Wait, Charlotte Goodall, Sue Usher, Eva Oledzka > Book Now

WISER: Mendeley for Reference Management (Fri 14 Jun10.15-12.15) (wk 8) – Mendeley is a relatively new reference management tool and one which is receiving a great deal of extremely positive feedback. It does all the things that traditional reference management packages do (for example allowing you to build up a database of citations and insert them into word processed documents) but also has collaborative features for researchers.   This session will be of interest to anyone looking for an alternative to Endnote and RefWorks as well as those who are new to reference management.
Venue: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road.
Presenter: Oliver Bridle  > Book Now

Keeping up with Bodleian Libraries training opportunities: Why not follow join the WISER mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com

Questions? – Please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Related Links

WISER Workshops LibGuide | HFL Training webpage | Reference management guide

WISER Sources for US History – Tuesday 28 May, 10:45am

Did you know that Oxford has one of the best collections for US History in the UK? Looking for a topic for your thesis? Want to meet an expert?

Learn all about Oxford US studies collections and sources for early America right up to the 1990s which are held in the stunning Vere Harmsworth Library. Jane Rawson, Vere Harmsworth Librarian, has extensive knowledge of the collections and is a fount of information. You can meet her at the following session:

WISER Sources for US History – Tuesday 28 May, 10:45am-12:15pm

IT Services, 13 Banbury Road

A session introducing information sources for the study of colonial America and US history up to 1990. Starting with finding tools to locate material, examples of source materials will then be shown including archival, microform, printed/online collections and useful web portals and audiovisual collections.

Presenter: Jane Rawson, Vere Harmsworth Librarian

Book your place now

WISER US History poster

Training opportunities coming up for historians

Training opportunities in the Bodleian Libraries

During the next few weeks, the Bodleian Libraries will running workshops on open access, sources for historians, RefWorks and reference managements:

open accessOpen Access Oxford – What’s Happening? (various dates – see below) Researchers in receipt of grants from RCUK funding councils issued after 1April 2013 are required to make their research papers open access. Come along to one of our briefing on open access to find out about Green vs. Gold open access publishing; funder mandates and publisher policies; the Oxford Research Archive (ORA) and Symplectic; and how to find more information and help on open access. Who are these sessions for?  These session are open to current members of Oxford University only and are designed for research support staff, librarians, academics and researchers.

Dates:

  • WISER: Open Access Oxford – what’s happening? (all subjects) (Thurs 16 May 11.00-12.00) (wk 4) > Book Now
  • WISER: Open Access Oxford – what’s happening? (all subjects) (Wed 29 May 11.00-12.00) (wk 6) > Book Now
  • Open Access for historians – (Wed. 5 June, 13:00-14:00, Rees Davies Room, History Faculty) > no booking required

WISER Workshops

WISER: Online Resources for Historians (Tue 28 May 9.15-10.30) (wk 6)– A general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods for British and West European history including  bibliographical databases, biographical and reference research aids, e-books and ejournals, web portals and collections of online primary source materials.  > Book Now

WISER: Sources for US History (Tue 28 May 10.45-12.15) (wk 6) – Introduction to key information sources for the study of colonial America and US history up to 1990. Starting with finding tools to locate material, examples of source materials will then be shown including archival, microform, printed/online collections and useful web portals and audiovisual collections. > Book Now

WISER: WISERInformation Sources for African Studies , Fri 7 Jun 9.15-10.45 (TT week 7) – This session will cover finding tools for locating African Studies materials, key portals and gateways for African Studies and online archives of primary texts. Starting with a presentation the session will also include time for participants to try out some of the resources demonstrated. > Book Now

WISER: Sources for Medievalists, Wed 12 June 14.00-16.00 (TT week 8)
This interdisciplinary session will provide a general overview of  e-resources relevant for British and Western European medieval studies. It will cover bibliographical databases, biographical and reference tools, web portals and collections of online primary source materials including Anglo-Saxon sources, Greek/Latin texts, chronicles, charters and literary works. > Book Now

RefWorks for Humanities (Wed 29 May 9.15 – 12.15) (wk 6) – RefWorks is an online tool which allows you to manage your references, insert them into your work, automatically generate bibliographies and easily switch between citation styles. This introduction is open to all, but the section on importing references will focus on Humanities examples.
Who is this session for? Postgraduates, researchers and academics and undergraduates wishing to use reference management software > Book Now

For Historians: RefWorks for Your Thesis, Wed 5 June 14.00-16.00 (TT week 7) *repeated** Thur 13 June 10.30-12.30 (TT week 8)

This session is primarily aimed at 2nd year History Undergraduates and will give a basic introduction on how to use RefWorks for your dissertation and will highlight some of its key features. The session is also open other postgraduates and academics in the History Faculty. > Book now

WISER: Tech Tools – Reference Management (Fri 31 May 9.15-12.15) (wk 6) – Keeping track of your references and formatting them correctly for your thesis or publication is a chore. Reference management software makes it easy and is worth investigating. This introductory session gives an overview of how it works and the pros and cons of RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero and Mendeley.
Who is this session for? Postgraduates, researchers and academics and undergraduates wishing to use reference management software > Book Now

Keeping up with Bodleian Libraries training opportunities: Why not follow join our mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com

Questions? – Please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Training opportunities in the British Library

Finding Early Western Printed Books in the British Library (4 June, 11:00-12:15). This is a new workshop offered by British Library Rare Books Reference Specialists. It provides an overview of reference resources which can help trace hard-to-find early printed material (ca.1455- ca.1900) and enhance using the Library’s main catalogue, Explore the British Library.

Information Skills-Navigating research in the British Library (15 May and 12 June, 3-4pm). This course covers the basic skills needed for someone starting a research project. It will show you how to locate information on your subject within the British Library Collections.

These sessions are free.  You can book a place by email (hrs-training@bl.uk).

Related Links

WISER Workshops LibGuide | HFL Training webpage | British Library training sessions webpage

Sessions on digital images and open access plus Thesis Fair this week

Workshops

There are two WISER sessions coming up in weeks 3 and 4 this term:
Digital images: ARTstor, Bridgeman Education and VADS for teaching and learning  (Tue 07 May 14:00-16:00) (wk 3)
The course examines two major digital image collections subscribed to by the University – ARTstor and Bridgeman Education – and a third resource, free for educational use, VADS. All of these are geared to research and teaching in the humanities, history of science and medicine, and social sciences. Viewing, presenting and managing images are also covered.
Presenters: Clare Hills Nova and Vicky Brown > Book Now
 
WISER: Open Access Oxford – what’s happening? (Thu 16 May 11.00-12.00) (wk 4)

A briefing on open access for research publications and Oxford’s position: Green vs. Gold; funder mandates and publisher policies; Oxford Research Archive (ORA) and Symplectic; new OA website/ helpline.
Presenters: Craig Finlay and Andy Kernot > Book Now

Keeping up with Bodleian Libraries training opportunities
Why not follow join our mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com.

Not a member of Oxford University?
If you are not a current member of Oxford University but would like to attend a workshop please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Please quote your Bodleian readers card barcode number.

Questions?
Please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

plant 474 x 267 morguefile ANThesis Fair for 2nd year historians

Thursday 9 May 2.30-4.30pm
North Writing Schools, Exam Schools, High Street, Oxford

The Thesis Fair is running on Thursday afternoon and is an opportunity to talk to expert librarians, archivists and other subject specialists about how to find resources for your subject.  Whether you’re still picking your topic or have already started researching, advice is available on resources, skills training, reference management and tips on how to manage your thesis from a fellow student. This is a drop in session throughout the afternoon, 2.30-4.30pm and no booking is necessary.

Related Links WISER Workshops LibGuide | Bodleian History Faculty Library Training webpage | Thesis Fair Webpage | Reference Management LibGuide | Contact Us

WISER: Open Access Oxford – what’s happening? Briefings 16 May and 29 May

open accessIf you are an RCUK-funded academic, researcher or student, or are research support staff or an  administrator then you will need to know about the recent changes to Open Access (OA). WISER: Open Access Oxford – what’s happening?  is a briefing sessions on open access for research publications and Oxford’s position: Green vs. Gold; funder mandates and publisher policies; Oxford Research Archive (ORA) and Symplectic; new OA website/ helpline.

Key topics

  • Introduction – What is open access?
  • Key terms – Gold, Green, APCs
  • How to find out about research council or funder requirements
  • How to find out what your publisher will allow
  • Green route – how to deposit in ORA
  • Gold route and how to claim for APCs
  • Where to get more help

When & how to book

4th week Thursday 16 May 11:00-12:00, IT Training Room, Social Science Library

6th week Wednesday 29 May 11:00-12:00, Training Room, Radcliffe Science Library

Places are still available but these are popular sessions. Book your place here: http://courses.it.ox.ac.uk/detail/TZW7. If you can’t attend, do check out the excellent Open Access at Oxford website or get in touch with isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you have questions re: journal self-archiving policies, APCs, etc.

Other useful links:

Open Access for Historians

ORA (Oxford Research Archive)

Sherpa/FACT: funders & authors compliance tool

Training sessions in Week 7 on maps and reference management

Next week Bodleain Libraries will be running a workshop on Mendeley for reference management:

mapsArcGIS Workshop for Historians (Wed 27 Feb 14.00-17.00) (wk 7)
This practical session provides an introduction to the use of GIS in historical research and analysis. It will focus on making historical maps of study areas, using symbology (colour coding etc.) to encode historical statistics and other information and extracting geographical data from scans of historic maps.
Convenor: Michael Athanson, Deputy Map Librarian, Bodleian Library
Venue: Training Room, Radcliffe Science Library > Book now

WISER: Mendeley for Reference Management (Wed 27 Feb 14.00-16.00) (wk 7)   Mendeley is a relatively new reference management tool and one which is receiving a great deal of extremely positive feedback. It does all the things that traditional reference management packages do (for example allowing you to build up a database of citations and insert them into word processed documents) but also has collaborative features for researchers.  mendeley

This session will be of interest to anyone looking for an alternative to Endnote and RefWorks as well as those who are new to reference management. > Book now
Presenter: Oliver Bridle

Keeping up with Bodleian Libraries training opportunities
Why not follow join our mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com.

Not a member of Oxford University?
If you are not a current member of Oxford University but would like to attend a workshop please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Please quote your Bodleian readers card barcode number.

Questions?
Please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Related Links WISER Workshops LibGuide | Maps LibGuide | Bodleian History Faculty Library Training webpage | Reference Management LibGuide | Contact Us