Michaelmas Term is here again and with it the changeable weather!
Welcome to those returning and to new students at the start of a new year. We will be blogging about new developments in electronic sources in a couple of days but for now some developments within the Law Library.
For those new to the Law Bod, we do not usually have parts of the upper floor wrapped in plastic. Due to a mixture of work on the roof and the weather we have had two leaks which seems to have chosen the US section as their target. We are pleased to say that no books have been harmed, but do ask a member of staff if you need any books that are not accessible. (The ceiling repair will be done as soon as possible.)
Unfortunately other building work is still ongoing and so the Library may not always be a sanctuary of peace and quiet this term. We apologise for any inconvenience, we are hoping that this will be finished before the end of 2011. If you do find yourself in the Law Bod and the noise becomes too much, we can offer ear plugs free of charge (and obviously yours to keep!): just ask at the Main Enquiry desk.
We blogged a couple of weeks ago for the early birds that had come back to Oxford about the change in the catalogue. Those of you returning will find that OLIS (the former Bodleian Libraries catalogue) is no more. It has been completely replaced by SOLO. New students will discover its delights during induction. For old hands, all OLIS functions, including searching the catalogue and ordering books from remote storage (stack books), are now done via SOLO: in some cases with a slight change in terminology. There is online guidance on using SOLO in our Libguide at http://ox.libguides.com/solo. There are also practical workshops you can sign up to throughout the term: details at http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/services/training/solo-workshops. Finally, there is a live instant chat service which you can use on the main SOLO page if you are struggling (or find your nearest friendly librarian).
Other news: Our extended opening hours will start on Saturday 8th October for the term. For details on these (under term time hours) and current opening hours see our webpage at http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/law/about/opening. We have also organised a range of classes this term, full details are on the classes page. These include sessions on legal subjects ranging from Legal History to EU Legal Resources. This term we are also offering more practical sessions on the major legal databases which will be on Tuesday afternoons you are all welcome to come along. A reminder that we also have a ‘Book a Librarian’ service.
We hope you have an enjoyable and productive term and look forward to seeing you all.