Do you need a book or resource that we don’t currently stock?

Posted on 20 March 2024 by lhoward

We have a wide range of books and resources at the RSL – but if we don’t have what you want, we can try and source or purchase it for you, via our Recommend a Purchase scheme.

Photo (c) John Cairns

If a book or another resource that you need for your studies or research is not currently held in the libraries or online, we will be happy to find it for you, if we can. The Recommend a Purchase option is a valuable additional tool, and we welcome suggestions and recommendations from both students and staff.

You can submit a request via Bodleian Libraries website (SSO required) – but before submitting a request, do check SOLO to make sure the resource is not already available in Oxford. You can also use our inter-library loan service.

Our specialist subject librarians liaise with various divisions and departments to ensure we purchase books and resources that are useful and meet the requirements of both staff and students. When completing the form, please give us as much detail as possible about the book or resource that you are recommending – the more information you give, the more helpful it will be for us.

We can purchase print books and e-books where they are available. This can include out-of-print books, and foreign language material.

Your request will then be passed on to the relevant subject librarian for consideration, and you will be notified of the outcome in due course.

Credit: Arcaion, Pixabay

Have you tried BrowZine?

Posted on 15 March 2024 by lhoward

Have a browse on BrowZine. This helpful tool collates thousands of articles from multiple publishers and hundreds of platforms, making browsing quick and easy, and saving time searching for what you want.

BrowZine enables seamless access to all the electronic journals licensed by the Bodleian Libraries since 2005 – and it has also been integrated with SOLO, so with one click on an article you can download a pdf of it, go to the article on the web, and view the contents page of the journal issue.

Browsing couldn’t be more convenient with BrowZine. It breaks down journals into familiar subjects – and you can just click on each subject to see a list of categories within that subject. Look at all the journals under your specialist area, or select a category within it – and there are subcategories too so you can break it down into further specialisms to focus your study and research interests.

Just to give a little taster, on the BrowZine homepage you can see a list of subjects, such as Earth and Environmental Sciences:

If you click on Earth and Environmental Sciences, you will see categories such as Geosciences:

If you click on Geosciences, you will see subcategories such as Geomorphology:

Additional Features

Set up a personal account on BrowZine so that you can gain access to additional features. Use My Bookshelf to track your favourite journals, and use My Articles to save your favourite article, so you can return again and again to your favourite items quickly and easily.

BrowZine has access to all the electronic journals that the University of Oxford has subscribed to since 2005. For older articles and journals, you can browse SOLO or just click on See All in BrowZine and it will open that journal in SOLO.

The lower-ground floor of the Radcliffe Science Library is CLOSED next week

Posted on 12 March 2024 by lhoward

The lower-ground floor of the Radcliffe Science Library will be CLOSED from 18 March 2024 for up to one week.

This is to ensure necessary building work can be completed, including updating the doors to make the pathways through the library easier.

During this time, there will be no access to the Wellbeing Room, Group Study Room 1, the John Kidd Room or the individual study carrells.

The rest of the library will be open as usual – it is just the lower-ground floor that will be closed.

Credit: Tim Mossholder, Unsplash

There are a range of study spaces available in other Bodleian Libraries. Check out our previous post for some of our favourite spots.

We apologise for any inconvenience and will try to complete the works as quickly as possible.

If you would like further information or have any questions, please contact us: enquiries.rsl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Have a great break!

Posted on 8 March 2024 by lhoward

Term is finishing up and the break is fast approaching. We hope you have a restful and relaxing break – but if you need to get in a bit of work, we have plenty of tips on how to access the RSL and our resources.

Credit: Anna Demianenko, Unsplash

Opening hours

We are moving to vacation opening hours from Week 9, Monday 11 March.

The Library will be open:

Monday – Friday: 9am–7pm
Saturday: 10am–2pm
Sunday: Closed

Full details of library opening hours can be found here

While you’re away

While you’re away from Oxford, we have a wealth of online resources to enable you to continue your studies remotely.

SOLO

You can access the full text of many resources via SOLO when logged in with your Single Sign-On (SSO) ID – look for the green Online access icon to find these.

If a book you need is not available as an ebook, then we may be able to purchase one – complete the book recommendation form to put in your request.

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO)

ORLO provides 24/7 access to reading lists from a range of devices via your Oxford Single Sign-On ID.

E-journals

All e-journals can be found on SOLO and BrowZine. BrowZine provides access to journals licensed by the Bodleian Libraries from 2005 onwards.

Databases

All of Oxford’s databases are accessible via SOLO (filter by Databases under Resource Type) and also via Databases A-Z.

LibGuides

LibGuides list key subject-specific resources, including e-books, e-journals, databases and other resources available online. Check out our subject-specific LibGuides.

Happy holidays!

Find out more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with our Book Display

Posted on 8 March 2024 by lhoward

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has captured the imagination of scholars and scientists for decades. The field of AI is now rapidly evolving and its impact on various fields is becoming increasingly evident.

We have curated a small book display that you can view in the break out area at the RSL. These titles offer insights into various facets of AI, from its history to current advancements, and applications in various disciplines, such as chemistry and computational biology. Other titles investigate the intersection of neuroscience and AI or examine the ethical and societal implications of AI technologies. These books are all available in SOLO.

Book Display

Sejnowski, T. J. (2018) The Deep Learning Revolution.
Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark Q325.5 SEJ 2018.

Levesque, H. J. (2017) Common Sense, the Turing Test, and the Quest for Real AI.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark Q335 LEV 2017.

Wooldridge, M. J. (2021) The Road to Conscious Machines: The Story of AI
UK? Pelican, an imprint of Penguin Books.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL.

Summerfield, C. (2023) Natural General Intelligence: How understanding the brain can help us build AI
First edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Valls, A. & Gibert, K. (2022) Women in Artificial intelligence (AI)
Basel: MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Available as an ebook.

Rout, R. K. (ed.) (2023) Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Computational Biology
First edition. [Online]. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Available as an ebook.

Cartwright, H. M. (ed.) (2020) Machine Learning in Chemistry: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence London: Royal Society of Chemistry.

Available as an ebook.

Boden, M. A. (2016) AI: Its nature and future
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Chellappa, R. & Niiler, E. (2022) Can We Trust AI?
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Cirillo, D. et al. (eds.) (2022) Sex and Gender Bias in Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Biomedicine and Healthcare Applications
First edition. London: Academic Press.

Available as an ebook.

Photograph of Artificial Intelligence book display

Find the book display in the break out area in the lower ground floor.

Check out our Resource of the Month – CAB Abstracts

Posted on 4 March 2024 by lhoward

The RSL has a huge collection of physical and electronic materials. We have so much that we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of our items, whether recently added or an existing collection item. The resources are recommended by our knowledgeable subject librarians, who are excited to show off parts of the collection for their subject.

This month’s selector is:

Ollie Bridle

Subject Librarian – Life Sciences and Non-clinical Medicine
Subject Librarian for Biochemistry, Biology, Forestry, Pharmacology, Plant Sciences and Zoology

Ollie has selected CAB Abstracts by CABI, available on SOLO

Brief description

CAB Abstracts is an applied life sciences database, providing over 10.4 million records. If you are researching topics touching on forestry, agriculture, crop science, environmental sciences or nature conservation and biodiversity, CAB Abstracts can be a fruitful place to search for literature. Here’s why:

It has wide, international coverage, with material from over 120 countries in 50 languages
Every record is provided with an English language abstract
Extensive grey literature content is included – including bulletins, annual reports, field notes and technical reports
Each record is professionally indexed with terms from the CAB Thesaurus to make comprehensive topic searching easier

Credit: Manfred Antranias Zimmer, Pixabay

Who is this useful for?

This resource is useful for students and researchers at any level who are researching topics in applied life sciences. It is particularly useful for those researching topics in forestry, agriculture and environmental sciences.

How can I access it?

This database is available through SOLO. It is searched using the OVID database platform. To access it off campus, use the VPN or sign in to the journal platform with your Single Sign On (SSO).

Science and Medicine

A Bodleian Libraries blog

Author Archives: lhoward

Do you need a book or resource that we don’t currently stock?

Have you tried BrowZine?

The lower-ground floor of the Radcliffe Science Library is CLOSED next week

Have a great break!

Find out more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with our Book Display

Book Display

Check out our Resource of the Month – CAB Abstracts