Improving our websites with your help

Posted on 7 August 2023 by rachelscanlon

The Research Data Oxford and Open Access Oxford websites both provide University members with essential information and resources to help with publishing and managing research. We are currently undertaking projects to improve both these websites so that information is shown in a more user-friendly way and that the content on both sites is aligned with the needs of students, researchers, administrators and academics.

At this stage, we would particularly like to invite researchers and research support staff for their feedback on both websites. Participants will meet with an external consultant via videoconference. The usability testing does not involve technical questions, and it is not a test of your knowledge or skills: it is about understanding how the websites help (or hinder) researchers and research support staff in their work. It doesn’t matter if you have little or no experience of Open Access and/or research data management: it’s important to get feedback from people who are new to the topics as well as those with more expertise.

The aims of the tests are to:

Understand what users want and what’s needed in order for them to meet Research Data Management/Open Access obligations
Determine how well the websites fit into established workflows
Consider and prioritise enhancements to the websites to improve the user experience

The user testing sessions will be recorded, and these recordings will be securely stored for a reasonable time by the Bodleian Libraries for future reference to support website improvements.

When is this happening?

There are two rounds of user testing:

1st round in September 2023
2nd round in November 2023

You will be needed for one round of user testing only – i.e. September OR November, at a time convenient for you. The testing session will take a maximum of 90 minutes to cover both websites.

If you are interested in participating, please email Tony Langley.

Disability Pride Month

Posted on 5 July 2023 by rachelscanlon

In the United States, July is disability pride month and it is being acknowledged in more places. Bodleian Libraries offers a range of services to disabled readers.

Our webpage Services for disabled readers, details the services we can offer including:

Guide to physical accessibility in Bodleian Libraries
ARACU can provide alternative formats to printed materials
SensusAccess a fully automated service that converts your documents into alternative formats

All Bodleian Libraries have a local disability liaison, who can discuss access and specific arrangements for you at that library. Marija Babić is the liaison for the Radcliffe Science Library.

RSL Refurbishment update

Posted on 9 June 2023 by rachelscanlon

We recently went on another site visit to the Radcliffe Science Library (RSL). The team from Morgan & Sindall have done great work and things are progressing well. Walls are going up and cables for data and electricity are going in.

The refurbishment has encountered many delays, since the RSL was closed in January 2020. Along with the Covid pandemic there has been significant amounts of asbestos found in the building. A whopping 660 tonnes has been removed so now the building is safe for occupation. That’s the same weight as 66 walrusses or 66 giraffes, if you use metric.

: The old entrance needs a little bit of work.

: But inside things are starting to come together.

: The library team were very impressed with our visit.

Reading Rooms

The reading rooms upstairs look great. The shelves are up and they’re adding the lights. The big windows and lovly views are still here. The reading rooms will be filled with a mixture of the chairs selected by our readers.

: You can see the new halo lights and the wall heaters.

: The old shelves have been reinstalled but are protected while the last few touches are added.

: The beautiful ceilings in the old reading room have been refreshed and are ready for the lights to be added.

Training Room

Work in the basement also continues. We’ll have a training room downstairs with a capacity for 30 people. The room will have a whiteboard and a screen. It can be filled with seats or tables can be added for smaller group work.

: The training room doesn’t look like much now. Though it already has walls and wiring.

: But the plans show how the room will be laid out.

: We’ll have space for about 30 people with a screen and a whiteboard.

Wellbeing room

Our Wellbeing room will be next to the training room. You can see that it is going to be quite a large space. You can see our previous blog post for how we are going to fill the space.

: Plenty of space in the Wellbeing room.

: All the wires mean that there will be plenty of plugs in the room.

Group study rooms

Along with two group study rooms upstairs we’ll also have a Teams room in the basement. The upstairs rooms will look out onto South Parks Road and there will be a comfortable waiting area outside the rooms.This will have cameras, screens and microphones equipped so full hybrid meetings on Microsoft Teams can easily take place. There will be no charge to book our group study rooms.

: The Microsoft Teams room in the basement will make hybrid meetings easy.

: The large windows are ready but the group study room still needs a few finishing touches.

We’re working on creating a booking system that will work for all those who use the RSL. We’ll update you soon when the details have been finalised.

InterLibrary Loan Service

Posted on 16 May 2023 by rachelscanlon

It may seem like everything is available through Bodleian Libraries but occassionally you may need a paper or book that you can’t find on SOLO. If you can’t find a particular item in SOLO you can order it for free through our InterLibrary Loan (ILL) Service.

Just fill out the online form and we’ll try and get a copy of what you need from another UK library: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/services/borrow/inter-library-loans.

For books the items can be ordered to the vere Harmsworth Library (VHL), where the RSL collection is currently located. For journal articles or individual chapters you can be sent an elctronic version.

Book an appointment with the BHCL subject/outreach librarians

Posted on 5 April 2023 by rachelscanlon

Subject and Outreach Librarians support all aspects of learning, research, and clinical care. We recently shared the details of the Radcliffe Science Library Subject Librarians now meet the libraians of the Bodleian Health Care Libraries. The librarians are happy to come to you in your lab, office, ward or classroom as well as supporting you via Teams etc, and in our libraries.

Along with helping with your literature search and constructing search queries they can…

Provide group or 1 to 1 information skills training
Can advise and and train you on reference management software and how to use different styles.
Teach you how to access and manage research data.
Purchase book recommendations and are particularly interested in purchasing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion titles to improve our collections.
Provide inductions for new staff
And so much more…

Continue reading →

Book an appointment with your subject/outreach librarian

Posted on 31 March 2023 by rachelscanlon

Your subject librarian can help with you many different tasks. You can meet them in person or via Teams or just send an email. They’ll work with whatever style of communication that suits you.

Along with helping with your literature search and constructing search queries they can…

Offer support and guidance on finding subject-specific resources.
Can advise and and train you on reference management software and how to use different styles.
Teach you how to access and manage research data.
Purchase book recommendations and are particularly interested in purchasing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion titles to improve our collections.
Help with issues accessing resources.
And so much more…

Meet the subject Librarians at the RSL

Karine Barker

karine.barker@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Lead Librarian – Non-Clinical Medicine & Life Sciences supporting:

Non-Clinical Medicine
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Anatomy and Genetics
Psychology

Oliver Bridle

oliver.bridle@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Subject Librarian – Non-Clinical Medicine and Life Sciences supporting:

Biochemistry
Biology
Forestry
Pharmacology
Plant Sciences
Zoology

Rachel Scanlon

rachel.scanlon@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Subject Librarian – Physical and Applied Sciences supporting:

Computer Science
Earth Science
Materials Science
Statistics

Alessandra Vetrugno

alessandra.vetrugno@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Lead Librarian – Physical and Applied Sciences supporting:

Chemistry
Engineering
Mathematics
Physics

If your subject/outreach librarian isn’t listed here check the list of subject/outreach librarians on the Bodleian Libraries website.

So whether you are starting a research project, completing an assignment or just want to get the latest information on useful tools book an appointment with your subject librarian.

ORA COVID-19 Collection – preserving Oxford’s COVID-19 response

Posted on 18 May 2022 by catherinedockerty

The University of Oxford has been at the forefront of the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of this activity is reflected in the wide array of research outputs – journal articles, conference papers, working papers, preprints, and more – that have been produced in this area.

The Bodleian Libraries Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) COVID-19 Collection seeks to provide a one-stop point of access to all of these outputs, focusing on the full-text items available via ORA, and links to Oxford COVID-related research in a range of other locations. The ORA COVID-19 Collection ensures that these materials are available not only for today’s readers but also in perpetuity – to illuminate the story of the University’s contribution to the pandemic response for future generations.

Highlights include:

Why preprints are good for patients (Horby, P)
Spatial and temporal fluctuations in COVID-19 fatality rates in Brazilian hospitals (Brizzi, A. et al.)
Profiting from the pandemic: Moderating COVID-19 lockdown protest, scam, and health disinformation websites (Au, Y. and Howard, P. N.)
How epidemics end (Charters, E. and Heitman, K.)
Dexamethasone in hospitalized patients with Covid-19 — preliminary report (Horby, P et al.)
An analysis of ways to decarbonize conference travel after COVID-19 (Klower, M. et al.)
Mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a review and recommendations for moving forward (Aknin, L. et al.)

This is a live collection that is still being developed and we value your thoughts, comments and suggested additions. Contact ora@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or complete the webform.

If you are a member of the University of Oxford and can’t see your COVID-related paper here, then deposit your accepted manuscript to ORA.

Science and Medicine

A Bodleian Libraries blog

Category Archives: Bodleian Libraries