Our Resource of the Month choice for September

Each month, one of our Subject Librarians chooses an electronic resource which they feel will be of interest to you.

Andy Kernot, Subject Consultant for Geography, Social Policy & Intervention, Public Policy, and Internet Studies.

September’s Resource of the Month has been selected by Andy Kernot, Subject Consultant for Geography, Social Policy & Intervention, Public Policy, and Internet Studies.

An open laptop on a table with the word 'Overton' on the screen. Next to it is a cup of coffee and a pad and pen.

Andy’s choice is Overton. It was chosen because it provides access to the world’s largest searchable index of policy documents, guidelines, think tank publications and working papers.

Resource Overview

Overton is a database of policy documents and the relationships between them and provides access to policy documents from governments and official bodies as well as from IGOs, some NGOs and think tanks. The database provides access to over 9 million full text policy documents and guidelines from more than 29,000 organisations in 188 countries. Overton extract topics, subject areas, authors, citations, and other metadata from each document, and helps users track the influence of research on government policy, both locally and internationally.

Where can you access the resource

Overton is available to access via SOLO.

Our Book of the Month choice for September

The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection that has been chosen by one of our Subject Consultants. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.

Septembers’s Book of the Month was selected by Andy Kernot Subject Consultant for Geography, Social Policy & Intervention, Public Policy, and Internet Studies.

 

Understanding the Digital World: what you need to know about computers, the internet, privacy, and security

by Brian W. Kernighan

Princeton University Press, 2021

QA76.KER 2021 (library use only)

 

 

It was chosen because it is a must-read for all who want to know more about computers and communications. It explains, precisely and carefully, not only how they operate but also how they influence our daily lives, in terms anyone can understand, no matter what their experience and knowledge of technology.

Book Overview

Computers are everywhere. Some of them are highly visible, in laptops, tablets, cell phones, and smart watches. But most are invisible, like those in appliances, cars, medical equipment, transportation systems, power grids, and weapons. We never see the myriad computers that quietly collect, share, and sometimes leak vast amounts of personal data about us. Through computers, governments and companies increasingly monitor what we do. Social networks and advertisers know far more about us than we should be comfortable with, using information we freely give them. Criminals have all-too-easy access to our data. Do we truly understand the power of computers in our world? Understanding the Digital World explains how computer hardware, software, networks, and systems work. Topics include how computers are built and how they compute; what programming is and why it is difficult; how the Internet and the web operate; and how all of these affect our security, privacy, property, and other important social, political, and economic issues.

Reviews

“This is the clearest and simplest explanation of the world we now all depend on–how it works and why it does what it does—from one of our best-known inventors. Everyone on Earth needs to read it.”

Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. and Google

“This book takes the mystery out of computers and the Internet, and everyone can learn from it. With a friendly and accessible style, Kernighan connects what is happening inside machines to the news of the day and developments about the digital world.”

Harry Lewis, coauthor of Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness after the Digital Explosion

“Kernighan tells us exactly what we need to know about computers and computer science, focusing on ideas that are useful and interesting for everyday computer users. He covers a fascinating range of topics, including fundamentals such as computer hardware, programming, algorithms, and networks, as well as politically charged issues related to government surveillance, privacy, and Internet neutrality.”

John MacCormick, Dickinson College

How can I access it?

We have one library use only copy of this book, which is currently located in our New Books Display Area (around the corner from our Issue Desk). Its shelfmark is QA76.KER 2021 (library use only). It is also available as an eLegal Deposit Book. The eBook can be accessed from a Bodleian Library computer only.

Image of an open book with the pages curled to form a love heartWhat would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.

Changes to SOLO

A close up of a laptop keyboard. One on of the keys is the word SOLO in capital letters.

Please note the following new changes to our library catalogue SOLO:

  • A book may say it is Available but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can borrow it: Sign in to SOLO to see whether you can borrow a book, and for how long.
  • The Scan & Deliver button has moved next to each item. Note your scanned chapter might be provided from a different copy from the one you actually click on.

A screen shot from the library catalogue SOLO. It shows a shelf mark and a Request and Scan & Delivery button to the right of it.

  • Before placing a Request on an item, check whether there are any available and “in place” right now.
  • When you place a request you’ll see two different kinds of options:
  1. Borrow from” – a copy will be reserved for you to borrow
  2. Read at” – a copy will be delivered from storage for you to read in a library or reading room of your choice, but may not be borrowed

Find further information on how to use SOLO in the Bodleian Libraries SOLO Subject & Research Guide.

Any questions, contact us or use the Live Chat service available via the SOLO webpage.

Changes to Borrowing: New Bodleian Libraries Lending Policy

Person stood amongst the SSL bookshelves holding a high pile of books in front of them, which obscures their face.

We have a new unified lending policy for Bodleian Libraries. This aims to provide an inclusive and consistent user experience in response to feedback.

Changes are as follows:

There are new loan limits:

  • Undergraduates = 20
  • Postgraduate Taught students = 20
  • Postgraduate Research students = 30
  • Taught students with support plans = 30
  • Research students with support plans = 40
  • University staff = 40

Books will automatically renew if no-one else has requested them – check on SOLO to see when they are due back. You can also renew items manually if you’d like to set the due date to a certain day of the week.

All loans, except Same Day Loans, have a maximum renewal period of 112 days. If you wish to borrow an item for longer than 112 days, you will need to bring it back to the library to be re-issued.

A close up of a piece of squared paper. On the paper are drawn for simple faces, one with a smile and a tick next to it, one indifferent face and one unhappy face.

We would love to hear what you think about these changes. Email us your feedback, or click on ‘Feedback’ at the top of the SOLO website.

 

New eResources: US Department of State documents relating to Middle and Near Eastern affairs

Hands on a open laptop keyboard. A plant sits to the right of the keyboard.

Oxford researchers now have access to 5 new databases providing access to source materials for Middle and Near Eastern history in the 19th and 20th centuries. The sources are all drawn from the US Department of State records:

  1. Aden: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1880-1906 (Archives Unbound)
  2. Egypt: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1853-1962 (Archives Unbound)
  3. Iraq: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1888-1944 (Archives Unbound)
  4. Libya: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1796-1885 (Archives Unbound)
  5. Persian Gulf States and Yemen, The, 1950-1959 (Archives Unbound)

These resources are useful to those researching:

  • the history of many Middle and Near Eastern countries, incl. internal and foreign affairs, economic and social history with US commentary.
  • Arab foreign policy and diplomatic relations
  • Arab-Israeli relations, Palestine conflict
  • the history of US diplomatic and foreign policy, foreign relations and the organisation and management of the diplomatic service.
  • the support by the Department of State given to US citizens living or travelling in the Middle and Near East.
  • the foreign policy of other Western powers
  • Western colonisation and de-colonisation of the Middle and Near East
  • Military history, Suez Canal Crisis 1956, etc.
  • Christian-Muslim relations and conflict
  • Biographical details of Middle and Near Eastern politicians, officials, political or religious activities.

See the History Faculty Library blog post for more details and other related resources.

 

Our Resource of the Month for August

Each month, one of our Subject Librarians chooses an electronic resource which they feel will be of interest to you.

August’s Resource of the Month has been selected by John Southall, Bodleian Data Librarian and Subject Consultant for Economics and Sociology.

Against a pink background in an infographic of an open laptop. A banner is in front of a screen with the words 'August Resource of the Month' written on it.

John’s choice is Convergence. It was chosen because it is new subscription for a database that has been frequently requested by readers in the past.

An open laptop on a table. On the screen is the words 'Convergence.' Adjacent to the laptop is a cup of coffee and a notebook and pen.

Resource Overview

Convergence is the global network for blended finance. It generates blended finance data, intelligence, and deal flow to increase private sector investment in developing countries. Its global membership includes public, private, and philanthropic investors as well as sponsors of transactions and funds, offering this community a curated, online platform to connect with each other on blended finance transactions in progress. It also offers exclusive access to tailored training packages, case studies and reports.

Where can you access the resource

Convergence is available to access via SOLO. A Single-Sign-On (SSO) is required to access this database, so its use is restricted to Oxford University students and staff members.

This resource also requires you to register before use:

  1. Register with your institutional email address.
  2. Verify your account (if you don’t receive the verification email, check your junk folder).

Our Book of the Month Choice for August

The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection that has been chosen by one of our Subject Consultants. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.

 John Southall selecting a book from the SSL book shelves.

August’s Book of the Month was selected by John Southall, Bodleian Data Librarian and Subject Consultant for Economics and Sociology.

The cover of the book 'Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st-century Economist' by Kate Raworth. A close up a black board is on the cover with a circle within a circle drawn on it in chalk. A rosette is on top of the cover with the words 'SSL Book of the Month' on it.

 

Doughnut Economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st-Century Economist

by Kate Raworth

Penguin Books, 2022

HB75.RAW 2022

 

 

 

 

It was chosen because of the way it dissects seven core principles of Economics and considers how they can be updated for the 21st Century.

Book Overview

Raworth critiques the idea of ‘rational economic man’ and what really makes us act in the modern world. She argues an obsession with equilibrium has left economists helpless when facing the boom and bust of the real-world economy. She highlights the dangers of ignoring the role of energy and nature’s resources – and the far-reaching implications for encouraging economic growth when we take them into account.

Overall, Doughnut Economics is excellent at describing economic concepts in accessible terms. In addition, Raworth’s in-depth summary of climate change is very well argued, and in this sense, the book is also more about sustainable development than economics.

Reviews

This rigorous collection brings home how we are living through a crucial period in which data is mobilised in increasingly powerful and pervasive ways.”

Mike Savage, Professor of Sociology, LSE.

“An admirable attempt to broaden the horizons of economic thinking.”

Martin Wolf, Books of the Year, Financial Times

 the book holds multidisciplinary promise and Raworth draws upon appealing and evocative metaphors and examples to convey economic concepts”

Maria Zhivitskaya, LSE Review of Books

How can I access it?

We have 7 copies of this book, one is currently located in our New Books Display Area (around the corner from our Issue Desk). Its shelfmark is HB75.RAW 2022 (see HB75.RAW 2017 and HB75.RAW 2018 for additional copies). All copies are available to be borrowed by Oxford University students and staff members. It is also available as an eLegal Deposit Book. The eBook can be accessed from a Bodleian Library computer only.

Image of an open book with the pages curled to form a love heartWhat would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.