3rd Week: Free Bodleian iSkills Workshops

Posted on 4 May 2023 by dawnyoung

Bodleian iSkills workshops aim to develop your skills in information discovery and scholarly communications, covering a variety of resources across a wide range of disciplines. They are primarily aimed at University of Oxford students and staff. Some workshops take place face-to-face, whilst others are run online.

The workshops are FREE but online booking is essential. A list of the sessions taking place this term can be found on the iSkills Workshops webpage.

Workshops taking place in 3rd Week:

Data sources for research – discovery, access and use (Weds 10^th May, 10:00-12:00)
This workshop will provide a grounding in the different ways quantitative and qualitative data is being made available to benefit researchers. By the end of the session you will also have some insight into how your own future work could add to the process and become part of the research discourse. The course aims to provide an overview of macro and micro data sources available at the University of Oxford, including national data archives, subscription services, business data, and offers some pointers for further searching.
Who is this session for? DPhil students and research staff (particularly in Social Sciences).
Format: Classroom-based (Social Science Library).

Online Sources for Historians (Thurs 11^th May, 14:00-15:30)
A general online introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods of British and Western European history. Learning outcomes are to: gain an overview of some of key online resources for Medieval, Early Modern and Modern British and Western European History; know how to access subscription resources; and gain awareness of key examples of useful resources: bibliographic databases; reference sources; primary sources; maps; audio-visual resources, and data sources.
Who is this session for? Students, researchers, and anyone else interested in the subject.
Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

Referencing: EndNote (Introduction to) (Fri 12^th May, 9:30-12:30)
This classroom-based introduction to EndNote is open to all University of Oxford students, researchers and staff and teaches you how to use the software so that you can effectively manage your references. Please note we also run an online EndNote workshop. Please check the iSkills course listing for availability. The workshop will cover: what EndNote can do for you; adding references to EndNote from a range of sources; managing your references in an EndNote library; adding in-text citations and/or footnotes to your essays and papers; creating bibliographies.
Who is this session for? Oxford students, researchers and other staff.
Format: Classroom-based (Thames Suite, IT Services).

Library Ergonomic Equipment and Assistive Technology

Posted on 3 May 2023 by dawnyoung

The Social Science Library has a range of ergonomic equipment, furniture and assistive technology, designed to help you work more comfortably and efficiently in our library.

Let’s take a look at what we have on offer:

Furniture

The library has 7 height-adjustable desks (5 electronic, 2 manual).

Two are located in our open plan reading room area which you can reach by going around the corner from our Issue Desk and then turning right to go past the rows of bookshelves. They have recently been moved to face the windows, following reader feedback.

Two are located in our Silent Study Room. One has recently been moved to face the windows, following reader feedback.

One is located in our Quiet Study Room.

Two are located behind our main computer area and have computers on them.

Standard adjustable chairs are available in our two Study Rooms and at desks equipped with PCs. Library staff are happy to fetch or move these on request for you. We also have ten ergonomic chairs available for your use, one of these is pictured above.

Assistive Equipment

The library has a ‘DaVinci Pro’ CCTV/OCR magnifier, which is kept in the south-west area of the library, near the microfilm reader and microfiche reader. This device can display high-definition enlarged images which can be of benefit to readers with low vision. It also has an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) mode which can take snapshots of written text and convert them to audio speech. Please ask library staff for assistance and guidance with the device. A full instruction manual can be obtained from the Issue Desk, and there is a video introducing the device’s main features.

A hearing induction loop is fitted in the middle of the issue desk, the position indicated by a sticker on the front of the desk.

The following equipment is available to borrow from the issue desk for use in the library:

book rests
coloured acetate overlay sheets (red, green, orange, blue, yellow, rose & aqua)
desk lamps (including 2 Lumie daylight lamps)
ergonomic keyboard (recommended for readers with conditions such as RSI)
headphones
magnifiers (suspended hands-free)
slim ‘light touch’ keyboard

Ask Issue Desk if you would like help with locating or using any of these items. Also see our web page on the ‘Social Science Library for Disabled Readers.’

Our Resource of the Month choice for May

Posted on 2 May 2023 by dawnyoung

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

May’s Resource of the Month has been selected by Jo Gardner, Bodleian Social Science Librarian and Subject Consultant for Politics and International Relations.

Jo’s choice is Chatham House Online Archive Module 1: Publications and Archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1920-1979

It was chosen because it provides a unique opportunity to follow connections between significant documents and analysis reflecting a specific 20th-century world view.

Resource Overview

Since its founding in 1920 as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London-based Chatham House has been a leading centre for policy research on international affairs. The Online Archive is a searchable database integrating a large extent of Chatham House’s analysis and research, as well as debates and speeches it has hosted.

Where can you access the resource

Chatham House Online Archive Module 1: Publications and Archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1920-1979 can be accessed via SOLO.

Our Book of the Month choice for May

Posted on 1 May 2023 by dawnyoung

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.

May’s Book of the Month was selected by Jo Gardner, Bodleian Social Science Librarian and Subject Consultant for Politics and International Relations.

Deliberative accountability in parliamentary committees

By Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey

Available on our shelves at JN329.SCH 2022

Also available as an eBook.

It was chosen because it makes a timely contribution to studies of parliaments and how economic policy is debated in public.

Book Overview

This book looks closely at the content, conduct and motivations underpinning select committee hearings of the UK Parliament. The author’s central case study is economic policy, which is timely given the economic challenges we face in the UK and beyond. It also addresses questions of trust in political elites and institutions.

Reviews

“Overall, this is an excellent book. It is wide-ranging both in its content and in its contributions. I am very excited to see what research Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey turns to next.”
Dr Marc Geddes, University of Edinburgh

“The book is undoubtedly a must-read for all those interested in democratic governance, the quality of accountability, and deliberation in contemporary societies.”
Manuela Moschella, Scuola Normale Superiore and Chatham House

“The strength of Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey’s excellent new book on deliberative accountability – ‘the reason-giving by policymakers for their policy decisions’ (p. 222) – is that it poses an old political science question but answers it in a new way.”
Stephen Holden Bates, University of Birmingham

How can I access it?

This title is available to consult in hard copy and as an eBook. The hard copy is currently on display in on new books display area. For those with borrowing rights, it can be borrowed from the library. Its shelfmark, when returned to the shelves, is JN329.SCH 2022 For the eBook, access it from a Bodleian Library computer or use it remotely, by logging on to SOLO with your SSO.

What 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.

2nd Week: Free Bodleian iSkills Workshops

Posted on 27 April 2023 by morganashbycrane

The workshops are FREE but online booking is essential. A list of the sessions taking place this term can be found on the iSkills Workshops webpage.

Workshops taking place in 2nd Week:

Scholarly literature for your research (Tues 2^nd May, 13:30-16:30)
A practical introduction to searching for scholarly materials to support your research, covering a range of tools for finding books, journal articles, conference papers, theses and more. In this face-to-face session we will cover how to: run effective literature searches; find books and other scholarly items in Oxford Libraries; search for journal articles; search for theses and dissertations from the University of Oxford and around the world; and search for conference papers.
Who is this session for? Postgraduate students, researchers and academics.
Format: Classroom-based (Social Science Library).

Getting started in Oxford Libraries (Weds 3^rd May, 14:00-15:00)
An introduction to getting started in Oxford libraries. This workshop will feature demonstrations and hands-on activities on how to use SOLO, the University’s resource discovery tool. We will search for a range of material and show you how to get hold of what you want to read. We will cover: which Oxford Libraries you can use, and which meet your needs; how to search SOLO to find printed and online books, journals and other materials; how to place holds on books that are out, make stack requests and renew books online; and how to use the Scan & Deliver service.
Who is this session for? All Oxford Library users.
Format: Classroom-based (Social Science Library).

Choosing and using software for referencing (Fri 5^th May, 9:30-12:30)
This introductory session gives an overview of how reference management works, explores the advantages and disadvantages of a range of software packages and gives you the opportunity to try out three different packages (RefWorks, EndNote and Zotero) so that you can work out which one is best for you. At the end of the session you will: understand how reference management works; understand the advantages and disadvantages of a range of reference management packages; add, edit and organise references using a number of different tools; add references to documents and create bibliographies using a number of different tools; and make an informed decision about which reference management package works best for you.
Who is this session for? Postgraduate students, researchers and university staff.
Format: Classroom-based (Thames Suite, IT Services).

Gale Primary Sources online archive drop-in session: Wed 3rd May

Posted on 26 April 2023 by dawnyoung

The Gale Primary Sources online archive provides access to thousands of documents, including a broad range of historical newspapers. Bodleian Libraries subscriptions include:

Chatham House Online Archive Module 1: 1920-1979
Digitised publications and archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the world-leading independent international affairs policy institute founded in 1920 following the Paris Peace Conference.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender, part I: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940
The largest digital collection of historical primary source publications relating to the history and study of sex, sexuality, and gender research and gender studies research.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Politics and Society
Packed with primary sources to help analyse the development of urban centres and the major restructuring of society that took place during the Industrial Revolution.
A wide range of newspaper historical archives including: Daily Mail Historical Archive [1896-2016], The Economist Historical Archive [1843-2020], International Herald Tribune Historical Archive [1887-2013] Picture Post Historical Archive [1938-1957], Punch Historical Archive [1841-1992], The Telegraph Historical Archive [1855-2016], The Independent Historical Archive [1986-2016], The Listener Historical Archive [1929-1991]

Tom English and Nikita Archer from Gale will be in the Manor Road Building Ground Floor Atrium from 1-3pm on Wednesday 3 May to run a drop-in session to help students and researchers get the most from the Gale Primary Sources online archive for dissertations, theses and other research.

There’s no need to book a slot in advance – just come along for a chat!

All are welcome.

Book on a free Bodleian iSkills Workshop this Trinity Term

Posted on 24 April 2023 by dawnyoung

Now that Trinity Term has started, we spy lots of interesting Bodleian iSkills workshops on the horizon!

All workshops are FREE but online booking is essential.

A full list of the sessions taking place this term can be found on the iSkills Workshops webpage The range of topics available includes:

iSkills: Data sources for research – discovery, access and use

iSkills: Discovering archives at the Bodleian Libraries

iSkills: Scholarly literature for your research

iSkills: Scholarly literature for your research [online]

iSkills: Getting started in Oxford Libraries

iSkills: Getting started in Oxford Libraries [online]

iSkills: Information Resources for Modern Global History

iSkills: Keeping up to date with research

iSkills: Managing research data and Data Management Planning (DMPs)

iSkills: Preparing for your literature review in the Social Sciences

iSkills: Research metrics and citation analysis tools: Part 1 what makes a journal a “top” journal?

iSkills: Newspapers and other online news sources from the 17th-21st centuries

iSkills: Sources for U.S. History

iSkills: Research metrics and citation analysis tools: Part 2 article and researcher metrics

iSkills: In-depth look at the UN Archives Geneva Platform (League of Nations Archives)

iSkills: Working with sensitive research data

iSkills: General presentation on the UN Archives Geneva Platform (League of Nations Archives)

Open Scholarship: Your thesis, copyright & ORA

Open Scholarship: Fundamentals of Open Access

Open Scholarship: Playing in the open: Getting familiar with Creative Commons licences

Open Scholarship: Logistics of Open Scholarship

Open Scholarship: Digital Induction to Open Access (MSD)

Referencing: Choosing and using software for referencing

Referencing: EndNote (Introduction to)

Referencing: EndNote (Introduction to) [online]

Referencing: RefWorks

Referencing: RefWorks [online]

Referencing: Zotero

Referencing: Zotero [online]

Our Resource of the Month choice for April

Posted on 4 April 2023 by dawnyoung

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

April’s Resource of the Month has been selected by Helen Worrell, Subject Consultant for Anthropology.

Helen’s choice is Duke University Press e-Duke Scholarly Collection.

It was chosen because it provides access to over 2,800 ebooks published by Duke University Press in the humanities and social sciences.

Resource Overview

Duke University Press publish cutting edge, innovative scholarship examining key subject areas such as anthropology, cultural studies, ethnic studies, film and television, gender and sexuality studies, and museum studies.

Where can you access the resource

Duke University Press e-Duke Scholarly Collection can be accessed via SOLO.

Note that there is access until 31 December 2023 to the archives pre 2018 – 2000.

Our book of the Month choice for April

Posted on 3 April 2023 by dawnyoung

April’s Book of the Month was selected by Helen Worrell, Subject Consultant for Anthropology.

Sian Lazar

How to struggle: a political anthropology of labour

Pluto Press, 2023

HD4901.LAZ 2023

It was chosen to highlight innovative ethnographic research into labour struggles and worker strikes. It illuminates different perspectives within a complex global environment

Book Overview

This comparative ethnography presents a global perspective on labour agency, from heavy industry to the service sectors. Lazar goes beyond looking solely at organised trade unionism, also examining how individuals strive to improve their lives and working conditions. A coda to the book examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on labour struggles and worker’s political agency.

Reviews

‘Anthropology at its best. Lazar explores how different capitalist strategies for organizing workers’ productivity generate problems that encourage certain solutions that in themselves create more problems, and on and on … Remarkably imaginative in revealing how, in large and small ways, workers of all stripes can organise to create otherwise, generate new possibilities for resistance and lead more fulfilling lives’

lana Gershon, Ruth N. Halls professor of anthropology, Indiana University, US

‘As brilliant as it is useful. Lazar manoeuvres lightly among the opposing schools of labor anthropology and shows with world-wide examples that how we struggle for better lives is deeply embedded in the type of relationships in which we labour, care and serve; relationships that are globally produced, intimately lived, and more often than not divisive. A boon for analysts and activists alike’

Don Kalb, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen, author of Expanding Class

How can I access it?

This title is available in hard copy in the library. One of our copies is currently located at our New Books Display Area (around the corner from our Issue Desk). The shelfmark for the title is HD490.LAZ 2023. It is available to borrow by Oxford University students and staff members.

An eLegal Deposit copy of the title is also available on SOLO. This can be viewed on library reading room computers only.

Take the SSL home with you: Ways to access library materials remotely

Posted on 6 March 2023 by dawnyoung

Our books (both normal and short loan) are currently being issued over the vacation. All are due back on Tuesday 25 April 2023 (1st Week of Trinity Term). However, if you have any books out on loan that you no longer need, please do return them to us before you leave for the vacation.

If you are an Oxford University student and need to access library resources while you are away from Oxford, follow our tips below:

Remote access via SOLO

Access e-books, e-journals and databases remotely by logging in to SOLO with your Single Sign On (SSO) Take a look at the Bodleian Libraries SOLO Guide for further information.

For help with finding and using items on SOLO, you can also get assistance via SOLO Live Chat.

This service is staffed from Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.

Look for the chat box to the right of the SOLO webpage.

eBooks

Our eBook Subject & Research Guide has lots of information on how to access and use Oxford University eBooks.

ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online)

Most postgraduate reading lists are available on ORLO and scans, online articles and e-books can be accessed there.

Scan & Deliver

Scan & Deliver is a free electronic document delivery service which enables you to obtain scans of book chapters or journal articles via email from the Bodleian Libraries’ print collections.

For more details on the above, and to find out about further resources available remotely, consult the Bodleian Libraries Online and Remote Access webpage.

Questions, need Help?

Any questions, just get in touch with us!

Email: ssl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Telephone: 01865 271093

Our opening hours for the vacation are on our homepage.

Note that we will be closed for the Easter weekend from Friday 7 to Monday 10 April (dates inclusive).

Workshops taking place in 3rd Week:

Furniture

Assistive Equipment

Resource Overview

Where can you access the resource

Book Overview

Reviews

How can I access it?

Workshops taking place in 2nd Week:

Resource Overview

Where can you access the resource

Book Overview

Reviews

How can I access it?

Remote access via SOLO

eBooks

ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online)

Scan & Deliver

Questions, need Help?

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