iSkills coming up: Getting info to come to you, Archives and modern papers, Referencing

iSkills logoIn Week 3 we are running the following FREE workshops.  Please follow the links below to book your place.

Bodleian iSkills: Getting information to come to you (Tue 8 May 14.00-15.30)
Keeping up to date with new research is important but time consuming! This session will show you how to set up automatic alerts so that you are notified about new articles and other publications and when key web sites are updated. Participants will have the opportunity to set up RSS feed readers and/or email notifications during the session.
Who is this session for? Postgraduates, researchers and academics.

Bodleian iSkills: Archives and modern papers for Social Sciences and History (Wednesday 9 May 14.00-16.00)
The Bodleian’s Weston Library has a wealth of resources covering almost all aspects of modern British society and culture. This session will introduce key finding aids and get you started with the research skills needed to make the most of these resources. We will look at identifying relevant material in Oxford and elsewhere; considerations when working with archival material; types of archives and modern papers; and how to find out more. You will have an opportunity in the session to handle some actual examples.
Who is this session for? Students in History and Social Science subjects; researchers and other Bodleian Libraries readers considering using special collections

Referencing: Choosing and using software (Thu 10 May 14.00-17.00; repeated Fri 25 May 09.15-12.15)
Formatting your in text citations/footnotes and bibliography correctly for your thesis or publication is a chore. Reference management software makes it easier and saves you time. This introductory session gives an overview of how reference management works, explores the pros and cons of a wide range of reference management packages and gives you the opportunity to try out five different packages so that you can work out which one is best for you. The packages included are RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, ColWiz and Papers.
Who is this session for? Postgraduates, researchers.

Go to https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/workshops/workshopsbydate for a full list of upcoming iSkills workshops.

iSkills coming up: including Sources for Historians/US History, Getting Started, Data Sources

iSkills logoIn Week 2 we are running the following FREE workshops. Please follow the links below to book your place:

Bodleian iSkills: Your thesis, copyright and ORA (Mon 30 April 14.00-15.00)
Oxford DPhil students are required to deposit a copy of their thesis in ORA (Oxford University Research Archive). This session will focus on copyright and other issues that DPhil students need to take into account when preparing their thesis for upload to ORA.
Who is this session for? All Doctoral research students

Bodleian iSkills: Moving from research question to literature review in the Social Sciences (Tue 1 May 09.30-12.00)
This 2-hour workshop will be invaluable for researchers hoping to find suitable literature for their literature review, for which a well-constructed set of search terms and an understanding of online search engines are prerequisites. This workshop will allow researchers to use their own research questions to build a search and apply it to a range of databases. Techniques for structuring a search will be explained, an overview of key online resources for the social sciences will be given , major search tools will be explored, and strategies for approaching large results sets and sourcing papers will be discussed. This practical workshop will involve paper exercises and online activities using attendees own research topics.
Who is this session for? All DPhil Students and Research Staff in the Social Sciences

Bodleian iSkills: Online resources for Historians (Tue 1 May 14.00-15.15)
A general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods of British and W European history: bibliographical databases, biographical / reference research aids, ebooks and ejournals, web portals, and collections of online primary source materials.
Who is this session for? Undergrad and Postgrad students, Researchers and anyone interested in this topic.

Bodleian iSkills: Sources for US History (Tue 1 May 15.30-17.00)
Introduction to key information sources for the study of colonial America and US history. The session will provide an overview of the primary sources available in Oxford and online (such as early printed books, US newspapers and US government papers), as well as guidance on locating material for your research.
Who is this session for? Undergrad and Postgrad students, Researchers and anyone interested in this topic.

Bodleian iSkills: Getting started in Oxford Libraries (Wed 2 May 14.00-17.00; repeated Wed 6 June 14.00-17.00)
An introduction to Oxford Libraries including guidance on which libraries to use; accessing e-journals and other online resources; SOLO and other finding aids and making the most of Library services.
Who is this session for? Anyone who would like an introduction to Oxford Libraries.

Bodleian iSkills: Data sources for research – discovery, access & use (Fri 4 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; and aims to provide an overview of macro and micro data sources available at the University of Oxford, including national data archives, subscription services and business data, and some pointers for further searching.
Who is this session for? DPhil students and research staff (particularly in Social Sciences). This workshop will be most beneficial to those researchers planning to use secondary data sources (quantitative, qualitative and mixed) as part of their research or who wish to learn more about the potential of open data platforms and data archives.

In addition we still have spaces left on the following courses this week:

Bodleian iSkills: Open Access Oxford – what’s happening? (Held monthly – click here for upcoming dates)
A briefing on open access publishing and Oxford’s position: Green vs. Gold; funder mandates and publisher policies; Oxford Research Archive (ORA) and Symplectic; OA website/ helpline; what’s new.
Who is this session for? Research support staff, administrators and librarians, researchers and academics.

Bodleian iSkills: Managing research data and Data Management Planning (DMPs) (Thu 26 April 10.00-12.00)
Good research data management is a vital component of academic practice. Part of this is the principle that the data used to develop the arguments and outcomes of your research should be effectively stored and managed during a project, preserved for the future and – where possible – shared with other academics. This session introduces the University’s research data policy and outlines the practical impact this will have on your work. The services available at Oxford to assist you will be outlined. This session is not only essential during your current studies but will be invaluable if you plan to continue in research as a career.
Who is this session for? All DPhil students and research staff

Go to https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/workshops/workshopsbydate for a full list of upcoming iSkills workshops.

NEW eresource: San Francisco Chronicle, 1865-1984

We’re delighted to announce that Oxford users now have access to the digitised archive of the San Francisco Chronicle from 1865-1984 via Readex’s America’s Historical Newspapers platform. Access is now available via SOLO or OxLIP+ (remote access for University members via single sign-on).

Though it was Northern California’s “newspaper of record,” the San Francisco Chronicle’s influence was so far-reaching that it was known as the Voice of the West. With colorful reporting and commentary on news ranging from the aftermath of the Gold Rush to the effects of World War II to the counterculture boom of the 1960s, the Chronicle offers an unparalleled glimpse into the issues and events that shaped the West Coast for over a century.

Founded by two teenage brothers with a $20 gold piece borrowed from their landlord, the San Francisco Chronicle soon boasted the largest circulation of any West Coast newspaper. In its early years, the paper relied on a mixture of advertisements, anecdotes and satire by the likes of Mark Twain to capture life in the wlid boomtown of San Francisco. As the first transcontinental railroad came to town and capitalism and corruption boomed in equal parts, the Chronicle made it a mission to expose crooked politicians and support honest ones. This practice resulted in a shootout in the paper’s office that killed one of the founding brothers. The Chronicle dutifully reported the news.

By the turn of the century, the San Francisco Chronicle was so successful it was able to provide firsthand reports from the Klondike Gold Rush, sponsor free concerts in the streets and send reporters to cover sporting events as far away as Reno. When the 1906 earthquake devastated the city, the Chronicle kept publishing. Its coverage of the stock market crash, the Great Depression and labor strikes won the paper its first Pulitzer. Later in the 20th century, the paper became known for colorful columnists like Herb Caen and the original “Dear Abby,” as well as its astute observations of the counterculture movement, gay rights and the onset of the AIDS crisis.

You can browse the newspaper by date, or search the full text from the initial screen. Individual issues may be read page-by-page and can also be downloaded as PDFs.

Take a look at our LibGuide for information on other US newspaper archives available in Oxford and online.