Next week is the last week of WISER workshops for this academic year and brings you:

WISER: Getting information to come to you  (Wednesday 15 June 3.30 – 5.00pm) – Keeping up to date with the latest research, publications, announcements and other news is an essential but time consuming task.   This session will cover setting up RSS and/or email alerts to  journals, databases and websites so that new information comes to you quickly  and easily. There will be opportunities to set up feed readers and/or email notifications during the workshop. 
Book your place online at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZD20

WISER: Technology Tools – Reference Management (Thursday 16 June 2.00 – 5.00pm) – Keeping track of your references and formatting them correctly for your thesis or publication is a chore. Reference management software makes it easy and is well worth investigating. This introductory session gives an overview of how it works and the pros and cons of RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero & Mendeley.
Book your place online at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZW6

Not a current member of Oxford University? – If you are not a current member of Oxford university, you can book your places by emailing usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk quoting your Bodleian Libraries card number.

Why not follow  us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com

Next week the WISER programme includes a session specifically designed for Americanists, as well as another set of sessions on ‘finding stuff’.

WISER: Sources for US History
Introduction to key information sources for the study of colonial America & US history. Starting with finding tools to locate material, examples of source materials will then be shown including archival, microform, printed/online collections & useful web portals & audiovisual collections.
Presenter: Jane Rawson
Wednesday 8 June 3.30 – 5.00pm | Book now

WISER: Finding Stuff – Books etc on SOLO
A general introduction to finding books and journal titles in Oxford libraries using SOLO and OLIS.  For detailed information about searching for journal articles, theses and conference papers please see other titles in the WISER Finding Stuff series.
Presenter: Angela Carritt
Thursday 9 June 12.30 – 1.30pm | Book now

WISER: Finding Stuff – Journal Articles
This session will focus on finding journal articles for your research using a wide range of databases as well as developing effective search strategies.  There will be plenty of time for participants to try out their own searches using databases for their subject.
Presenters: Kerry Webb and Angela Carritt
Thursday 9 June 1.30 – 2.30pm | Book now

WISER: Finding Stuff – Theses and Dissertations
This session offers guidance on finding theses, both those submitted to and held in Oxford, and those from other institutions in the UK and abroad. It will demonstrate how to exploit some of the main sources of information : SOLO, Index to Theses (UK and Ireland); and Dissertations and Theses (International) EThOS and ORA.
Presenter: Angela Carritt
Thursday 9 June 2.45 – 3.45pm | Book now

WISER: Finding Stuff – Conferences
Conference papers can be difficult to find but they are valuable because they describe cutting-edge research. This session will enable you to find out about forthcoming conferences and also to locate the published papers of proceedings which have taken place.
Presenters: Sue Bird and James Shaw
Thursday 9 June 3.45 – 4.45pm | Book now

Not a current member of Oxford University? – If you are not a current member of Oxford university, you can book your places by emailing usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk quoting your Bodleian Libraries card number.

Why not join our WISER mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow  us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com.

Next week’s WISER sessions cover finding materials using SOLO, information resources for African Studies and the first in a series of workshop on online resources for historians…

WISER: Finding Stuff – Books etc on SOLO (Tuesday 31 May 9.30 – 10.30am)   – A general introduction to finding books and journal titles in Oxford libraries using SOLO.  Presenter: Angela Carritt.  Book your place online.  (Please note that this session will be repeated on 9 June)

WISER: Information Sources for African Studies (Tuesday 31 May 10.45 – 12.00 noon)- This session will introduce key information sources for African Studies. You will be shown useful finding tools to locate relevant material via SOLO and how to search them, as well as important portals and gateways to libraries and archives of online primary texts. There will be time for a brief hands-on at the end.
Presenters: Sarah Rhodes and Lucy McCann.  Book your place online.

WISER: Online Resources for Historians (Wednesday 1 June 9.30-10.45) – A general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods for British and West European history including bibliographical databases, biographical and reference research aids, ebooks and ejournals, web portals, and collections of online primary source materials.  
Presenter Isabel Holowaty.   Book your place online.

WISER Online Resources for Historians is the first in a series of WISER workshops focussing on History. To find out more see the BodWISER blog, and keep an eye out for the WISER session on US History resources later in June.

Not a current member of Oxford University? – If you are not a current member of Oxford university, you can book your places by emailing usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk quoting your Bodleian Libraries card number. 

Why not join our WISER mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow  us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser  or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com.

Change of date for WISER: Online Resources for Historians session
Due to an unavoidable clash of commitments, the WISER session on Online Resources for Historians has had to be moved from the afternoon of Wednesday 8th June to the morning of Wednesday 1st June. Many apologies for any inconvenience caused.

The new details are as below:
WISER: Online Resources for Historians
Wednesday 1 June 09:30-10:45
A general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods for British & W European history: bibliographical databases, biographical / reference research aids, ebooks & ejournals, web portals, and collections of online primary source materials.
Presenter: Isabel Holowaty
OUCS – Book Here 

Thesis Fair for 2nd year History Undergraduates
Thursday 19 May, 14:00-16:00 – Exam Schools

The Fair aims to help 2nd year History Undergraduates:

• explore what source materials and information resources (archival, print and electronic) are available in Oxford libraries;
• meet local experts for further discussion;
• learn about useful tips and tools;
• browse among stalls to learn about Oxford’s rich collections as well as attend brief talks;
• find information at your own pace and together with local experts jointly explore information resources and finding tools.

Timetable of talks:

• Top 10 Tips from a Student survivor @ 14:30

The stalls will include medieval and early modern sources, modern political papers, US History, collections in the HFL and college libraries & archives, and many more. There will also be stalls on how to make the most of IT and web tools.

Come and along and get some ideas for your dissertation!

For details of further useful courses this term, including the Information Skills Minimum Kit and RefWorks, please see the History Faculty Library Undergraduate Training page.  

Make: Together – textual scholarship in the twenty-first century
Monday 23 May, 12:30-13.30
This session looks at how humanities researchers can build a digital environment for their own projects. It examines some of the database and programming tools that are available, and most importantly, how a purpose built digital environment can enhance the process of understanding texts. It is based on the work of two DPhil students in history who will demonstrate how they are using such technology to study medieval manuscripts and charters.
OUCS – Further details and bookings (Ox users)

Next week Bodleian Libraries will be running WISER workshops on using maps and mapping to present spatial data and on the Bodleian’s manuscript collections:

WISER: Maps and Mapping (Wednesday 25 May 1.45 – 3.15pm) – Many areas of research use spatial data and digital mapping is an ideal way to present it.  This presentation will cover both web based resources (online map collections etc) and the digital mapping facilities available in the Bodleian. The course will include a short demonstration of MapInfo and a brief introduction to using it.
Presenter: Debbie Hall.  Book your place online at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZF7

WISER: Manuscripts (Wednesday 25 May 3.30 – 5.00pm) – This session will give an introductory overview of the rich heritage collections preserved in the Bodleian. This session will also help readers to locate relevant material and describe the procedures for access and getting assistance.
Presenters: Mike Webb.  Book your place online at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWP

Not a current member of Oxford University? – If you are not a current member of Oxford university, you can book your places by emailing usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk quoting your Bodleian Libraries card number. 

Why not join our WISER mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow  us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser  or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com

The programme of WISER and Refworks sessions for Trinity Term is now available on the Bodleian Libraries’ website. Sessions of particular interest to Americanists this term include:

• Refworks for Humanities: Wednesday 18th May, 2.00pm-5.00pm
• Online resources for Historians: Wednesday 8th June, 2.00pm-3.15pm
• Sources for US History: Wednesday 8th June, 3.30pm-5.00pm

There will also be the usual sessions on ‘finding stuff’, as well as sessions on reference management and getting information to come to you.  You can book for all the sessions via the website and OUCS.

Full schedule for Trinity Term

In addition to these sessions, the History Faculty Library is running a couple of additional sessions on specific resources relevant for US history:

Early modern history: Discover Early English Books Online (EEBO)
Friday 17 June (week 7), 14:15-15:30 – BOOK HERE
EEBO is an important database of early printed books from 1475-1700. If you need tracts, texts and pamphlets written in Britain and colonial America in this time, then this hands-on session will show how to search, manipulate and print the text.
Presenter: Rebecca Price (ProQuest)
IT Room, History Faculty, George Street

Read all about it!: Making the most of online Historical Newspapers
Monday 20 June (week 8), 14:00-15:15 – BOOK HERE
Join this session to get an introductory overview of the ProQuest Historical Newspapers database. This course covers the content, functions, and features of, as well as tips for using, ProQuest Historical Newspapers such as The Guardian/Observer, The Scotsman, The Irish Times and The Washington Post.
Presenter: Rebecca Price (ProQuest)
IT Room, History Faculty, George Street