Tag Archives: induction

Welcome to New History Undergraduates! Discover our Library Induction Programme

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photo (c) John Cairns

We warmly welcome all new History undergraduates starting in Oxford!

Libraries will play a big part during your time at Oxford, whether providing access to online articles on your reading list or helping you find that elusive book on the open shelves. There are over 100 libraries in Oxford and it can be quite confusing (and daunting) as you learn how to best use them.

Within the Bodleian Libraries, the main university library system, the chief History collections for your study are available online 24/7 or are located in the Radcliffe Camera (which houses the History Faculty Library, whose books can be borrowed). College Libraries also have extensive collections for your course. To know where to find the books, journals and databases you might need, use SOLO, which is Oxford’s discovery tool for libraries.

We also have organised a number of welcome sessions to help you get started! For a more detailed overview of the induction and support we offer students in the first few weeks, see the relevant page on our online teaching portal Canvas (requires your oxford Single Sing-On for access): Canvas – Library Induction and Information Skills training.

Welcome Webinars

Webinars are taking place Wednesday to Friday of 0th Week (8 – 10 October) and have been scheduled into your timetable with further details provided by your college. If you miss your slot, you are very welcome to join any of the timetabled sessions. Further details (and MS Teams link) are available via Canvas – Welcome to Bodleian Libraries webinars.

Tours

Like most other Bodleian Libraries, we are running in-person tours during noughth week of both the Old Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera. To see the timetable, visit Getting started: Undergraduates and taught postgraduates | Bodleian Libraries.

Undergraduate tours to do not require booking and are run on a drop-in basis. They last 30 minutes.

Note that there are two different tours, one that starts in the Radcliffe Camera (and stays there) and one that starts in the lobby (Proscholium) of the Old Library.

Of course, you are also very welcome to just come along to the library at any time, and staff will be more than happy to help you if you have any questions.

Online Guidance

See the library’s ‘Getting started’ documentation for guidance on how to find resources, the different library services we offer, etc.

See also our general ‘How To’ Guides to help you navigate your way around Bodleian Libraries’ collections and finding aids.

We also have a series of online subject and research guides (called LibGuides) to help students find out about books and online resources for their discipline, including ebooks, ejournals and bibliographic databases. There are multiple guides for different areas of History, all accessible from the general History LibGuide: Home – History – Oxford LibGuides at Oxford University.

Help

The libraries are here to help you in your studies. If anything is not clear or you are struggling to find or access your readings, please do get in touch with library staff. You can do so in a variety of ways:

We wish you all the very best as you start a new chapter of your life in Oxford!

Welcome to New History Postgrads! Discover our Library Induction Programme

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photo (c) John Cairns

We warmly welcome all new History postgraduates to Oxford libraries!

Libraries will play a big part during your time at Oxford, whether providing access to online articles, helping you find that elusive book on the open shelves or finding source materials. There are over 100 libraries in Oxford and it can be quite confusing (and daunting) as you learn how to best use them.

The History Librarians, Isabel and Rachel, aim to attend as many of the Faculty induction sessions for Graduates as possible in 0th week to introduce ourselves and help you find your feet quickly.

We also provide an induction programme for new graduates, including talks, tours, and research and information skills training. For a more complete overview, see the History Faculty’s Canvas page (Single Sign On required).

Library tours & visits

  1. Bodleian Old Library and Radcliffe Camera – Monday and Wednesday-Friday in 0th week. Sign up through Canvas. PLEASE NOTE that the timings of these tours differ from the drop-in tours organised for new undergraduates. Booking for the postgrad tours is essential!
  2. Vere Harmsworth Library tour (at the Rothermere American Institute) – Wednesday 15 October, 11am – Sign up through Canvas.
  3. Introduction to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room – daily in 1st week (13-17 October) – Sign up through Canvas.

Talk & Training

  1. Welcome talk: Introduction to Bodleian Libraries for History Postgraduates – Monday 6th October, 12-1pm via Teams. Joining link is on Canvas.
  2. Information skills training in Michaelmas Term: for the workshops most relevant to historians, see Canvas. For a an exhaustive overview of all research training on offer, check the Bodleian iSkills website: iSkills workshops | Bodleian Libraries

Online Guidance

Have a look at our ‘Getting Started’ guides for taught postgraduates and research postgraduates.

See also our general ‘How To’ Guides to help you navigate your way around Bodleian Libraries’ collections and finding aids.

We also have a series of online subject and research guides (called LibGuides) to help students find out about books and online resources for their discipline, including ebooks, ejournals and bibliographic databases. There are multiple guides for different areas of History, all accessible from the general History LibGuide: Home – History – Oxford LibGuides at Oxford University.

Help

The libraries are here to help you in your research. If anything is not clear or you are struggling to find or access your readings, please do get in touch with library staff. You can do so in a variety of ways:

We wish you all the very best in your studies and research!

Welcome to the HFL!

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Welcome, new and returning History students! We’re here to help you get started with finding your way around the History Faculty Library (HFL) and locating the books and online resources on your reading lists.

Make a start with the Bodleian Libraries welcome page, which will introduce you to key facilities and search tools. Next, check out our online guide to the History Faculty Library for further information on the collections and reading rooms in the HFL.

We’re based in the Radcliffe Camera in the centre of Oxford, so we’re easy to find! You can book online for one of our Welcome Tours to learn about using our reading rooms and resources. Alternatively, we also offer a Virtual Welcome Tour of our facilities and services. We have pages tailored to specific subjects and research guides, which can help you identify resources and tools for your study.

For the most up-to-date information on our services, please see the Bodleian Libraries website. If you need any help or have any questions then please drop in or get in touch with us at library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Please note, to continue safeguarding our spaces for readers and staff we are encouraging the use of face masks within the library. Hand sanitiser and cleaning materials are also located throughout the reading rooms.

Welcome to the HFL!

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Welcome, new History students! We’re here to help you get started with finding your way around our libraries and finding the books and online resources on your reading list.

Make a start with this online video introduction to the Bodleian Libraries, and visit our welcome page for new students.

Next, check out our handy online guide to the History Faculty Library, which is the main lending library for history collections in the Bodleian. We’re based in the Radcliffe Camera, so we’re easy to find! Although sadly we can’t show you around the library in person this year, on this induction LibGuide you can take a video tour of the HFL, filmed and guided by our friendly library staff. The guide also contains information on how to book a desk slot, borrowing books, and printing.

You can also find useful information and answers to frequently asked questions on the Library Assistant app for Oxford freshers.

With Covid-19, there are some changes to the libraries, services and resources for the upcoming term. You will still be able to access the material you need and you can also access a wide range of ebooks and electronic resources online from the comfort of your own room.

For the most up-to-date information, please check out the Bodleian’s website.

If you get need any help or have any questions then please get in touch with us via email: library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk