To Colleagues in Learning Resources, I was on leave last week, but alas not on holiday in the Peak District with the children and grandchildren as we usually are at Easter. So we made the most of relaxing at home in Abingdon instead. The weather obviously helped and we enjoyed seeing the cherry blossom in the garden …
Learning Resources: Still Working For You – Content and Metadata Services
I’m really not a blogger. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly shy but I’ve never enjoyed being the centre of attention, and anything that puts me into any resemblance of a public spotlight just makes me want to run for the hills, quite frankly. It’s a long story and probably stems from the days when I …
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Learning Resources: Still Working For You – Academic Liaison
Helping students and academic staff access what they need online is always a big part of what the Academic Liaison teams do, so unsurprisingly we have been busier than ever since our physical campuses closed and we all moved to working from home. Within a few days of universities starting to send students home, big …
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3D Printing for the NHS
As I’m currently researching makerspaces colleagues are often kind enough to share emails on maker activities I might find of interest. I was particularly interested in a recent email from Isabel Virgo - Academic Liaison Librarian for Business, on librarians at Columbia University using the library’s 3D printers to make medical equipment for key workers, …
Learning Resources: Still Working For You – Design and Media Services
Our team provides a graphics service for teaching, research and other internal focused projects in the university. We’re continuing to work with staff both in the faculties and the directorates. Recent jobs have included the OCSLD newsletter, a weekly bulletin written by and for staff in Learning Resources and a special Library and LR Update …
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Learning Resources: Still Working For You – Customer Services
Our services for you whilst the university sites are closed As soon as the university announced the implementation of additional reading weeks, the Library made the decision to extend all loans to cover this period and remove fines. This was in part due to the numerous queries we received from students self-isolating or moving home, …
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Learning Resources: Still Working For You – Associate Director of Learning Resources – Collections
Not Home Alone So, let’s cover off the domestic situation first: managed to get daughter and granddaughter on the plane to Vancouver before it became almost impossible to do so. Youngest son is home from Liverpool Uni and wondering what his Year 2 exam regime is going to look like. We compare notes on how …
Learning Resources: Still Working For You – Special Collections
This is the first in a series of blog entries from LR staff, showing we are still open for business, and reflecting on life working at home. The Special Collections reading room may be closed at the moment but whilst we’re working from home work continues on our collections. Where possible we are responding to …
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Mash-up – World book Day and University Mental Health Day
5th March saw the annual World Book Day coincide with University Mental Health Day. To celebrate both themes we asked our users to suggest their favourite ‘feel good’ books. We hoped the concept of ‘feel good’ would be broad enough to encourage a range of titles to be suggested and we weren’t disappointed. ‘Feel good’ …
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A defence of subject specialism in academic librarianship
As anyone with an unusual surname will know, it has its pros and cons. Mine was a real asset recently when my dad was taken into hospital with a serious illness. Everywhere in the health system where my Dad was treated, or my anxious Mum comforted - from paramedics to rehab and all the hospital …
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The Library celebrates LGBTQ+ History Month 2020
The theme for LGBTQ+ History Month 2020 is Poetry, Prose, and Plays. The Library has been keen to showcase its range of resources that might be of interest to LGBTQ+ individuals, or anybody interested in works concerning LGBTQ+ characters. Why do this? Historically, LGBTQ+ people have been a marginalised group. Authors such as Oscar …
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Christmas cheer
Ho ho ho! With Christmas nearly upon us, the Library has entered the festive spirit with our decorations and activities. Harcourt Hill and Headington have constructed some book ‘trees’ which have attracted a lot of positive comments. The ‘trees’ look fabulous, are environmentally friendly and were fun to build. (No books were harmed in the …
Books, chocs and lots for Wellbeing
Across all our libraries we have continued to work at providing wellbeing activities for our staff and students. World Book Day 8 March (all campuses) We celebrated by asking students in the libraries and online to submit your favourite book, via a little speech bubble card. Over the space of a day, we received nearly …
The 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction
On the evening of 14 October, the Vice Chancellor and I attended the awards ceremony at Guildhall in the City of London. We are invited because the archive of the Booker Prize is held at Brookes in the Library’s Special Collections and Archives. It is always a very enjoyable event and this year was no …
The future for academic libraries? Initial observations from my US research.
My recent research visit to the east coast of the US was informative for my Doctorate of Education thesis (on Academic library makerspaces) but also generally in how academic libraries are evolving in North America in terms of their services generally. The two main libraries at the large university (over 35,000 students) I visited offer …
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The science and business of spirits and beer
On Wednesday 6 December, Professor Katherine Smart will be giving a public lecture at Oxford Brookes University, including a free tasting session beforehand from Hook Norton Brewery and Toad distillery. The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend - students, staff and members of the public. Professor Katherine Smart’s stellar career brings together …
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Two special stories from Special Collections
Being involved with the University’s Special Collections is an interesting part of my wider role as an Academic Liaison Librarian. Brookes has some unique collections under five key themes: Food and drink Art and architecture Public and allied health Publishing and literary prizes Oxford Brookes University I am sometimes approached by members of the public …
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Summer Exhibition ICONS Results
Over summer 2019 we had our ICONS Exhibition displayed in the Welcome Desk area on Level 1 of the Library at Headington and across our other sites at Harcourt, Wheatley and Swindon. Inspiration for this exhibition was sparked by the BBC ICONS series shown at the beginning of the year. Along with posters and a Spotify …
KEF/ REF/ TEF update! What does it all mean…?
Recently attending an M25 academic libraries event (university libraries within the M25, and somewhat beyond in the case of some of us such as Brookes and Reading!) was an opportunity to catch up with ex Brookes colleagues and find out more on the above frameworks. The KEF: Knowledge Exchange Framework is designed by the Government …
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Drugs, intoxication and drug policy: beyond the headlines
Liviu Alexandrescu is a lecturer in Criminology at Oxford Brookes. Liviu's research interests sit at the crossroads of sociology, criminology and media/culture studies, with a strong focus on critical drug studies and social theory. In this Book Hook post, Liviu recommends five books on drugs and drug policy. All of Liviu's choices are available in our …
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