Library
News
Spring Edition
April 2014
W
elcome to the spring
edition of the Library
newsletter.
I am very pleased to report that we have
successfully achieved reaccreditation
for the Customer Service Excellence
(CSE) standard, which we attained
for the first time in 2013. CSE is a
challenging government standard
that measures quality of delivery,
timeliness, information, professionalism
and staff attitude in the provision of
public services. The assessor awarded
the Library a ‘compliance plus’ level
for the extent of the consultation that
we undertake with stakeholders,
commenting that the “commitment to
customer excellence is clearly evident
with the overarching desire to improve
services and put customers first”. We
will continue to ensure we meet the
requirements of CSE.
In the run up to final examinations
and end of year assessments, you
can find out more about the range of
support the Library can offer you in
this edition of the newsletter. Our new
Skills Hub, developed in conjunction
with colleagues in CEC, will guide you
to a range of services, resources and
facilities that will help you, for example,
to make effective use of Library
resources, manage your time efficiently
or improve your critical writing skills.
We’d like to hear your views on the
Skills Hub or any other aspect of the
Library via Twitter: www.twitter.com/
sussexlibrary, our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/sussexlibrary, or
our instant messaging service, so get in
touch and let us know what you think.
Kitty Inglis, Librarian
Skills Hub: everything you need in one place
The Skills Hub brings together all the
workshops, web resources and services
at Sussex that can help you to develop
your skills. It will help you to identify
areas for improvement and to find the
support you need for your academic
studies.
We have lots of advice on how the
Library can help make your final year
that little bit easier. Visit: www.sussex.
ac.uk/library/info/supportforfinalists
to find out more information.
Focus on your employability skills by
taking advantage of opportunities for
work experience, leadership courses,
language courses and much more
Skills resources are available in a
variety of forms; including information
to download, events and workshops to
sign up to, online activities, videos
to watch, and opportunites to talk to an
advisor, allowing you to direct your own
learning in the ways that suit you best.
What do students say about the Skills
Hub?
The Skills Hub identifies six main areas
of skill development:
“all the useful information under one
site, no need to do multiple searches”
Help with using Library resources
effectively and improve your
research skills
Improve your critical essay writing
and check your referencing skills
Update your IT skills, including
Excel, PowerPoint, Word and
Endnote
You said, we did!
Are you in your final year?
Your Library is here to help
Learn how to manage your time
effectively, how to prepare for exams
and how to write a dissertation
Get better at giving presentations,
avoid procrastination and improve
your planning skills
“the amount of information and formats
in which it is given is very good, video,
writing, etc”
“everything in one place!”
Visit: www.sussex.ac.uk/skillshub
for more information and access to
resources to help you thrive.
all subject areas.
Continued work with ITS
has also seen wi-fi
Valued feedback has
coverage improve greatly,
resulted in a number of
improvements to the Library. and in February ITS
These include creating extra replaced all of the Library
wi-fi points with the most
silent study places with
power sockets and wi-fi and up-to-date models. The new
access points can handle
changing our 24 hour
opening times to better suit 50% more connections than
those previously, meaning
our users. We have more
the Library now has some
books and digitisations
of the best wi-fi equipment
than ever before, including
available for its needs.
100,000 e-books covering
Library News
ID cards
Remember, you need your University
ID card to enter the Library. Please
ensure you have it with you to avoid
the disappointment of being refused
entry. Only five cardless visits will be
allowed per year.
Our new SAGE
scholars
d
se
t u one
s
Mo dy Z
u
St
No smoking
The Library aims to provide a
pleasant and healthy working
environment for users and staff alike.
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on
the main Library steps at the front of
the building.
Suggestions
Contact us with your suggestions or
comments about library services.
Forms are available in the Library or
on the Library web pages.
www.sussex.ac.uk/library
Access to the Library
The main entrance to the University
Library may be unsuitable for users
with mobility problems. An alternative
entrance is located at the north end
of the building — follow the signs to
IDS. This allows entry, via a phone
link, to the ground floor.
Please contact Library Membership
to arrange alternative access.
T +44(0)1273 678487
E [email protected]
Term-time hours
24 hour opening:
12pm Sunday - 8pm Friday
Saturday opening:
12pm - 7pm
For vacation and bank holidays,
please check the Library web pages
as they will vary.
Contact details
University of Sussex Library
Brighton
BN1 9QL, UK
T +44 (0)1273 678163
E [email protected]
www.twitter.com/sussexlibrary
www.facebook.com/sussexlibrary
The Library has a zero tolerance
approach towards abuse to staff
or others and will follow up on all
reports of offensive behaviour.
This academic year, the Library
introduced a new three year scholarship
scheme. In partnership with SAGE
publishers we appointed three first
year students from the social sciences;
Lenart Celar from Psychology (pictured
left), Eva Britten-Snell from International
Relations (centre), and Lucy Hensher
from Geography. The students are
working with the Library and SAGE
publishers to help us to get a better
understanding of students’ informationrelated behaviour. They regularly blog
about their experiences and related
research at: blogs.lib.sussex.ac.uk/
sagestudentsblog/
Library provides access
to 100,000 e-books
Silent study
Silent
individual study
Phones/mp3
players etc.
Talking
Eating or
drinking except
for bottled water
A quiet word
Many users feel that the use of
phones and other mobile devices,
loud talking and food consumption
is inappropriate and makes it hard
to study in the Library. Please show
consideration for others and choose
an appropriate study area.
The Library has made a major
investment in user access to e-books
across all subject areas, with 100,000
titles now available.
Please see our e-books subject guide
for more information about the titles and
collections we have:
guides.lib.sussex.ac.uk/ebooks
Don’t get yourself in a
bind!
Are you a final year student submitting
your dissertation? Remember to check
with your school office to see what their
submission requirements are.
The Library has several machines you
can use to bind your work and it’s quick
and easy to do. Binding materials costs
£1 per kit (back and front cover, plastic
spiral) and are available to buy from
the Info Hub. We will need to measure
your dissertation to get the right size, so
bring a copy. Don’t leave it until the last
minute – there will be queues!
Once you have submitted your work,
don’t forget to return any items you have
on loan promptly to avoid incurring fines.
Good luck!
Social study
Quiet group
work
Quiet study
Quiet individual
study
No phone calls. Phones to be kept
on silent
All mobile devices must be
inaudible to other users
No eating/drinking except for
bottled water