Christmas Closing

The library will close at 5pm on Tuesday 23rd December and reopen at 9am on Monday 5th January.

We wish all our readers a very happy Christmas and New Year!

New books for November

The list of books received in the library in November is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

Have your say on OxLIP+

There is now a poll on the homepage for OxLIP+ asking what the preferred default homepage option would be - title search, or subject browse. Please feel free to vote (it should stop you voting more than once!). The poll closes on the 4th December.

Any comments or queries regarding OxLIP+ please email eresources@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Switching to OxLIP+

Following the successful launch of OxLIP+ (http://oxlip-plus.ouls.ox.ac.uk), the old version of OxLIP (http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/oxlip/oxlip.html) will be discontinued from 15 December 08.

The new service OxLIP+ offers all the functionality of old OxLIP (viz.the ability to locate individual bibliographic databases and e-collections by title or by subject) and much more, namely:

• remote access via Single Sign-On
• cross-searching across several databases
• more sophisticated subject break-down
• improved title/keyword searching
• and personalized services in the "My Research" area

Furthermore, the export functionality in OxLIP+ means that the titles of all databases can be searched and displayed in SOLO. Feedback shows that, of all these improvements, the fact that remote users are no longer required to use VPN when using OxLIP+ for remote access is considered by far the most important enhancement.

If you experience problems accessing OxLIP+, please contact the Electronic Resources Team on eresources@ouls.ox.ac.uk. Alternatively,you may want to speak to your college, site or subject librarian (http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/libraries/subjects/librarians).

WISER coming up: Statistical data and quality information on the internet

WISER sessions next week:

WISER Social Sciences: Statistical data sources.
Tuesday, 18 November (week 6), 12.30-1.30pm, OUCS, Banbury Road
An overview of data sources available to social scientists including international macro data, data archives, opinion polls and the Social Science Library data search page.
Mark Janes
Book here!


WISER Humanities: Quality information on the Internet.
Friday, 21 November (week 6), 12.30-1.30om, OUCS, Banbury Road
This session will help you to develop effective web searching techniques for use with search engines and introduce you to strategies for evaluating resources.
Johanneke Sytsema and Judy Reading
Book here!

New books for October

The list of new books received in the library in October is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

WISER: Web research and e-books

Information on next week's WISER sessions:

WISER Social Sciences: Google and beyond.
Tuesday, 11 November (week 5) 12.30 - 1.30 OUCS Banbury Road
This session will help you to develop effective web searching techniques for use with search engines and introduce you to strategies for evaluating resources.
Angela Carritt and Penny Schenk
Book here!

WISER: E-books.
Friday 14 November (5) 12.30 - 1.30 OUCS Banbury Road
(relevant for social sciences and humanities)
An overview of what is currently available and how to access them from the point of view of the student, the researcher and the academic considering using e-books to resource their courses.
Hilla Wait and Kate Williams
Book here!

WISER: Keeping up to date

Two WISER sessions next week offering tips on how to keep up-to-date:

WISER Social Sciences: Getting information to come to you.
Tuesday, 4 November (4) 12.30 - 1.30 OUCS, Banbury Road
Make your own current awareness service. Discover ways of using electronic bibliographic resources to keep up with the literature in your field by creating personal research / interest profiles.
Katherine Melling and Judy Reading
Book here!

WISER Humanities: Keeping up-to-date.
Friday, 7 November (4) 12.30 - 1.30 OUCS, Banbury Road
Make your own current awareness service. Discover ways of using electronic bibliographic resources to keep up with the literature in your field by creating personal research / interest profiles.
Kate Petherbridge and Judy Reading
Book here!

There are also leaflets on keeping up-to-date available in the library, with the other electronic resources guides by the microfilm readers.

WISER sessions this week

WISER Humanities: OxLIP+ Electronic Resources.

Friday, 31 October (3) OUCS 12.30 – 1.30

OxLIP+ is a new interface to Oxford University’s extensive collection of databases, electronic reference works, e-journals and e-books http://oxlip-plus.ouls.ox.ac.uk. Cross-searching of multiple sources is now possible in a variety of ways. This session will give you an introduction to effective searching and the range of resources which are available.

Kerry Webb and Judy Reading

Book here! Booking essential – please cancel your place if you are unable to attend.

http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZC11

Barton Gellman at the RAI

UPDATE: Due to the popularity of this event, registration has now closed.

Barton Gellman, Pulitzer prize winner and a distinguished journalist on The Washington Post, will be speaking at the Rothermere American Institute at lunch on Tuesday, 28th October at 12.30pm.

Mr. Gellman's subject is that of his recently published book: Dick Cheney's Vice-Presidency.

A sandwich lunch will be provided for the first thirty people who confirm their attendance.

Confirmation to enquiries@rai.ox.ac.uk

SOLO and OxLIP+ guides

If you're feeling bewildered, confused or just curious about the new search interfaces for the library catalogue and electronic resources, help is now available. Guides to SOLO, OxLIP+ and OU e-journals can be picked up in the library, or downloaded from the OULS guides webpage. And as ever, if you need any on-the-spot help, please feel free to ask us!

New books in the library - September

Slightly later than usual due to a technological glitch, the list of new books received in the library during September is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

WISER sessions this term

The WISER (Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources) programme for Michaelmas Term is now up on the OULS website (sessions for Humanities and Social Sciences). There are also special sessions running this term on the new search interfaces for the catalogue and electronic resources, SOLO and OxLIP+. Sessions are free and run at lunchtimes at OUCS.

Opening hours for term

From Monday (6th October) the library will revert to term-time opening hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm.

Search Oxford Libraries Online (SOLO) - a new way to search Oxford library catalogues

An announcement from OULS:

On 1st October, Oxford University Library Services is introducing new search tools that provide enhanced and easy access to its many resources.

SOLO: Search Oxford Libraries Online http://solo.ouls.ox.ac.uk/
OLIS, the library catalogue, still exists but is now overlaid with powerful search software, SOLO (Search Oxford Libraries Online). SOLO will search across OLIS, as well as the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) and other catalogues and e-resources collections so that your search results will be more comprehensive. Facets provide many additional links and there are options to email results, save results for bibliographic management packages, save searches and create search alerts. SOLO search results link to OLIS so that when you find the item you want, you will be able to place a stack request or a reservation. SOLO also allows for seamless linking to full-text journal articles. An "Articles and Databases" tab gives you a quick overview (no more than 30 results per database searched) of journal articles, abstracts or bibliographic references in many subjects. Use this if you just want a sample of search results but go to OxLIP+ if you want to do detailed searching of the 800+ e-resources and databases.

OxLIP+ http://oxlip-plus.ouls.ox.ac.uk
From OxLIP+ you can look for a resource by title or by subject, as before, but you can also search for a database by a word in its title or description. Selective databases can be cross-searched, thus allowing you to pick and choose databases from Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Medicine for truly interdisciplinary searching. Ask your local librarian for assistance with the many new options on offer.

OU E-journals http://ejournals.ouls.ox.ac.uk
OU E-Journals, already familiar to most of you, is still available as a separate search service and is your easiest way into a full-text ejournal. Oxford now has over 28,000 titles! Use Single-Sign-On (SSO) to have access to the full range of resources and services. No more need for VPN or Athens - just logon using your SSO account (which is the same as your Herald email userid & password)!

Please use the TELL US WHAT YOU THINK screen on SOLO to tell us your views and send in suggestions.

The homepage on all reader PCs will default to SOLO from tomorrow (1st October).

Electrical work in library - next two weeks

The long-warned-about electrical work (originally scheduled for July and August) will now be taking place from tomorrow for the next couple of weeks. It shouldn't be too noisy or disruptive, but areas of the bookstacks on the first and second floors may be inaccessible at times.

New books for August

The list of new books received in the library during August is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

VHL closed on Bank Holiday Monday

The library will be closed next Monday (25th August) for the Bank Holiday. We will be open again at 9am on Tuesday morning.

Remote access, OxLIP+ and ILL charges

Various things to update you all on now we're into August:

• Remote Access: Athens will no longer work to allow access to electronic resources from outside the University. Instead resources will require you to authenticate using your Oxford single sign-on (the same as your webmail username and password). The best way to do this (without VPN) is to log in via the new OxLIP+ interface (from where you can also click through to OU ejournals). For more information, see the OULS remote access page.
• OxLIP+: This is the new interface to electronic resources, currently in beta launch. As well as access to all the resources, it includes some cross-searching facilities and personalised features (My Research). It can be accessed via: http://oxlip-plus.ouls.ox.ac.uk.
• Inter-library loan charges have increased to £4.00 per request (£12.00 for international requests).

New books for July

The list of new books received in the library in July is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

Electrical work - reminder

Just a quick reminder that there will be electrical work going on in the library from Monday for the next two weeks. Hopefully it won't be too disruptive, but obviously we apologise if so!

Update on electrical work

As is often the case with such things, there has been a delay to the electrical work that was due to start in the library this week. It should now be starting in the week beginning 28th July and continuing for two weeks after that. So all will remain quiet on the library front for the next week or so at least!

Postgraduate training days at the British Library

The British Library is running a series of training days for postgraduates during the autumn, which might interest some of you.

From their newsletter:

The days include a general introduction to the Library's collections and
services as well as curator workshops involving materials and reference sources
relevant to the specific subject of the training day. There are limited spaces
on each day and also limited travel bursaries available so book early to avoid
disappointment. To book a place on any of the training days or to find out more
information please email highereducation@bl.uk

Social Sciences: 13 October
History (Medieval to 18th C): 4 November
History (19th-21st C): 25 November

Access to 19th C US Newspapers database

We have had reports of some people having difficulty accessing the new 19th Century US Newspapers database. It seems to be a caching issue with Internet Explorer, so if you are being asked for a password, even if within the University network or through VPN, clearing your cache should fix the problem. Alternatively accessing the database using another browser should cause no problems!

Electrical work in the library (from Monday 14th July)

Starting from Monday there will be electrical work going on in the library for the next three weeks. It is likely to be noisy and disruptive, and will affect all floors except the ground floor. We apologise for the inconvenience, but this is the only time of year it is practical to carry out this kind of work.

Advance notice - Electrical work in the library

There will be electrical work being carried out in the library from Monday 14th July for three weeks. The work may well be noisy and disruptive, and will affect all floors except the ground floor. We apologise for any inconvenience!

New books in the library - June

A list of new books received in the library in June is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

New electronic resource - 19th Century US Newspapers

We are pleased to announce access to our latest acquisition, the 19th Century US Newspapers by Cengage.

This database provides access to approximately 1.7 million pages (over 28 million articles) of historical newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from c 500 newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration, economic development, the Antebellum-era and many other subjects.

Available via OxLIP; off campus access is with VPN.

New interface to America: History & Life

For the past six months it has been possible to access America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts via two interfaces: the old ABC-CLIO interface and the new Ebsco one. The old versions will cease on 1 July.

Important to note is that keyword searching is different in the new version. Example: Military orders will be searched as a phrase; military and orders will be searched as a combined keywords.

Other changes of note are the ability to save searches, create electronic alerts, RSS feeds. If you have any existing alerts on the old ABC-CLIO version, then you will need to redo them on the new version as they won’t be carried over.

Access via OxLIP; remote access is with VPN.

Trinity Term seating - follow-up

Now that Trinity Term is over it seems a good time to report on the effect of our change of policy towards the first floor study carrels this year. We received various comments and feedback from a variety of library users, and had a good number of votes on the poll we had running here on the blog. Unsurprisingly, feedback was very positive from Americanists, but more surprisingly, there was only one complaint about the new restrictions. The poll showed a more evenly spread response, with 45% voting for Americanists only, 30% for priority to Americanists and 25% for no restrictions whatsoever. From the staff point of view, the most telling indication is that we have not once been asked to intervene or move a non-Americanist, and have not had a single complaint that a reader cannot find anywhere to sit. This is despite the fact that our usage statistics show that we have been about as busy as we were last year, when there were quite a few complaints. We are therefore judging the new system a success! The first floor study carrels are therefore now available to be used on a first-come, first-served basis for most of the year (with priority to Americanists if the library becomes unexpectedly busy), but during Trinity Terms will be reserved for Americanists only.

Finally, a reminder that as of today we revert to summer vacation opening hours - Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm only.

Summer opening hours

Summer opening hours start next week (23rd June) - the library will be open Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm only. We are closed on Saturdays from now on (ie, no Saturday opening this Saturday 21st).

Remote access to electronic resources

A message from OULS:

The Library Services currently recommend that readers download the VPN (Virtual Private Network) software to enable access to resources when off-campus. Step by step instructions are at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/network/vpn/oucs-service/

Many databases have also been available through an Athens username, but this service will terminate at the end of July 2008. Most database suppliers will be offering an institutional log-in using the Oxford Single Sign-On instead (this is the same as your WebAuth or Herald userid and password). A small number of databases will initially not work with SSO access; these will continue to be available through the VPN. You can check the remote access arrangements for each specific database from OxLIP. For information about the Oxford Single Sign-On see http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/sers/resources/ssoathens.

We are working to develop a new portal service which will make it much simpler to use the Oxford SSO for remote access to electronic resources. Please follow progress on the OULS website at http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/eresources/remote_access.

A few resources (e.g. ZETOC) use Athens for personalised services such as alerts. These will have to be either migrated or cancelled and reinstated. For advice on access to legal databases please contact the law librarians.

If you have any concerns or would like more information please email eresources@ouls.ox.ac.uk.
The links given here should give you all the information you need and, in addition, a WISER session has been arranged on Remote access on Wednesday 11th June 12.30-1.30 at OUCS - to book see:
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWH

WISER coming up

WISER: Finding quality information on the internet
Wednesday 11th June 2008 (week 8), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will help you to develop effective web searching techniques for use with a variety of search engines and web directories and will introduce strategies for evaluating web resources.
Angela Carritt and Penny Schenk.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWF

Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

New books in the library - May

The list of books received in the library during May is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

Wireless update

For those of you who have been experiencing problems with connecting to the wireless network this week, please ensure that you are connecting to OWL and not OWL-VPN. OWL has replaced the old OWL-VPN network, but apparently OWL-VPN is still visible in some parts of the library with a very weak signal. Connections through OWL-VPN will therefore be poor and liable to drop out. Choose OWL from the list of available networks instead, and then log in through the VPN as normal. Alternatively you can use the new OULS-reader network, which doesn't need the VPN - just open up your web browser, enter your OLIS barcode and password and away you go!

Wireless problems and WISER coming up

The wireless upgrade on Tuesday doesn't appear to have gone as smoothly as planned... we've had several reports of a consistently weak signal and problems connecting. ICT are investigating and hopefully the network will be back to full strength soon. In the meantime, if you have been having problems accessing the wireless network it would be great if you could let us know (including how you are accessing - OWL via VPN or the new OULS-reader - and where you are sitting).

UPDATE: Apparently 1 connection in 10 is suffering a weak signal, so hopefully the majority of you are connecting fine...

And while I'm here... next week's WISER session:

WISER: Google Project
Wednesday 4th June 2008 (week 7), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
The Library Services are working with Google to attempt the mass digitization of our entire holdings of out-of-copyright C19th material. This presentation will set our experiences and the outputs of the project in the context of Oxford's ambitions to provide a digital library service for the global community of readers.
Michael Popham.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWR

VHL 2.0 survey - your library needs you!

As I'm sure you are all aware, the VHL has been experimenting with web 2.0 sites and services this year. We set up this blog, and have accounts and pages on Facebook, del.icio.us and LibraryThing, as well as all sorts of widgets on our website. From my point of view, I've had a lot of fun experimenting and I think it's been a valuable layer of icing on the VHL cake, but I'm not exactly an impartial judge here so it would be great to find out what you all think too. Please take a few minutes to complete our web 2.0 survey, or as ever, if you just have general feedback, drop me an email or comment on this blog post.

Changes to wireless network access

Following the upgrade of our wireless service this morning, there is now a choice of ways to access the wireless network in the VHL. When you start up your computer, it will now pick up three wireless networks which you can connect to:

• Bodleian-Libraries: This is now the preferred option, and can be accessed without the need for VPN software. After you have connected to OULS-reader in the list of available networks, open up your web browser. You will be taken to a page where you will be prompted to enter your library card barcode and password. This is the same password as you would use to place stack requests via OLIS. Once authenticated, the full range of network resources will be available to you. NB, if your password is the same as your barcode this system will not accept it and you will need to change it via OLIS. Once changed, there will be a delay of up to 30 minutes before you can access the network. 
• OWL: If you are used to connecting to the wireless via OWL-VPN you can continue to do so!
• Eduroam: If you are an external reader and have an Eduroam account from your home institution, you can use this to connect via the Eduroam network. Please note however that this will only give you access to the resources subscribed to by your home institution, and NOT Oxford's. If you wish to access Oxford's resources, please log in to OULS-reader.

Reminder - wireless network upgrade (Tuesday 27th May)

Just a reminder that our wireless network is being upgraded tomorrow (Tuesday 27th May), which will result in the network being unavailable for approximately one hour at 10am. The network connections on the library PCs will be unaffected so you can still access the internet/electronic resources using them.

WISER sessions coming up (including a session on US History resources)

WISER: Reading lists
Wednesday 28th May 2008 (week 6), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
Providing online reading lists is an easy and quick way to help your students locate material in Oxford libraries. This session outlines the process of doing this. We will also explore user-friendly Web 2.0 applications, which give you the opportunity to create reading lists that are more interactive and encourage discussion.
Judy Reading and Eric Howard.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZD8

WISER: Information Sources for US History
Friday 30th May 2008 (week 6), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will introduce key information sources for the study of colonial American and the history of United States. Starting with useful finding tools to locate relevant material, examples of source materials will then be shown or outlined. These include archival, microform, printed and online collections and useful web portals. There will be time for a brief hands-on at the end.
Isabel Holowaty.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZE9

Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Wireless upgrade - Tuesday 27th May

Our wireless service is due to be upgraded next Tuesday (27th May). This will mean that the wireless network will be unavailable for approximately one hour from 10am. The network connections for the library PCs on the ground floor will be unaffected, so if you need to access electronic resources, email, the internet etc you will be able to do so through them while the wireless is down.

Bank holiday opening

The library will be open on the bank holiday next Monday (26th), 9am-7pm as normal. Please be aware that there will be no deliveries from the Bodleian stacks that day though, so if you need to order books to read then you should request them to a Central Bodleian reading room. Our deliveries will resume on the Tuesday morning.

WISER sessions coming up

(and I'm doing this one, if that sells it to you!)

WISER: Gadgets and widgets
Friday, 16th May 2008 (week 4), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will look at some tools that can help you organise yourself on the web, including social bookmarking services like del.icio.us, bibliophile sites like LibraryThing and My WorldCat, and customised start pages.
Jane Rawson and Emma Cragg.
Book at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWT
Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

New look for the blog and Trinity Term seating continued

The VHL blog is now just over six months old, and to celebrate I've given it a makeover. Hope you all like the new look! If you usually read our news via a feed reader you might want to drop by the actual page and take a look.

Another thing to flag up, for those of you reading our feed, is that we have a quick poll running on the blog at the moment about the Trinity Term seating issue. We've had a variety of comments from readers about the new system, both in favour and against, and so are canvassing opinion - if you have feelings about this one way or another, please vote in the sidebar.

New database trials: 19th Century US Newspapers & Early American Newspapers, 1620-1922

We have set up trials to two databases of historical American newspapers and are inviting feedback. The databases are 19th Century US Newspapers (Cengage) and Early American Newspapers, 1620-1922 (Readex), and can be accessed via the Latest database acquisitions and trials section on OxLIP. The trials will run until 31st May, so please take advantage of this access and let us know what you think! Please send any feedback to the History Librarian, Isabel Holowaty (isabel.holowaty@ouls.ox.ac.uk).

New books for April

The list of new books received in the library is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

WISER sessions coming up

WISER: Maps and mapping - online resources and digital mapping
Wednesday, 7th May 2008 (week 3), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
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.
Nigel James.
Book at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZF7

WISER: Digitizing the Bodleian John Johnson collection
Friday, 9th May 2008 (week 3), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This collection includes rare primary source materials and evidence of our cultural, social, industrial, and technological histories. It is particularly valuable to anyone interested in the everyday lives of ordinary citizens. For more information see http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/eejjc/ Michael Popham and David Tomkins.
Book at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWV

Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

May Bank Holiday opening

The library will be open on both May Bank Holiday Mondays, from 9am - 7pm as normal.

WISER sessions coming up

WISER: Looking things up: reference sources online
Friday, 2nd May 2008 (week 2), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will introduce some useful online reference resources such as biographical sources, encyclopaedias, dictionaries and handbooks for questions requiring quick answers.
Mat Andrews and Judy Reading.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWS
Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Saturday opening

A reminder that the library will be open on Saturdays from 9am - 1pm throughout Trinity Term, starting this Saturday (26th April).

WISER sessions this week

WISER: Electronic resources.
Friday, 25th April 2008 (week 1), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
An introduction to the networked databases available through the Oxford Libraries Information Platform (OxLIP) interface. Available databases include indexing services, electronic journals and other full text services, online reference tools, statistics and library catalogues. We will also discuss how to access online resources from outside the Oxford network.
Emma Sullivan and Judy Reading.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWB
Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Increased use of the library in Trinity Term

Every year we see a marked increase in use of the library in Trinity Term, at times almost up to 100% capacity, due to students throughout the University needing study space in the run-up to exams. The VHL is not the only library that experiences this, but perhaps because for most of the year we are quite quiet it feels like more of a contrast, and leads to complaints every year from Americanists who suddenly struggle to find somewhere to sit and work in the VHL during this period.



In previous years we have tried to balance the conflicting needs of our readers with minimum intervention, by designating the first floor study carrels as priority desks from which non-Americanists may be asked to move if the library reaches capacity and someone needing to use our collections cannot find anywhere to sit. We have seen this as the simplest system for us to manage, and the fairest one to all readers, as intervention is only necessary if there is no alternative free seat. However it hasn't always worked as well as we might have hoped, and so this year we have decided to try setting aside the first floor study carrels for Americanists only during Trinity Term. During this period therefore, please only use these desks if you are in the library to use our collections.



We understand that our readers have conflicting needs and opinions, and would very much like to hear from you about this. Let us know what you think about the new system as opposed to the old, or any other ideas or views you have about how best to manage our busy time of year. Comment on this blog post, or on the VHL's page on Facebook, or let us know your thoughts by email or in the comments book at the desk. Hopefully together we'll be able to make Trinity Term in the VHL more harmonious this year!

WISER sessions this term

The full programme of WISER sessions (Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources) for Trinity Term is now available online.

'Web 2.0 for Historians' guide

You may have noticed I'm rather fond of web 2.0 things. It speaks to my not-so-inner librarian - organisation and sharing of knowledge. I seem to have spent a lot of time lately talking to people about how libraries can use web 2.0 to enhance our services, and now, in conjunction with the History Faculty Library, we have produced a guide to web 2.0 tools for Historians, which we hope will be useful to some of you! It covers many different websites and tools that can help you organise, discover and share your research and content on the web. The guide is now available at the HFL and here in the VHL, with the other electronic resources guides by the microform readers.

Saturday opening update - now starting 1st week

We have just found out that there is an animal rights demonstration happening this Saturday (19th) and University Security is advising all departments around South Parks Road to shut. We will therefore not be able to be open then after all, so our Saturday opening hours will begin from the following Saturday (26th).

Apologies for this!

Saturday opening

Starting from this Saturday (19th April), the VHL will be open on Saturday mornings from 9am-1pm throughout Trinity Term, thus giving you all four more hours per week to spend in our delightful company!

New books for March

The list of new books received in the library in March is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

New microcard reader

We have a new microcard reader in the library, for opaque microcards such as in the Travels in the Old South and Travels in the New South collections. It should be an improvement on the old one with its dodgy focus! It is still not possible to print from microcards however.

Easter closing and advance warning of noise disruption

The library will be closed for Easter from Friday 21st - Monday 24th March inclusive. Our opening hours remain the same throughout the vacation otherwise.

During the week of 25th-28th March there will be work going on in the garden (weather permitting) which may cause noise disruption in the library, particularly on the mezzanine. The desks on the north side (including the quiet area) will hopefully not be affected too badly.

(Easter image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/stitch/7668006/)

New computers

We now have new computers in the library for reader use. They have access to OLIS, the internet and all the usual electronic resources as before, but also have Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access) and EndNote installed. It is not possible to save anything to the hard drive however, so you will need to bring your own USB drive if you need to save things. If you don't have a USB stick and need to save something temporarily (eg, to email it to yourself or to transfer to your own laptop), we have a couple that we can lend you - please ask at the staff desk.

The only computer that hasn't been replaced yet is the one attached to the microfilm scanner - this is due to a problem with incompatible hardware which should be fixed shortly.

VHL on LibraryThing Local

As readers of this blog will know, the VHL has been on LibraryThing since November, adding our new acquisitions each month. I don't know how many of our readers are LibraryThing users (or Thingamabrarians, as I believe we are referred to) but I am a huge fan of LibraryThing. I have my personal book collection on there too (for which I either hang my head in shame or proudly proclaim my geekiness, depending on how you view such things), and I am loving the new developments they are constantly bringing out. The latest of these is LibraryThing Local, which basically adds listings of libraries, bookshops and literary festivals to LibraryThing, searchable by location. You can find the VHL here, and you can add us as a favourite library on your LibraryThing profile. Or even befriend us as a fellow Thingamabrarian!

(and a reminder, we're available to be friended on del.icio.us and Facebook too, if anyone feels so inclined...)

Footnote.com - digitised material from NARA

Footnote.com contains 4.5 million pages of material that has been digitised in a partnership with NARA. Oxford doesn't have a subscription, but even without a personal or institutional subscription you can freely access much digitised NARA material:

• American Colonization Society papers
• American Milestone Documents (incl. e.g. Gettysburg address 1863, 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 1954 McCarthy, etc.)
• Ratified Amendments to the US Constitution
• Domestic Letters of the Department of State, 1785-1865
• Brady Civil War Photos
• Lincoln's Assassination Papers
• Pennsylvania Archives
• Southern Claims Commission
• George Washington Correspondence
• Constitutional Convention Records
• Continental Congress papers
• Foreign Letters of the Continental Congress

If you want to make use of the annotation, commenting, sharing and saving features, you can create a free account.

New books for February

The list of new books received in the library during February is now available on our website and LibraryThing page.

Travels in the W & SW - microfiche list continued

For anyone tracking our progress with the online list of uncatalogued fiches in the Travels in the West and Southwest collection, we have just hit our limit of 250 items on the list. We have therefore started a second list for the remaining fiches which can be viewed at: http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/vhllib/lists/54202. Both are linked to from our website.

WISER sessions coming up

WISER Social Sciences: E-books.
Monday 3 March 2008 (week 8), 12.30 -1.30 Social Science Library IT Room, Manor Road.
An overview of the ebook packages that are currently available and how to access them. This session is aimed at students, researchers and academics considering using e-books to resource their courses. There will be time for hands-on practice.
Kate Williams and Hilla Wait.
No need to book.

WISER General: Theses and dissertations.
Friday, 7 Mar (week 8), 12.30 -1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session offers guidance on finding theses, both those held in Oxford University Libraries and those from other institutions in the UK and abroad. It will demonstrate how to exploit the main sources of information for theses and dissertations: OLIS; Index to Theses (UK andIreland); Dissertation Abstracts International (America).
Mat Andrews and Rob Wilkes.
Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TFZ4

Full programme at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Travels in the West and Southwest - list of uncatalogued microfiches now available

Last year, we found a large set of microfiches from the Travels in the West and Southwest collection which had been purchased back in the 1970s and had never been catalogued. We purchased catalogue records for approximately half of the fiches in the summer and loaded them into OLIS, but were unable to obtain records for the rest. It may take us a while to get these catalogued, but we have just found an interim solution to make a list of the titles available for browsing so that these fiches are accessible. We are using My WorldCat to create an online list which is available for viewing at: http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/vhllib/lists/52208. It may take us a couple of weeks to get all the titles on there - if you are keen to follow our progress you can even subscribe to the feed and be notified of our progress as we add more!

Once we have completed the list, we will put the fiches out in the drawer at shelfmark Micr. USA 454 (with the catalogued ones), and be able to add the titles to our subject and title lists.

New computers - now 6th March

Good news - we've just heard that our new reader PCs are coming on Thursday 6th March. As before, if you have anything saved on any of the old ones, please make sure you have retrieved it by then!

WISER sessions coming up

WISER Social Sciences: Bodleian Modern Political Papers.
Monday 25th February (week 7), 12.30 - 1.30, Social Science Library IT Room.
An introduction to the Bodleian Library collection of modern political papers including the Conservative Party Archive. Modern Papers offer a fascinating collection of original source material for historical and social science research especially for political researchers.
Helen Langley and Jeremy McIlwaine.
No need to book.

WISER Humanities: Early Printed Books: Part 2.
Thursday, 28 February (week 7), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
Continuing from Pt 1, this session aims to give readers further training in the use of EEBO and ECCO and introduce other key full-text e-resources for early printed books which are relevant to humanities subjects, esp. Making of the Modern World (MOMW) and Early American Imprints Ser. I (Evans). Hands-on practice will be offered.
Isabel Holowaty.
Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZC22

WISER General: Remote access.
Friday, 29 February (week 7), 12.30 -1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will help you to set up access to Oxford online resources from your home computer through passwords (Athens and Single-Sign On) and the Virtual Private Network. Information is also available in the guide "Access to online resources..." (see guides).
Judy Reading and Peter Higginbotham.
Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWH

Full programme at: http://sers018.sers.ox.ac.uk/services/training/wiser
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Delay to new computers

We have just been informed that we won't be getting our new PCs next week after all. ICT explain the reason for this as follows: "The Dell PCs need an upgrade patch to be installed and we have taken the decision to suspend the remainder of the rollouts until we can apply this patch in advance to save a further visit to the PCs post installation. THE PLANNED INSTALLATIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PCs HAVE THEREFORE BEEN SUSPENDED." There's no news on when they will be replaced, but as soon as we hear we will let you know.

Skype + webcam available in the group study room

We have installed Skype and a webcam on the PC in the group study room. If you would like to use these facilities (for academic purposes, not just to call your aunt in Australia!), please email us to book the room. The PC in the group study room has sound enabled, unlike the main library PCs, so can also be used for looking at audio-visual resources (again preferably for academic purposes, tempting as Star Wars Kid or those guys on the treadmills may be...).

WISER sessions coming up

WISER Social Sciences: Online resources for International Relations.
Monday 11th February (week 5), 12.30 - 1.30, Social Science Library IT Room.
An overview of full-text, bibliographic, archive, and data sources for international relations including: World Political Science Abstracts, Columbia International Affairs Online, Digital National Security Archive, e-books, e-journals, and international relations data resources.
Mark Janes.
No need to book.

WISER Humanities: Historical newspapers print and e-collections.
Thursday, 14 February (week 5), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
A one hour course which will give an overview of historical newspaper collections in Oxford including online full-text resources and finding aids.
Mat Andrews.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZF8

WISER General: Finding quality information on the internet.
Friday, 15 February (week 5), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will help you to develop effective web searching techniques for use with a variety of search engines and web directories. It will also look briefly at strategies for evaluating resources and give some guidance on how to cite electronic resources.
Angela Carritt and Penny Schenk.
Book at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWF

Full programme at: http://sers018.sers.ox.ac.uk/services/training/wiser
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

New computers

We will be having new PCs installed in the library on Wednesday 20th February, to replace our very old (and excessively large) ones.

If you have anything saved on any of the current machines that you don't want to lose, please save it elsewhere before then!

New books for January

The list of new books acquired in January is now on our website and LibraryThing page (with feed available). This month I've experimented with tagging the books in our LibraryThing catalogue, so you can view new accessions by subject if you choose - please let me know if you find this helpful and something worth me doing each month!

WISER sessions coming up

WISER General: Managing your references.
Friday, 1 February (week 3),12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
Keeping track of your references and formatting them correctly for inclusion in your thesis or published work can be 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 different products, including RefWorks and EndNote.
Roger Mills and Judy Reading.
Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWL

WISER Humanities: Primary sources online for historians.
Thursday, 7 February (week 4), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session aims to introduce historical primary source materials which are increasingly available online through OxLIP or on the web. Source material to all periods (medieval, early modern and modern) will be covered as well as a fascinating variety of source materials - from chronicles, charters, letters & diaries to historical statistics, surveys and government documents.
Isabel Holowaty.
Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZE1

WISER General: Keeping up to date.
Friday, 8 February (week 4), 12.30 -1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
This session will show you ways of using electronic bibliographic resources to keep up with the literature in your field by creating personal research / interest profiles. You will learn about RSS feeds, email alerts, contents pages services and saved searches.
Katherine Melling and Judy Reading.
Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWD

WISER Social Sciences: Online resources for Economics.
Monday 4th February (week 4), 12.30 - 1.30, Social Science Library IT Room, Manor Road.
An overview of full-text, bibliographic, and data resources for economics including: e-journals, e-books, EconLit, ABI/Inform, Business Source Complete, FT.Com and searching for macroeconomic and financial data.
Mark Janes.
No need to book.

Full programme at: http://sers018.sers.ox.ac.uk/services/training/wiser
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Repair work in the library - now 28th-31st January

The work to repair the glazing between the mezzanine and the ground floor of the library will now take place next week (Monday 28th - Thursday 31st January). It should not be noisy or too disruptive, but apologies for any inconvience it may cause.

WISER sessions coming up

WISER: Electronic resources.
Friday, 25 January (week 2), 12.30 - 1.30, OUCS, Banbury Road.
An introduction to the networked databases available through the Oxford Libraries Information Platform (OxLIP) interface. Available databases include indexing services, electronic journals and other full text services, online reference tools, statistics and library catalogues. We will also discuss how to access online resources from outside the Oxford network.
Kate Williams and Judy Reading. Book at:http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/itlp/courses/detail/TZWB

WISER: Web tools.
Monday 28 January (week 3), 12.30 - 1.30, Social Science Library IT Room, Manor Road.
This session will introduce you to new web tools which will enable you to easily create and share web-pages, resource link libraries, files and online photo galleries. Use the tools to work collaboratively and promote your research.
Angela Carritt and Penny Schenk. No need to book.
Please note that this session will be held in the Social Science LibraryIT Room. You do not need to book in advance, but you will need to bring your University card to gain access to the building.

Information about the full WISER programme at: http://sers018.sers.ox.ac.uk/services/training/wiser
All enquiries to: usered@ouls.ox.ac.uk

Building work in the library - Monday 21st-Thursday 24th January

Between Monday 21st and Thursday 24th January building work will be taking place in the library. This is to replace the glass between the mezzanine and the ground floor. It shouldn't be too noisy or disruptive, but we apologise for any inconvenience it may cause!

New photocopier

I am delighted to announce that the Great Photocopier Saga is finally over! A new copier was installed in the library this morning, which offers A3 and double-sided copying as well.

Thanks for all your patience over the last month or so!

WISER sessions this term

The programme of WISER sessions (Workshops in Information Skills and Electronic Resources) for Hilary Term is now online at http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/services/information_skills/wiser and open for bookings.

New books for December and new electronic resource

The list of new books received in the library in December is now online at: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/vhl/collections_and_services/accessions and also on our LibraryThing page. A reminder that you can subscribe to a feed of new accessions via LibraryThing to receive these automatically yourself.

We can also announce that OULS now has access to The Economist Historical Archive 1843-2003. This is a fully searchable, complete facsimile edition of The Economist, covering 8,000 issues and more than 600,000 pages. Available via OxLIP, remote access via VPN or using Athens.

New Year News

Happy New Year to all our readers! The library is now open again for 2008.

A couple of bits of news to start off the new year:

• The photocopier is, alas, still not fixed, but we are getting a new photocopier on Monday (7th January)! Apologies for the extended lack of service (believe me, we have been every bit as frustrated as you), but there is now light at the end of the tunnel.
• There is a new online enquiry service for Oxford University Library Services which can be found at http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/ask. It is designed to be used for general enquiries or when you're not sure which library/librarian to ask.
• And I thought some of our readers might be interested to know that Thomas Jefferson's library is now on LibraryThing. You can now browse 4,889 books that he owned (even according to his own classification system), read 187 reviews that he wrote and see all sorts of statistics about his books. A bit of fun for the new year!