Trinity Term library use: some points to note!

Trinity Term is a busy and stressful one for everyone, and as every year (like all other Oxford libraries) we are seeing a lot more people than usual coming into the library.  It's wonderful to see so many people using the library, but please note the following minor points to help everyone get through the term without further adding to the stress levels!


Reserve shelf system
We operate a system whereby if you wish to hold on to books to come back and use either later the same day or the following day, you can bring them down to our reserve shelf at the enquiry desk and leave them there to pick up later. Please do not therefore leave piles of books on desks if you want to hold on to them; any books left on desks at the end of the day will be cleared and reshelved.
If you use the reserve shelf, please make sure that you fill out a green slip for the books with your name and the date of the day that you leave them. If you want to hold onto a book for several consecutive days, you must update the date on the slip each day. This is how we know whether to leave or reshelve the books! You cannot post-date this slip to hold onto something for a few days hence; if you won't be back for a couple of days please leave the book for reshelving so that it may be more easily found by other readers.
Please also note that this system is not staff-mediated, and we cannot guarantee that your book will still be there for you when you return if other students are looking for it.
This system is only for VHL library books. Please do not leave books from other libraries on this shelf. Space is limited and if you have borrowed books from an Oxford library then you are responsible for them and should not leave them unattended.

Reshelving areas
There are seven areas throughout the library where books may be left for reshelving, marked with green dots - three on each of the first and second floors (by the stairs, and in the middle), and a trolley by the photocopier on the ground floor.  If you have finished with a book, it would be a great help if you would return it to one of these areas so that it may be more easily found by others.  Please do not attempt to reshelve books yourself!  Any books left on desks will be cleared and reshelved each day.
If you are looking for a book that is not in place on the shelf, please check the reshelving areas first - it is most likely that the book will be there if it is not in use by another reader. Do let us know if you cannot find a book even after checking all the reshelving areas.
We aim to reshelve all books by the end of the following day (excluding Saturdays). Please ask staff if you are having difficulty finding books or journals.

First floor study carrels
As the notices say, the individual study carrels overlooking the mezzanine on the first floor are reserved in the first instance for named DPhil students connected with the Rothermere American Institute. If the carrel-holder is not working there, you are welcome to use the desk, but please be aware that you may be asked to move if they turn up and want their desk. Reserving these carrels is only available to RAI DPhils. All other desks are first-come, first-served! 

Second floor quiet (no laptop) area
The desks by the windows on the second floor are designated as a quiet area with no laptop use permitted. We appreciate that pressure on desks this time of year makes it difficult to find a space to work, but please do try not to use laptops at these desks unless you are really unable to find anywhere else to sit. The need for this quiet area is also greater this time of year as the library is so much fuller.

Taking a break
The common room of the RAI (on the lower ground floor) is available to library users, but please be aware that offices and seminar rooms are nearby and keep noise to a minimum to avoid disturbing others. Likewise the garden is overlooked by libraries and offices, so if the weather is nice enough to sit outside, please keep the noise down!
There is a water dispenser available in the common room, but the kitchen facilities are restricted to RAI staff and fellows. Unfortunately there is no cafe or vending machine or other provision of food/beverages at the RAI; the nearest place to purchase food or drink is the Alternative Tuck Shop at the bottom of Mansfield Road. It should go without saying, but please don't eat or drink (other than water in closed bottles) in the library itself.

Wireless network
We are aware that our wireless network is rather flaky at the moment. We are waiting for a replacement router which should be installed in the next week. Until then, apologies if you are having trouble connecting (or staying connected) to the wifi in the library.  If you are having problems, try connecting to an alternative network (see http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/vhl/services for more information), try again later, or use one of the library PCs.

Many thanks for your consideration. We wish you a productive term and all the very best to those of you taking exams!  If you have any comments, questions or problems, please do speak to a member of library staff or contact us through whichever means you prefer. We are very happy to help!

May Bank Holiday Opening

The library will be open as normal on both bank holidays during May, 9am-7pm.

WISER coming up: Finding stuff and RefWorks

During week 2 Bodleian Libraries will be running workshops on RefWorks and on finding a range of scholarly materials including journal articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations and library materials on SOLO.

WISER: Finding stuff – Journal Articles  (Monday 29 Apr 9.45-11.15) - an introduction to finding journal articles to support your research and learning. We will focus on searching for articles by subject and keyword and will cover sophisticated bibliographic databases and journal indexes as well as more basic search engines such as the SOLO 'Journal Articles' services.    The session will include  time for you to practice using a scholarly database in your subject area.   This session is designed for Oxford postgraduates and researchers but is open to all members of Bodleian Libraries.    Please book your place at http://courses.it.ox.ac.uk/detail/TZW3

WISER: Finding Stuff - Conferences (Monday 29 Apr 11.15-12.15)  - ever had difficulty tracking down a conference paper?  This session introduces the  secret art of tracking down conference  proceedings and papers.    In addition we will introduce tools for keeping up to date with up and coming conferences in your research area.  This session is designed for Oxford postgraduates and researchers but is open to all members of Bodleian Libraries. Please book your place at http://courses.it.ox.ac.uk/detail/TZW5

WISER: Finding stuff – books etc on SOLO (Friday 3 May 9.30-10.30)  – introduces SOLO for searching Oxford Libraries and effective ways of using SOLO to find books, journal titles and other library materials in print and online.  The workshop will also cover placing “hold requests” for materials in the  bookstacks, how to use your SOLO “MyAccount” for book renewals and other administration and using  the SOLO e-shelf and alerts.  We will also talk about the new Electronic Legal Deposit service.  This session is designed for all Oxford Libraries readers.  Please book your place online at http://courses.it.ox.ac.uk/detail/TZWA

WISER: Finding Stuff – Theses and Dissertations  (Friday 3 May 10.45 – 12.15) – An introduction to finding theses in Oxford and from Universities around the World. The session will cover SOLO for theses, EThOS and Proquest’s Dissertations and Theses.  This session is designed for Oxford postgraduates and researchers but is open to all members of Bodleian Libraries. Please book your place at http://courses.it.ox.ac.uk/detail/TZW4

RefWorks for Sciences and Social Sciences (Wednesday 1 May 2.00-5.30)  introduces the main features of RefWorks including:adding references to RefWorks from a range of databases and online resources, inserting references into Word documents, formatting (and reformatting) references using citation styles and creating bibliographies.  The sessions include plenty of opportunities for participants to use RefWorks.  This session is designed for all members of Oxford University with an interest in reference management. Please book your place at http://courses.it.ox.ac.uk/detail/TDBL

Keeping up with Bodleian Libraries training opportunities: Why not follow join our 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.

Not a member of Oxford University? - If you are not a current member of Oxford University but would like to attend a workshop please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Please quote your Bodleian readers card barcode number.

Questions? - Please contact usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Library CLOSED this Saturday (27th April)

The library will be closed this Saturday (27th April) due to a planned demonstration and march in Oxford for World Day for Animals in Laboratories. University Security will be locking down the Science Area, including our access gates from both South Parks Road and Mansfield Road, so no access to the building will be possible.

We apologise for the inconvenience and the short notice. Other Bodleian Libraries will be open as normal, and we will be open as advertised on Saturdays throughout the rest of Trinity Term.

Trinity Term Opening Hours

During Trinity Term the library will be open 9am-7pm, Monday-Friday, and 10am-2pm on Saturdays.