Season's Greetings!

Don't forget Bedford Campus Library and Luton LRC are open 24/7 365 days a year.

Digital resources are also available off-campus.

Catalogue Maintenance Update

Tonight (Wednesday 16th December 2015) between 11pm and 2.00am the Library Catalogue will be upgraded.

During this time for approx. 1 hour there will be no access to:

• Library Catalogue
• Self-issue
• Self-returns
• Reservations
• Renewals
• Electronic resources via the Library Catalogue

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Reminder About Ebooks on Demand

Ebooks on demand is back, and this year £100k is available for spending on the ebooks of your choice.

All you have to do is choose your ebook from the Library Catalogue or DISCOVER and request access to it for a one week rental (Don't worry you don't have to pay to rent it - the Library does!) When 2 people request access to an ebook it is automatically bought for the Library.

This is a great service for students because...

• You can choose the ebooks the Library buys
• These ebooks are available immediately
• You can always find a book for your topic
• You can read an ebook anywhere with an Internet connection
• Any number of students can read an ebook at once
• A lot of extra money is being spent on ensuring that you get the books you need

you can choose the books the library buys

these ebooks are available immediately

you can always find a book for your topic

you can read an ebook anywhere with an internet connection

any number of students can read an ebook at once

a lot of extra money is being spent on making sure you get the books you need.

- See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/libraryservices/news/ebooks-on-demand#sthash.tYNVDT21.dpuf

New Report Says Thousands of Child Sex Abuse Cases Are Missed

A new report by the Children's Commissioner says that the majority of child sexual abuse is carried out by family and friends and up to 85% goes unreported.

Around 50,000 cases were recorded between April 2012 to March 2014 but the report suggests that the actual number is nearer to 450,000.

Much attention has been focused on child abuse in institutions but most happens within families or their trusted circles, the report said.

The government said it was looking at how authorities dealt with abuse.

The report found:

• Two-thirds of child sexual abuse took place within the family environment or the close circle around it
• 75% of victims were girls
• Abuse was most likely to have occurred at about the age of nine
• Victims often did not speak out until adolescence or later, when they recognised what had happened
• Even if a child did tell someone, often the abuse did not stop

 Children's commissioner Anne Longfield said recent attention and investigations had focused on the abuse children suffered in institutions or by groups of perpetrators.

"We must now wake up to and urgently address the most common form of child sexual abuse - that which takes place behind the front door within families or their trusted circles," she said.

She called for urgent action from government to prevent abuse, and for more training to help teachers, social services, police and other professionals identify abuse early on.

"There are always signs. Mental health problems, children can become withdrawn or show overly sexualised behaviour. If you know the child it will be obvious to see changes in their behaviour," she said.

Library Tours 2015

Ebooks on Demand

Second Hand Book Giveaway

Books Unlocked

Over the next academic year Learning Resources will be offering some Leisure Reading activties to promote the benefits of reading for pleasure.


Activities for November include:

• Reading for Pleasure blog http://bedstimereading.blogspot.co.uk/ 
• Monday, November 9th - Friday, November 13th, 11.30am & 2.30 am. Just Ask – getting the most from your library, how to use self-service – issue, return & renewal, how to place a reservation, where to go for help & getting the most from LRWeb
• Monday November 9th – Friday November 13th 2015
  Tours to help you make the most of Luton LRC and Bedford Library on demand tours 11.00 – 16.00 from the Customer Service desk  
• Tell Us poll Tuesday 10 November Luton LRC and Bedford Library
  Staff will be available with clipboards and sweets so you can Tell us what you think about Learning Resources 11.00 – 15.00 
• Second Hand Book Giveaway
  to help you develop a reading for pleasure habit by hosting a second hand book giveaway
  
  Luton LRC and Bedford Library
  Thursday 12 November 2 - 4pm (or until we run out of books)

 For more information about "Books Unlocked" activities check out the Books Unlocked wepage here.

Careers & Employability Event

Monday 9th November will be a Careers & Employability Event. The Event is aimed primarily at first years but all years are welcome to attend.

A range of employers and voluntary organisations have been invited who can help students to gain part time work / relevant experience / develop their employability skills. There will also be stands from Careers and Employability and other internal organisations who can support students in enhancing their employability.

The Event will take place from 11.00 am - 3.00 pm on the Ground Floor of the Gateway Building.

 

Log In Problems

There are currently problems with logging into ebooks and some databases. ICT have been informed of the problem and are currently working on a solution however it may take until the end of the week for services to be back to normal.

In the meantime if you are unable to log in to a resource (i.e. you get an authentication error message) close the error page and reclick on the ebook / resource and it may well let you in. You may need to do this several times before it works.

RefWorks Maintenance Complete

The updates to the UoB Harvard Style in RefWorks are now complete.

The UoB Style will have disappeared from your list of favourite output styles so you will need to re-add them to your favourites manually.

You can do this by logging into RefWorks, clicking on Bibliography and selecting Output Style Manager. Then select UoB Harvard from the left hand list and use the little green arrows to transfer in to your Favourites box on the right.

RefWorks Maintenance

On Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th June updates will be carried out on the Harvard UoB Referencing system in RefWorks.

Although you will still be able to login and use RefWorks on these days please be aware that the Harvard UoB style may not work correctly.

Using RefWorks

RefWorks is the University's referencing software. It enables you to store your references online (so you'll never lose a reference again and to automatically create reference lists in the style of UoB Harvard.

This quick (20 minute video) explains the basics of using RefWorks. For further help check out the RefWorks Youtube channel or contact your librarian.

Referencing Electronic Journal Articles

Recently I've had a number of queries regarding how to reference electronic journal articles.

There are two types of electronic journal article:

• Electronic journal - you used an online version of a print journal
• Journal published only on the Internet - you used a journal that is only published on the Internet

Most journals accessed via the Library Catalogue and DISCOVER would be classed as electronic journals (online versions of print journals) and you would reference them as follows:

• Author(s)
• Year (in round brackets)
• 'Title of article', (in single quotation marks)
• Title of Journal (in italics)
• Volume number, (issue number), page numbers
• Name of electronic journal supplier (in italics)
• [Online]
• Available at: URL of electronic journal supplier
• Accessed: (day month year)

Example:

Logan, J. (2010) 'Preparation and planning for face-to-face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study', Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed 20 March 2013).

http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk

Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 March 2013). - See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/a-guide-to-referencing/journals/e_journal#sthash.0lKXyhWL.dpuf

Logan, J. (2010) 'Preparation and planning for face-to-face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study', Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 March 2013). - See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/a-guide-to-referencing/journals/e_journal#sthash.0lKXyhWL.dpuf

Logan, J. (2010) 'Preparation and planning for face-to-face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study', Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 March 2013). - See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/a-guide-to-referencing/journals/e_journal#sthash.0lKXyhWL.dpuf

Logan, J. (2010) 'Preparation and planning for face-to-face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study', Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 March 2013). - See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/a-guide-to-referencing/journals/e_journal#sthash.0lKXyhWL.dpuf

Logan, J. (2010) 'Preparation and planning for face-to-face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study', Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 March 2013). - See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/a-guide-to-referencing/journals/e_journal#sthash.0lKXyhWL.dpuf

Logan, J. (2010) 'Preparation and planning for face-to-face contact after adoption: the experience of adoptive parents in a UK study', Child and Family Social Work, 15(3), pp. 315-24 CINAHL [Online]. Available at: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.brum.beds.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 March 2013). - See more at: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/a-guide-to-referencing/journals/e_journal#sthash.0lKXyhWL.dpuf

Sky News 'Stand Up & Be Counted' Tour to Visit Bedford Campus

On Thursday 30 April, Sky News will be on campus outside the Gateway building between 10am and 6pm at Bedford as part of their ‘Stand Up and Be Counted’ roadshow, encouraging young people to engage with the election. 

The mobile studio will feature a photo booth where young people can upload their pictures to social media with the hashtag #SUBCTour, as well as an autocue allowing visitors to try their hand at being a presenter.

It will also create a location for Sky News journalists to interview young people to bring their views to a large audience, as well as acting as a hub for Sky News’ General Election campaign coverage.

More information can be found out about this visit here: https://www.beds.ac.uk/news/2015/april/stand-up-be-counted-to-visit-university 

Referencing Government Reports

Government reports contain a wealth of useful information and are often freely available online. When referencing a Government report it is usual to treat the Governemtn Department responsible for the report as the author (including within the text).

Example of citing a direct quote from a Government report:

A recent study (Department of Health 2009, p.24) stated that "62,000 patients waited for more than 8 weeks before receiving an outpatient appointment".

Example of paraphrasing a quote from a Government report:

A recent study (Department of Health, 2009) found that 62,000 patients waited over 8 weeks for an outpatient appointment.

Reference List
The elements which should be included in your reference list/bibliography are:

• Name of the Government Department
• Year of publication (in round brackets)
• Title (in italics)
• Available at: URL
• (Accessed: date)

Example:

Department of Health (2009) NHS inpatient and outpatient waiting times. Available at: http://www.govtoday.co.uk/health/44-public-health/552-nhs-inpatient-and-outpatient-waiting-times-figures-31st-january-2009 (Accessed: 4 December 2013).

New Report: The Effects of Occupation on Poverty Among Ethnic Minority Groups

The Joseph Rontree Foundation has published a new report: The Effect of Occupation on Poverty Among Ethnic Minority Groups.

The report provides statistical analysis on how poverty and ethncity are linked and examines why ethnic minority groups in the UK are more likely to work for less than the minimum wage.

Findings of Annual Bullying Survey 2015 Announced

Charity Ditch the Label have announced the findings of their Annual Bullying Survey foir 2015.

The survey of 3,600 young people in the UK between the ages of 13-18 revealed that:

• 51% of young people have been bullied because of their appearance
• 26% of young people have been bullied because of their weight
• 13% of teens have been bullied by a teacher

Commenting on the findings from Ditch the Label's report, Sue Minto Head of ChildLine said:

"These figures are shocking and correlate with what we are hearing from young people here at ChildLine. In 2013/2014 we held over 5,000 counselling sessions with young people who spoke about body image issues - the majority of which took place with girls.

"Young people told us that bullying, name-calling and being victimised about weight often led to them developing body image issues – and sadly they strongly believed that by changing their body it would result in them being socially accepted."

You can read more about Ditch the Label's Annual Bullying Survey here: http://www.ditchthelabel.org/annual-bullying-survey-2015/

Evaluation of Barnardo's Families & Communities Against Child Sexual Exploitation Programme

The University of Bedfordshire's International Centre has published a research report "Families and Communities Against Child Sexual Exploitation".

The report found that direct work with parents and carers, as well as with children at risk of sexual exploitation, can reduce the risk of harm to a child and improve relationships at home. Community outreach and engagement is vital when raising awareness, so that the information provided and approach used by those preventing and tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE) reflects the communities they serve.

The report is free to downloadload here: Publications and other resources.

Paraphrasing & Quotations - What's the difference?

When you cite a source in the body of an assignment you can either paraphrase or quote it.

Paraphrasing means summarising a source in your own words. To reference a source that you have paraphrased you will need to include:

• the surname of the author
• the year of publication

E.G: Morris (2010) continually stresses the imporatnce of using a sketchbook to develop as an illustrator.

To quote directly from a source you will need to include:

• the surname of the author
• the year of publication
• the page number
• put "quotation marks" around the quote

E.G.: Morris (2010, p.69) asserts that "black waterproof Indian ink is the first choice of most illustrators".

You can find out more about paraphrasing and quotations in the Referencing Guide here.

Homelessness Monitor For England Now Available

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published The Homelessness Monitor: England 2015.

This is a five year (2011-2016) study which provides an independent analysis of the impact on homelessness of recent economic and policy developments in England. The key areas of interest are the homelessness consequences of the post-2007 economic recession and the housing market downturn.

The published report is freely available here.

More Pupils Have Mental Health Issues Say School Staff

A report by the BBC says that a survey of school teachers suggests that more pupils have mental health issues than two years ago.

More than one in six said they believed at least a quarter of students in their school or college were affected by mental health problems.

Almost 90% said staff have had to provide more support for these pupils over the past two years, while 43% said they had been finding it harder to access services for pupils with mental illness.

One head of department at a Reading secondary school said local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services were "completely overwhelmed". 

You can read more about this story here.

Parents Rarely Spot Child Obesity Study Warns

Doctors have warned that parents hardly ever spot obesity in their children, resulting in damaging consequences for their health.

In a study of 2,976 families in the UK, only four parents thought their child was very overweight. Medical assessments put the figure at 369.

The researchers, writing in the British Journal of General Practice, said obesity had become the new normal in society. Experts said the study showed the "enormity" of the obesity epidemic.

The team, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the UCL Institute of Child Health, gave questionnaires to nearly 3,000 families asking if their child was obese, overweight, underweight or a healthy weight.

The results showed that nearly a third, 31%, of parents underestimated the weight of their child.

An accurate diagnosis kicked in only at the very high end of the scales.

The main explanation for parents not identifying their child's weight problem is that society as a whole has become so fat we have collectively lost our sense of a healthy weight.

You can read more about this story on the BBC News Website here.

National Student Survey 2015 Reminder

A reminder that the National Student Survey is still open at http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/.

Final year students this is your chance to have your say about your student experience. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

New Report Experiences of Criminal Justice For Children & Young People Affected By Sexual Exploitation

The Institute of Applied Social Research at the University of Bedfordshire has published a new research report Making Justice Work : Experiences of Criminal Justice for Children & Young People Affected by Sexual Exploitation as Victims and Witnesses.

The report is a one year participatory pilot research project, carried out by The International Centre: Researching Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking at The University of Bedfordshire. The research explored young people’s experiences of the criminal justice system in child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases, and the ways in which these could be improved.

Deaf And Disabled Children Talking About Child Protection

The NSPCC has published a new report: Deaf and Disabled Children Talking About Child Protection: Research into Children's Experiences of the Child Protection System

The report commissioned from the University of Edinburgh / NSPCC Child Protection Research Centre invstigates deaf and disabled children's experiences of the child protection system.

It highlights findings from in-depth interviews with 10 deaf and disabled people who had been abused during childhood. It looks at how they sought help, the barriers they faced and how professionals and organisations recognised and responded to the abuse.


It includes recommendations for policy makers and commissioners, agencies working with deaf and disabled children, and parents and carers.

Using Google Scholar For Research

Google Scholar, as many people know, is a specialist search engine which searches only for academic research material on the web.

Google Scholar should never be your starting point for research! You should begin your research with DISCOVER, the libraries' resource discovery platform.

DISCOVER covers a vast amount of material and has lots of options to allow you to focus your search results to find the most relevant material for you topic. Filters of DISCOVER include:

• Publication date
• Source type
• Language
• Geography (country of publication)

Additionally, DISCOVER contains lots of full text material which you can read online or download straight away.

In contrast, Google Scholar has very few features to allow you to focus your results - date is really the only option available. It will also find lots of material whcih isn't available in full text and for whcih you will have to make use of the Document Supply Service (this will involve a wait for the material to arrive).

For those working on dissertations and research projects I would recommend using Google Scholar in addition to DISCOVER.

Google Scholar does have a few useful features which can help you with your research, as follows:

• Under each search result you'll notice a link that says cited by 87 (or similar). This means that there are 87 other articles in Google Scholar which have cited your article (the more times an article has been cited the more important it is). Clicking on this link will show you links to these articles. This can be a good way of discovering other useful material on your topic. You can also search within these citing articles by ticking the "Search within citing articles box" for your keywords to focus on the most relevant articles.
• Google Scholar allows you to set up search alerts - so that you'll be sent an email everytime a new article matching your keywords is added to it. Just click the "Create alert" option to the left of the screen.

There are also a couple of things you can do to make Google Scholar more like a database to make it easier to manage what you find:

• On the Google Scholar home page click on the settings pinwheel, then click on Library Links. Type in "University of Bedfordshire" and you'll be given an option to select "University of Bedfordshire - UoB access". Tick this box and click Save. Next time you do a search you'll find a clickable option of "UoB access" appear beside those materials owned by the University which will take you to them. (N.B. This feature is only available when using a networked computer).
• If you're using RefWorks to manage your references you can add an "import into RefWorks" option to your results. From the Google Scholar home page, click on the settings pinwheel and then under Bibliography Manager select "Show links to import citations into RefWorks" and then Save. You'll now see an Import into RefWorks link under every search result which works in exactly the same way as when importing references from DISCOVER.

If you'd like some help with finding material for your dissertation / honours project please feel free to email me. I'm happy to help!