Library news
Covid-19 new service information
The Library has put in place special measures to assist students with their studies during the 2020 lockdowns. Visit our Covid-19 services page to learn more about our Click and Collect service; booking study spaces in the library; our Disability Study Carrels; the Freepost service for returning books; how we are working to keep you safe and also enabling you to work from home.
EDI Conversations - new online reading and discussion group
EDI Conversations is a new online lunchtime reading and discussion group that meets every few weeks to discuss an article, blog post, web resource or book chapter related to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. All university staff and students are welcome. Suggestions for future items to discuss are also welcome, please email suggestions to library@bradford.ac.uk.
Each month a resource will be highlighted on the University EDI Resource Bank. Our first reading is the article How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK.
Please book your place for our first conversation on Thurs 1 July at 12:00.
University of Bradford Library Team.
Library support to get reading lists ready for 21/22
eResources and online reading lists have proved invaluable to students studying away from campus over the last 15 months. Online reading lists are now available for 75% of university modules and the Library is asking for your help in ensuring online reading lists are in place for the remaining 25%, ready for next academic year.
Mon 2 Aug is the deadline for semester 1 reading lists to be put in for review. This deadline is 8 weeks before the start of term to give the Library time to:
- check your list
- buy books not already in stock
- check sufficient copies of print books are in stock for the number of students
- check for new editions
- source the best licenses for eBooks
- source alternative formats where needed by students
Put your list into review by clicking on the Review and Publish button at the top of your reading list. This sends it to the library for checking and buying books.
Available support from the Library
- Please reserve a place for a 30 minute webinar “Beginner’s guide to setting up your online reading list.” Running throughout June – August, these webinars are also suitable for anyone wanting a detailed reminder of how to set up a list or edit an existing list.
- Get 1:1 support from your subject librarian with any questions you have about using the reading list software or getting hold of resources.
- Follow our Quick guide to online reading lists which guides you through all the steps to setting up a reading list or watch our 15 minute webinar on editing reading lists.
Unpaywall PDF links in Summon
The Library has now introduced the Unpaywall function in Summon.
- Unpaywall content is freely available, legal, and easy to access with no login required. The Open Access content is harvested from over 50,000 publishers and repositories (so not necessarily always publisher site copies).
- Integration of Unpaywall into Summon provides links to PDF copies of journal articles direct from Summon search results.
- When searching for journal articles in Summon just look out for the ‘Open Access PDF available’ link.
Laptop loans
Laptops will be available to borrow from the self-service laptop cabinet (opposite the Library counter) from Thursday 18 February.
Using the laptop loan service
- Laptops cannot be booked in advance.
- Laptops can only be borrowed for up to 1 week. They cannot be renewed as we expect them to be in high demand and supply is limited.
- Fines of £1 per working day will be charged on late returns.
About the laptops
- All laptops are supplied in their carry case with a power supply.
- All laptops have Windows 10 installed.
- You will need to be connected to WiFi to log in to the laptop. Use the WiFi button on the login screen to connect to your WiFi off campus. More instructions are available when you borrow the laptop.
- Use your University username (username@bradford.ac.uk) and password to log in.
- You will have access your OneDrive. However, you will not be able to access your M drive.
- To print, you will need to use the wireless printing service.
How we are keeping you safe
- All laptops are quarantined for 72 hours on return to minimise the risk of C19 transmission.
- The touchscreen on the Lapsafe cabinet will be cleaned frequently through the day.
Broaden Bradford's Books
Your University Library supports University of Bradford’s decolonisation strategy and is committed to provision of inclusive and diverse collections. Broaden Bradford’s Books is an initiative for our staff and students to help us with our aim to increase the diversity of our library collections. For example, broadening the range of books in our Library to support a more diverse curriculum, improving the representation of research from the Global South, and, increasing the range of books by and about LGBT+ people. We also welcome suggestions to include in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Resource bank which the library has started to develop to support the University’s EDI work.
Please complete the form with any suggestions you have. All suggestions will be reviewed by our Subject Librarian team. Books may be purchased in eBook or print format.
Thank you!
University of Bradford Library Team
SensusAccess
SensusAccess is a service that allows you to automatically convert files such as Word documents, PowerPoints and even images or scans of documents into a range of accessible formats such as MP3s and audio books. You can submit files 24/7/365 and receive the conversion in the format of your choice, usually in under an hour. Although primarily a service for those who find reading the printed word challenging it can also be a powerful tool in rendering your teaching material accessible to a wider audience: for instance you could convert your PowerPoints into audio with very little effort.
Those using SensusAccess must comply with copyright law for published material, but with your own teaching material the copyright belongs to you and the institution so this is not a problem.
You can find and use SensusAccess here.
For more information, SensusAccess' own e-learning material is here or a short introductory video is available.
If you have any questions about SensusAccess please email lib-acccessibility@bradford.ac.uk.
Out of hours chat service
Have you tried our out of hours chat service - Need Help? yet?
This service is available from 17:00-08:00, Mon to Fri, and all day at weekends and Bank Holidays.
You will be able to access the Need Help? chat service from the library webpages, Summon and Library Help. Just keep an eye out for the speech bubbles and Need Help? tabs on the library pages.
New Library Help service
Library Help is our new tool to assist you in getting answers to the most commonly asked questions about our library services.
New noise complaint contact number
The Library's noise complaints line has a new number:
07774 248531
Posters with the new number are displayed around the library. Please don’t hesitate to use the number above to report any disruption to your studies.
Library Achievement!
We are delighted to announce that the Library received a commendation in the Outstanding Contribution - Team Award category at the 2020/2021 Long Service and Outstanding Achiever Awards.