Learning about research and information in the Covid-19 pandemic. No.5 Finding and using statistics

Finding and using statistics

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us have been watching the daily briefing from the government and a regular part of this has been reporting on the number of cases and deaths as well as displaying a number of graphs.

Statistics (or data) are more than just numbers and have been used to predict the need for more hospital provision, PPE, to look for the peak of the infection, the "flattening of the curve" and to inform government decisions about social distancing, for example. We've seen they can tell a story, they can help us understand what is happening, they can show trends and inform theories.

Statistics however, are just numbers without context. The number of Covid deaths, though large and too many (especially for those directly affected), on their own mean nothing unless you can compare this to the normal expected death rate last year, for example. We also need to know what is being counted. Only recently have care home deaths been included in the figures.

Statistics have been used to compare and contrast. We have been able to see the UK death rate in comparison to other countries. They meant decision-makers drew similarities between the UK and Italy for example at the beginning of the epidemic. However, at the same time, statistics are to be viewed with caution. No one will truly understand what the statistics mean until the pandemic is over and lessons can be learned. Statistics ideally should be viewed with some analysis.

In the video below from the BC's Andrew Marr Show, Professor David Spiegelhalter (an expert) talks about the whole complex issue of using statistics during the Coronavirus crisis and why numbers on their own aren't always helpful. Also, he discusses how statistics can be used to help measure risk and put things in perspective.


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Using statistics in your research and assignments.

• Statistics are great sources to use for showing the scale of a problem or issue you are writing about and to make comparisons. Use them to show trends over time and predictions.
• Make sure you get your statistics from reputable sources. ONS (Office of National Statistics) collate a lot of information and make it available on their website. Specialist organisations e.g. charities also collect data on their particular area of expertise.
• It is worth checking what the numbers mean.  What definition was used to identify what was counted? For example, Mintel (a marketing database UCP students can access) uses information from MORI polls and outlines this on the website. 
• UCP students also have access to a database called Statista. By using this resource you know the statistics have come from reputable sources. Analysis is provided too and it has a section devoted to directing users to publications and websites where they can find statistics online for free.
• If you have a lot of data, try to present it in a graph or pie chart. Visual representation usually means more to the reader (and uses less words!). Try different types until you find the one which makes your point best.
• Always show where you have got your statistics from (i.e. reference).
• Be aware that people with an agenda may use and even manipulate statistics  to bolster their argument. Think critically as you read.
• Be wary of making statistics say what you want them to say - unless they really do. 

UCP Library Resources Survey

UCP Library Resources Survey Feedback

In November we carried out a specific survey for our Higher Education students. 39 of you responded (about 5%) and results were analysed and also split between level 4s and the level 6s who use UCP's Canvas and the students who use ARU's Digital Library. A report has been shared with lecturers and UCP management as well as library staff.

The survey focused on the following topics:

Inductions

72% if you had either had an induction from a tutor, librarian or followed one online. This meant that there are still some students who have never had a library induction. The link to our Online induction and quiz can be found either on the Introduction to Library Services in your subject guide in Canvas (level 4) or via the LRC pages on the PRC student portal - there is a specific version for UCP students.

Photo - publicdomainpictures.net

Confidence in Accessing Online Library Resources

You said: Most students said they felt confident in accessing resources online although a number said they had never used a database. Students added that more guidance could be given including being shown in tutorials, demonstrations by a librarian, 1:1 help or providing guides.
We say: Remember that access will be easier if you use the links we give you in your subject guide, within the Student Portal or in ARU's library catalogue as these are specific to us and usually take you directly to our logging in page. Otherwise look for Institutional Access (or Campus access) or it may say via Shibboleth. You will probably have to select Peterborough Regional College from a list and you will then find yourself at the logging in page.
For level 4 students guidance for using specific databases is gradually being added to your guides.

Reading Lists

You said: Students indicated that they like their reading lists and most lecturers provide them (although not all). You wanted more varied texts, earlier access (before your module starts), information on the level and importance of the item to read and copies available in the LRC.
We say: The LRC has ordered copies of all items listed on level 4 and top-up degree reading lists (ARU provide them for levels 5 and 6 except top up degrees) where still in print. Where possible we have ordered eBooks so that more students can use the book at the same time. Sections can then be downloaded, copied and printed if preferred.

Study Excellence Sessions

You said. You said that you would attend a library study excellence session.
We say: So far this year no students have attended them. Responses to other questions suggest you might like this in tutorial time. We are also happy to help at any time in the LRC.

Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels 

Where you like to study

You said: Most of you prefer UCP or home saying that the LRC is too busy and noisy with not enough tables and chairs.
We say: We do not have enough space for more tables and chairs. However we do have benching in the various rooms. We try to ensure that the noise is kept to a reasonable level. It is quieter first thing in the morning and late afternoon.

Other comments include: "great selection of relevant books in the LRC", "Staff at LRC are always really helpful and friendly, I like how easy it is to renew books via email or phone also".

LRC drop-in sessions and World Mental Health Awareness Day

LRC drop-in sessions 

Are you having problems finding information for your course work ? Do you feel like you are spending hours at your computer and not getting anywhere? 

Then the LRC drop in sessions may be for you.

The LRC runs two drop in sessions for FE on a Tuesday, 12:30 – 13:00 and a Thursday, 13:30 – 14:00 and an HE session on Wednesdays, 13:00 – 14:00.

The FE, Find it Fast sessions are for you if you are studying at college and having problems finding books on the LRC catalogue or want to search some of our electronic resources for information. You can come along to the small IT room in the LRC and a librarian can help you find information. You are welcome to also bring your sandwiches and have your lunch in this room if you do not have much time and are attending the session.

The HE, drop in sessions are for those studying at UCP. These sessions are also if you are having problems finding information for your coursework and would like some help and guidance. This session is also run in the small IT room and you are welcome to bring your lunch.

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/english106/4357228667

Mental Health Awareness Day

In case you didn't see the video starring Ed Sheeran and Prince Harry, please see below.

Online access to Vogue magazines, photos and articles

Vogue Archive

Did you know that as a student or member of staff at PRC or UCP you have free access to the full archive of American Vogue from it's first issue in 1892 until the latest edition. The link to this is found on the Electronic Resources page on Moodle.

This includes photography, fashion, articles, adverts - in fact whole (in most cases) digitised copies of the original magazines which you can use as part of your course or for your own interest.

We advise you to use the Advanced search as then you can search specifically - for a particular accessory or fashion item , for example, or look for images by a particular photographer/ fashion designer. Alternatively if you want to look through whole magazines, you can browse individual issues.

For a comprehensive guide to using this resource click here. Alternatively ask a member of LRC staff to show you if you are unsure.

Fashion Show photo by AhmadArdity (CC0 Creative Commons)
from  https://pixabay.com/en/fashion-show-fashion-catwalk-model-1746581/
(Not from the Vogue Archive)

Who may find this useful?

Art students - Look at textile design or use the resources to inspire your own designs. Look at fashion or textiles as an art form and see it in it's context so you can understand what influences certain designs at certain times.

Photography students - Look at techniques used for fashion photography and photographing people. Study the lighting used perhaps or look for examples of effects you would like to create.

Media and Journalism students - Look at journalism styles and content through time or currently. Study and soak up techniques used in one of the leading fashion journals.

Hair and Beauty students - You can view hairstyle and make-up trends at a particular time in history and read the techniques used to create the various styles at the time. The more recent issues will show more up to date trends.

Performing Arts students - Like hair and beauty students you can see how actors should dress and look in something set in the past or in the fashion industry and try to recreate these authentically for a production.

Marketing students - Look at advertising and brand creation either currently or through time and within one industry (i.e. fashion).

Sociology students who for example want to look at how gender and class are portrayed over time or within or through fashion or advertising might find this useful. Images give an idea of popular culture at a particular time.

Anyone interested in fashion who has an interest in fashion (historical or present day).

Welcome back and LRC new drop-in sessions

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to College and we hope you enjoyed the festive break and are all set to work hard in 2019. Last week LRC staff manned a stand at the College's Staff Development Day event - Carousel of Learning - and spoke to a number of staff about the sessions and resources we offer. If you are a member of staff and missed this, feel free to come and talk to us if you want more information.

New for 2019 - LRC Lunchtime Drop-Ins 

This term the LRC librarians will be running short workshops/ drop-ins at lunchtime on Thursdays and Fridays in the LRC (Pod C). Thursday slots are 12.15-12.45pm and Friday slots are 1.15-1.45pm

Pod in the LRC
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

The themes of these will be:

Beyond Google - using Google Scholar and searching Google more effectively.

Using LRC Online Resources - introduction to e-books, online journal articles, newspapers and other interactive learning materials.

Referencing and Plagiarism - find out what plagiarism is and how to reference.

Box of Broadcasts - find out how to record, view and search for TV and radio programmes, create playlists and clips.

Information searching skills - how to search effectively and how to know good websites from bad.

Each session will run twice - once each half of the term. Please see posters in the LRC and around the college. The first one is next week - 17th January 2019.

We can only take a maximum of 5-6 students at a time (but if more of you want to attend it may be better that we come to your tutorial/ class if your lecturer is happy).

Drop-ins will have a planned structure but we don't need to keep strictly to this and we can use the time to address questions students have. If you have your own laptop you may wish to bring this with you but this isn't essential. (The LRC has laptops for use but these are in high demand so don't rely on this).

We look forward to meeting you at these sessions over the coming weeks. Any queries, please ask at the LRC desk.

Be Healthy Stay Safe and Anti-bullying Week

Be Healthy Stay Safe event

This week we had a stand at the College's Be Healthy Stay Safe event. We worked with the College police officer who provided high-viz strips for cyclists for us to give away. Our stand included information about staying safe after dark.

LRC Be Healthy Stay Safe Stand 2018
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Information and giveaways about being safe and being seen
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Anti- bullying Week

This week has also been Anti-bullying week. Bullying can affect anyone but is not acceptable (and in some case is illegal) whatever age people are and whether inside or outside work/ College.

Anti-bullying and Safeguarding Resources

Bullying UK have a wealth of resources on cyber bullying, bullying at work and advice for young people about sexting, consent, abusive relationships, mental health and suicide.
The Anti-bullying alliance  also has information and advice. Results from a survey they ran highlighted that 97% of young people (11-16 year olds want adults to show more respect for each other. The NSPCC has a list of resources and reports if you are studying the topic of bullying/ abuse or are just interested.

The LRC subscribes to 3 online resources:- Childlink, Child Protection Online and Safeguarding Adults. All of these will have resources (news, reports, legislation about bullying and safeguarding) which you can use as a student, teacher or other member of staff. You will find links to these 3 resources on our Electronic Resources page. Use your network login and password to access either inside or outside college. Please ask staff in the LRC if you have any problems using these.

Top tips for new UCP students

Welcome to new degree students at UCP

This week we started delivering some inductions and tours to new degree students at UCP. Next week we will have a stand at UCP Freshers.

Once you go to University, the emphasis changes to you doing far more of your own research rather than just being given information. You need to learn how to search for information in a range of different resources.

Some pointers to help you start using Library Services 

• Degree students are allowed to take out 14 books from the Learning Resource Centre at Peterborough Regional College. We are your main print library.
• UCP students have their own PC area (please book at the desk) but can use any computers in the LRC if they wish.
• The LRC is open until 7 Monday to Thursday and in vacations and it's much quieter then if you want to get some work done.
• UCP students have access to books at Anglia Ruskin University but must collect and return them to Guild House. (You can request them online).
• Black and white printing in the LRC is free, but you need to use your PRC login to get on to the computers in the first place.
• The LRC librarians deliver some of the Study Excellence Sessions at UCP on Mondays and Thursdays 1-2 pm. Do come and see us. Topics include Beyond Google, Using images, Evaluating information, E-books and Box of Broadcasts.

UCP student PC area in the Learning Resource Centre

Anglia Ruskin Digital Library

• You have access to a wealth of resources through this online library.
• When you are outside the UCP building, you need to login first to see the text of the resources.
• We strongly advise you look at the subject guide for your course as it will show you key databases and resources relevant to your subject.
• Familiarise yourselves with searching the catalogue and the databases now while you don't have any assignments so that when you come to do some research you can spend time actually researching rather than learning how everything works.
• Follow the instructions on the screen for accessing different resources to ensure you have full access.
• Staff in the LRC can help you if you are unsure or have trouble finding what you need.

Top tips for starting university

To finish I found this article from the BBC featuring their Top 10 tips for starting university

Stephen Hawking and Finding Theses

Stephen Hawking and Finding Theses

Stephen Hawking

This week we heard the news that cosmologist and scientist Stephen Hawking died at the age of 76. He worked as a Professor at Cambridge University and became famous for his research in to cosmology - especially black holes. His book A Brief History of Time became a bestseller.

Black hole CC0 https://pixabay.com/en/black-hole-nebula-stars-space-2483571/

The BBC have put together a Stephen Hawking quiz if you want to test your knowledge of the famous scientist.

In October 2017, Cambridge University put Hawking's PhD thesis online for the first time and the demand to read it crashed the system. It was read two million times.

Theses

What is a thesis?

According to the Collins Dictionary the definition of a thesis is a long piece of writing based on your own ideas and research that you do as part of a university degree, especially a higher degree such as a PhD. 

Are they useful?

• They are valid academic sources of information and can be used as sources of background reading and research for dissertations and assignments.
• They are published sources of information with copyright restrictions and must be cited and referenced when used as part of your academic work. ARU has instructions on how to do this using the Harvard system on their website.
• Theses will have reading lists and bibliographies like books and journals which may lead you to other sources/ authors you can read.
• Looking through recent theses in your field may give you an idea of the sorts of issues currently being researched. It may help you pinpoint what you want to choose for your research topic or give you background for a job interview.
• Some research written up in theses may also be summarised in academic journals so you may want to search the author (or the Professor who supervised the research) in a journal database too to see if you can find more context or read a summary.

Where are they stored? How do I find them?

Most universities have their own repository - usually online. ARU's for example is here. These online databases/ websites give open access to a University's research. Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis is on Apollo - the name Cambridge University have given their online repository.

However, you can be forgiven for thinking that trawling through every University's online repository one by one - especially if you don't know which University to look for - is not ideal. These online resources make this easier.

EThoS (Electronic Theses Online System) is the British Library's online repository for over 475,000 doctoral theses awarded by universities across the UK. Most are available in digital format but details of how to get a copy is given if the digital copy isn't available.

NDLTD (Networked Digital Library or Theses and Dissertations) offers access to theses mainly from America and Canada but there are some from other countries.

Finally...

We leave this week's blog with a quote from Stephen Hawking

On life...
❝One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away❞ - Interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, June 2010

Human Anatomy Online Resource

Primal Pictures Human Anatomy Resource

Are you a Health and Social Care, Sports or science student? Perhaps you have to learn about the skin as a beauty student or about health and fitness as a public services student? Do you want some different activities to help you revise the human body for your exams? 

Human Skeleton
https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=241967&picture=human-skeleton

The LRC has the ideal online learning resource for you on their Electronic Resources Moodle page. If you are a tutor and would like to put the link on your course pages, please let the LRC know and we will send you the relevant information.

Primal Pictures provides a complete and medically accurate online 3D model of the human anatomy. It is derived from genuine medical scan data that has been interpreted by a team of anatomists and then translated into 3D images by graphic specialists. Parts of the body can be seen in different layers by digitally peeling the layers back or adding them on. All text is written by medical specialists. 

In addition to graphics, there is information on

• aging (how that part of the anatomy ages), 
• clinical conditions, 
• case studies (sports, health & social care or medically related) to discuss or on which to answer questions
• module quizzes to test your knowledge.

In the top right hand area, you will  notice some pages have interactive learning activities. These can be colouring and labeling activities (a great way to mix revision and mindfulness!), 'click a structure' activities where you can click over an image to see what areas are called and also links to the module quizzes.

There is a demonstration video from YouTube below but a link to the tutorial video to help you use the resource is available on the Electronic Resources page with the link to the resource itself. If you are tutor and would like a member of LRC staff to give a demonstration (to students or staff) or take a hands-on training session for this resource, please contact the LRC. Further help is also available by just coming in and asking us! We'd be happy to help.

Harry Potter Book Night and Time to Talk Day

Harry Potter Book Night

This week we have celebrated Harry Potter book night with Fantastic Beasts themed activities: word searches, colouring sheets, displays and a niffler hunt. 

LRC mascot Chester displaying the niffler hunt prize.
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Harry Potter Book Night display
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Time to Talk Day

1st February was Time to Talk Day. According to a BBC article two thirds of UK adults have no one to talk to about their problems. The government is even talking about introducing a loneliness minister.  Time to Change introduced Time to Talk Day this year to encourage everyone to talk. Their focus is talking about mental health, but conversational skills (part of good verbal communication skills) are an important skill to have in life generally - including at College and in the workplace. Kent University website quotes a study from the Association of Graduate Recruiters saying that communication comes second in the top ten of skills shortages amongst graduates.

Some important tips are to listen first, use open questions, respond with encouragement and enforcement and share back.

Resources on verbal communication skills

The LRC has several e-books on communication skills including Alan Barker's Improve your Communication Skills.  You will need to use your network login to read this. 

The Skills you Need website has a section on conversational skills as well as other areas of communication.

Kent University careers service has a section on speaking and listening.

BBC Skillswise has a very simple communication skills quiz.

Cengage has a listening quiz on their website.

18th January - Thesaurus Day

Thesaurus Day (18th January 2018)

This week we look briefly at how a thesaurus can help you in your college work and show you where to find one.

What is a thesaurus?

Oxford Dictionaries define a thesaurus as a book that lists words in groups of synonyms and related concepts.

The most famous thesaurus is probably Roget's Thesaurus.

A thesaurus will help you find words that mean the same (synonyms) or similar as a particular word. (You may also find opposites). This can help when you are trying not to repeat the same word in a sentence, an essay or presentation and you want a different word to make the sentence read better.

A thesaurus will help you with similar keywords when using a search engine or looking for information in a library catalogue or online resource. (In this example "look for" would be found alongside "search").

A thesaurus can help you build your vocabulary as it will teach you new words, but in this case it is best to look at examples of how the word is used in sentences and to check a dictionary definition first before you use it (see pitfalls below).

How to use a thesaurus

If using a printed thesaurus, you need to find the word for which you want alternatives at the back of the book first (a sort of index). This gives you a page number where you find the group of similar and related words. The LRC has some thesauri at shelfmark 424.

The LRC provides access to the Oxford Paperback Thesaurus (4th edition) as part of it's subscription to Oxford Reference Online (a collection of online specialist Dictionaries). You will need to log in with your network login and password and search for the thesaurus. Then use the box on the left hand side to search for the word within the publication or alternatively use the letters A- Z across the screen to navigate. LRC staff can also help you.

Microsoft Word also has a built in thesaurus feature which may be useful (but is not extensive). Just right click on the word for which you want an alternative and select "synonyms" to see a list of possible words.

A free online thesaurus you can trust is
Collins Thesaurus  (www.roget.org does not appear to be the genuine publication online!).

The pifalls of using a thesaurus

There can be problems with using alternative words from a thesaurus especially if they are words you have not heard of before. Some words have more than one meaning and you need to make sure you use the right one.
The video below explains (albeit simply) the layout of a thesaurus entry and how to use it wisely and make sure you choose the right words.

Box of Broadcasts - trial

Box of Broadcasts - trial

During November (until 6th December 2017) the College (through the LRC) is trialing a subscription to Box of Broadcasts (in College only). Those of you who are students or staff at ARU will possibly already be aware of this resource as they provide access to this.

BOB allows you to search for broadcast television programmes dating back to the 1990s and then view them (legally). This includes some foreign language channels.

• You can request future programmes (up to 10 a day) and watch currently available broadcasts.
• You can create your own playlists.
• You can create your own clips (see our Dave Gorman clip about the pitfalls of using Wikipedia as a resource on our Moodle 24/7 page.)
• You can view programme transcripts and subtitles
• You can embed programmes and clips in to a PowerPoint presentation or website (for as long as the College subscribes to this resource).

BOB also includes the BBC Shakespeare Archive content dating back to the 1950s.

To use the trial, please go to the link on the LRC 24/7 page on Moodle. Please follow the instructions there for logging in and setting up an account.

Search for a programme and filter by whether it is available now or TV only, for example.

At the bottom of the screen, you will find a link to Help which takes you to short videos to help you learn how to use BOB.

We will be checking usage at the end of the trial to see if it is worth us paying the money to subscribe to this. Please let us know how you find it and any comments - either as a student or lecturer.

Photo https://pixabay.com/en/video-camera-video-shooting-video-1197571/
CÇO

TV Programmes as academic resources

They are great primary source material for media and journalism students - for techniques and examples of how different issues are shown in the media at different times or how society views them. These can be analysed and evaluated.

If you are interested in scripts and language (as part of performing arts, perhaps), you can study the language used in soaps, dramas, news bulletins etc. by reading the transcripts and seeing how they are delivered.

TV documentaries often give a good short introduction to a subject especially where the subject is too new to be in a book or journal article  (e.g. Panorama did a one hour programme on the Paradise Papers).

If you are a visual learner, TV programmes may help you learn alongside books and other print resources - but check currency as facts may have changed since the programme was broadcast.

These programmes may show fashion and hairstyles at a particular time and can be used for inspiration for hair and beauty students. (Strictly It Takes Two currently broadcast slots each week from the make up and hair teams who work on the show).

TV programmes can be used as inspiration for media students to create something similar themselves as part of their course.

Cookery programmes may be a source useful to trainee chefs for recipes and presentation ideas.

And the list goes on......

Finally...

Remember - if you use a television programme as a source for your assignment, you should reference it - just as you would any other resource.

Book Boxes

Book Boxes

Did you know that the LRC can put together a book box for tutors/lecturers to use in their lessons?

Ideally we like a week's notice of the topic (but we can do this quicker) and we do need to be sure that we have stock on the particular subject.

Please contact the LRC in person, by phone or email and let us know the topic, when you need it and how many students there are in the group. We will have the box ready for you to collect before your lesson and then you can return it at the end. We can also suggest other resources such as e-books. If you would like a librarian to come to your class and do an activity with your group using the box, then we can help with this also.

Pile of 5 books
https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-five-books-51342/

5 things to do with a book box

1) Introduce books as a way to research

    a) Give each student a book and ask them to find a topic

    b) After 5 minutes ask students to then say how they found the information.

    c) Talk about the index and the contents pages. (Tip: go to the sections where there are the most 

        pages first before the individual pages e.g. 33-37).

    d) Discuss other ways students can know whether a book is useful for their research

        i.e. blurb on the back, author, how old it is, which country it's published in

2) Use a box of books to practice Harvard Referencing

    a) Ask students to use the plagiarism and referencing blended learning activity on the LRC 24/7             page to learn about how to reference.

    b) Then give out books and ask students to reference them either in teams or individually.

3) Use the box of books to help introduce a topic by asking the students to research it themselves

     a) Set some questions

     b) Ask students to research the answers using the books from the box (with or instead of   

         websites) either individually or as teams.

4) Use the books to inspire students when they are choosing what to do for an assignment. e.g. an art  

     assignment/ project or make up/ hair activity.

    (One of our most challenging book boxes was for an art assignment on "Containment". We had to

      find images which portrayed the idea of being contained, imprisoned, caged etc.).   

5) Use a box of fiction to encourage students to look at books to read for pleasure or to introduce 

     them to poetry. One lecturer who worked at the college in the past read with/to his students in
     their tutorials!

    

LRC Halloween book display
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

Dissertation Research

Dissertations

FE students are on catch up week (half term) this week but UCP students still have lectures and the LRC stays open for all students and staff who want to use us.

Over the past few weeks, LRC librarians have been in to a number of tutorials at UCP to talk to students about finding information for their dissertations. Here are a few tips from the LRC team for getting started:

Getting started on your literature review/ dissertation research

Choose a topic that you are interested in - you will be living with it for a long time.

If you know a broad area you are interested in, you might find it useful to look in a journal dedicated to the subject (if there is one) and have a look through recent contents lists for issues that are currently topical.

You need to find a subject with enough literature, but not so much that you get too many results and your research becomes unmanageable. Even if you are doing primary research, you will need to find enough literature to show the context in which your research fits.

You can refine your subject by focusing on a particular age range (e.g. teenagers, the elderly), country or area (e.g UK) or a particular time period (since 2000), for example.

Before you start searching

Plan your search terms - list synonyms (words that mean the same), acronyms (and what they stand for), wider concepts (things that affect/ are affected by your topic), narrower subjects (specifics), different forms of a word (woman, women).

Set up a system to record everything you find which is useful -why not decide to write a Harvard reference for each source you find as you go along so that it isn't a massive task at the end. Note key page numbers too so you can find sources again.

Laptop image from www.pixabay.com (Stocksnap) CC0

Searching for information

Combine the different terms you listed in your planning in different combinations and search the ARU Digital library and the PRC LRC catalogue on Moodle.  (You can also use Google Scholar if you prefer but you won't find links to the PRC catalogue on there and you need to log in to the ARU Digital Library first to view anything, anyway. Note down other keywords and phrases that you find authors have used as you discover them and integrate them in to your searches. There is always likely to be some trial and error involved and different search terms will yield different results.

Books are a good starting point to familiarise yourself with a topic. Use the bibliographies in these to find other authors and sources which might be useful (note them down as you find them).

For success in your dissertation, you want to be using a range of different, yet appropriate, resources. Have you tried searching for theses or conference proceedings, for example? How about open access databases or  websites of accredited organisations?

Get a quick idea of whether a resource is relevant by reading the abstract.

Be disciplined - it is easy to go off on a tangent - keep to your topic. Only reassess what you are searching for if you are getting too few or too many results.

Asking for help

Remember that the librarians in the LRC at PRC are here to help you if you are having problems finding what you need or indeed if you are justlooking for some other places to explore. We can also suggest ways to put searches together to retrieve the most relevant results. We can help you quickly there and then or set up a 1:1 appointment for a more in depth session.

National Map Reading Week and Digimap

National Map Reading Week

This week is National Map Reading Week and organisations like the Ordnance Survey are using this to publicise and highlight the importance of having skills like being able to use a compass, plotting a map reference and using the right type of map for different activities.

• The latest research suggests the average British person ends up going the wrong way, or getting lost, 24 times a year.
• Mountain Rescue England and Wales call outs were up 170 in 2016 on the previous year and of the 1812 call outs, 360 were serious or fatal.

Given that we live in the age of the Sat Nav and smartphone, is it still necessary to know how to use a map? The statistics above suggest it is.

Being able to read a map and plan a route is still an invaluable life skill and maps can give us a lot of information. For example, a map will help you visually plan your route and see where you are in relation to other places. It can give you an idea of distance or how a hill is as well as what features are found in different areas.You do not need a battery, a mobile/ satellite signal or the ability to hear.

Sometimes a map or diagram is the best way to present information so directions can be understood easily.

Imagine explaining to someone new how to get from the Learning Resource Centre to Parcs Restaurant. Perhaps the best solution would be to take them there yourself. 

However, the alternative would be to explain to them that they need to turn left out of the LRC, past the Apprenticeship Centre, then turn left, follow the corridor round past the Enterprise lounge until they get to Alexandra Foyer when they need to go past the entrance gate and take the corridor to the left of the Pantry and follow this down to Parcs!

Or… you could draw a map!

Resources for learning map reading skills

For the beginner, Ordnance Survey provides a range of guides and videos to show you how to read maps. For example, understanding contours so you know whether you will be walking up a steep hill or not.

See below for Steve Backshall's short video guide to taking a 4 digit map reference.

Ordnance Survey have also devised a short quiz for you to test your map reading skills. Have a go!

Digimap

The Learning Resource Centre subscribes to Digimap which is an online service giving access to Ordnance Survey mapping of Great Britain. Students and staff can access it from the Electronic Resources Page under the Learning Resource Centre tab on Moodle. It is only accessible in College. Students and staff can save and/or print out their A4 maps.

The great thing about it is that you can search by postcode or place and then once you have centred your map, you can annotate it with shapes, labels, photos as well as measure distances. You might want to add starting points, places to camp, places to stop for lunch based on how long a walk is. Will you have to cross a river? Will you walk through woodland? Will there be steep hills? Will you pass through any villages? 

Public Services students have used this when planning for their week away walking the Pennine Way in the past.

Libraries Week

Libraries Week

PRC Learning Resource Centre Facts

This is week is the first ever Libraries Week and so this We hope you will forgive us this slightly self-indulgent blog post. We are using it to promote what we do for students at PRC and UCP and the difference we can make (not that we can be complacent - we always aim to improve!).  During the week we have been tweeting (@lrc_prc) a number of facts about the LRC throughout the week. Here are some statistics for you.

• At PRC we had 14,000 visits to the Learning Resource Centre in September this year.

Last academic year

• we had 118,342 visits between September 2016 and April 2017. March 2017 was the busiest month with 21,966 visits.  
• we had over 8000 visits to our Moodle pages.
• there were over 10,000 search sessions on our electronic databases. (Apart from e-books, Childlink is our most-used database).
• of these, over 3600 were for access to e-books.
• we loaned out laptops over 6500 times 

So what does the Learning Resource Centre at PRC do? (This is not an exhaustive list)

We help students (and staff) learn by

• providing an environment and equipment for independent learning
• help students find resources for their assignments/ courses.
• purchasing print resources to help students research and learn including books and a number of magazine subscriptions.
• delivering training sessions and activities to give students the skills to research and find information
• providing blended learning activities or training on Harvard Referencing
• helping students navigate the internet and promote e-safety.
• purchasing and set up access to quality electronic resources (including authentification in and outside college)
• providing and administering a computer system which manages the loan of books, fines, overdue letters and notifications  and includes providing a catalogue of everything available so it is searchable.
• promoting literacy and reading to help improve language and vocabulary as well as for pleasure/ wellbeing and as a way to relax and unwind (e.g. our Loyalty scheme)
• helping with queries around using the PCs.

Library quotes

The author Neil Gaiman has said "Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one". See the video below.

Stephen Fry has said "Libraries are where minds flourish and grow. They are like a kind of water supply".

See  #librariesweek on Twitter for more quotes, events and a general celebration of libraries. You may be surprised what goes on in a library and what librarians do! See the video below to see what one group of American librarians did to promote their library catalogue (and no we won't be doing anything similar!)

How to keep up to date with new developments in your area of work

Impress at job interviews and keep up to date

Lots of students are now leaving college and applying for jobs. Many will be working in a particular sector such as hairdressing, construction, fire service, nursing or child care.

New developments are being made and affect the workplace all the time e.g.

• ·         new legislation or guidelines passed (e.g. health and safety)
• ·         new initiatives being piloted,
• ·         new problems being tackled
• ·         new people with new ideas.

 Hairstyles change, new research comes out in helping children’s development, new fashions in cooking and hospitality, and new materials and techniques in building homes and structures, for example.

Keeping up to date with professional Periodicals/ Journals

In the library (due to the refit they are currently in Room 121 and then sent out to departments) we have a range of professional periodicals which are one way of keeping up to date in your field. If you want to have the edge in a job interview, why not read up on what the latest issues are so you can mention these and show that you take an interest in the work you will be doing.

Some titles we currently hold are:

Building
Caterer
FE Week
Fire (I expect a lot will be written about the Grenfell Tower fire in forthcoming issues)
Hairdressers Journal
Highways (previously Surveyor)
Leisure Management & Health Club Management
Make Up Artist Magazine
Marketing Week
Navy News
Nursery World (with archive online)
Nursing Times
Professional Beauty
RAF News
TES
THE
Travel Weekly

Library Periodicals. Photograph by Peterborough Regional College

Some other ways to keep up to date and keep learning in your chosen profession/ job

Websites of professional bodies (organisations which represent a profession) – e.g Hair Council, ABTA, Institution of Civil Engineers. It is probably best to concentrate on those based in the UK as legislation and practice may be different in other countries such as the US.

Websites of professional journals (see above) – these will give a summary even if you don’t subscribe. Building magazine is already discussing the construction materials used in Grenfell Tower as is Fire magazine.

Social media accounts – e.g, the nursing and midwifery council has a twitter account@nmcnews, the Royal Navy has a Facebook account. You need to make sure you have the official accounts (look for the tick) and that new content is being regularly added. Well known professionals in your field may also write a blog eg Sarah Jagger (Make up artist).

Email lists and RSS feeds. You can subscribe to news feeds so new information about subjects in which you have an interest are sent to your email account. You can often choose to get a weekly digest so that you don't get too many emails.

Revision tips and memory techniques

Revision tips

Exams are fast approaching and lots of students are finishing off their coursework and starting to revise everything they’ve learned during their course.

We’ve been searching for some tips for you on the internet. Take a look at this short BBC Newsbeat video.

The BBC also have lots more resources at http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zw8qpbk with links to advice on the National Citizen Service website too.

If you are prone to worrying about your exams, the BBC published an article earlier this week : Exam Stress: a revision guide for the anxious which might be helpful.

Memory Techniques

More generally, a lot of us would like to know how to remember things better whether it's remembering someone's name, reminding ourselves to do something or memorising information for an exam. 

In 2105 The Daily Telegraph published an article Nine tips to improve your memory which also has a quiz to test how good your memory is. You may want to have a go.

BBC Radio 4 has an old archived page on improving your memory which includes tips such as 

• Break things down in to chunks
• Space out your learning (don't try to cram it all in at the last minute)
• Write it down
• Use imagery to associate something you are learning with a visual image
• Assign meaning to something (great for numbers eg remember the numbers 1945 by thinking about the last year of the 2nd World War).
• Learn it right the first time (so focus when you are learning).

For those of you interested in more information on how the memory works and further techniques to improve it, we have books in the library by Tony Buzan, for example, who is an expert in memory techniques. The books are found around 153.1.

You may also want to listen to this Tedtalk by Joshua Foer: Feats of memory anyone can do.

Planning your revision

Starting to revise

Although it’s the holidays next week, exams are nearly upon us and so it is a good time to start planning your revision.

Library+ subscribes to Which magazine and they have put together a guide for creating such a timetable and have pulled together tips from other students which might help you.

http://university.which.co.uk/advice/student-life/creating-a-revision-timetable-that-actually-works

Photo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pen-writing-notes-studying-8769/

Study Stack

Some of you might like the idea of creating your own flash cards and revision activities and you can use a web resource like Study Stack to create these – whether you are student wanting to make your revision more enjoyable or a tutor wanting a way to help your students revise. Just the process of creating these activities will help you memorise your subject.

There are some existing flashcards on Study Stack which you might find useful but beware as none of these are checked by anyone for accuracy so you want to be sure they are correct before using them. Once you have your flashcards , your flashcards can be converted into other activities (eg hangman, crossword). There a  few tutorials on YouTube but they do not appear to be from the providers of Study Stack themselves so you might want to bear this in mind.

Library+ Loyalty Card

Library+ Loyalty Card

“A book is a dream that you hold in your hands."- Neil Gaiman   

Reading is an important past time. Reading a book (or preferably books) expands your mind and vocabulary, and according to a 2014 report from The Reading Agency, there is “clear evidence that reading for pleasure can increase empathy, improve relationships with others, reduce the symptoms of depression and dementia, and improve well-being throughout life.”* However, like a lot of things, the art of sitting down with a book seems to be losing out to catch-up TV and smart phones.

This year, our goal at Library⁺ is to encourage people to read for fun. No, not just stuff for your courses but fiction books.  We’ve launched a Loyalty Card Scheme to encourage reading for pleasure and it’s really simple to get involved! Just come to the Library main desk to sign up for your card, then borrow and read 6 books before June. Once your card has 6 stamps on it you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win an Amazon Kindle!

Library+ Loyalty Card Prize event

Not only will the winner get an amazing prize but we are also holding an awards event for the Loyalty Card Scheme on Wednesday 14^th June. All those who have completed Loyalty Cards will be invited and we will be joined by local author Eva Jordan and children’s fiction writer Alexander Gordon Smith. All these things are great incentives to start reading and there is no closing date for signing up to a card!

Picture/ Poster by Peterborough Regional College

Books! Not sure where to start? Here’s our top picks-

-           I knew you were trouble- Paige Toon  

-          Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone (illustrated edition)- JK Rowling          The son of Neptune- Rick Riordan

-          Street cat Bob (quick read edition) – James Bowen

-          The Girl of ink and stars- Kiran Millwood Hargrave

-          Lord Loss- Darren Shan