Autumn Dissertation Festival: 31 October – 4 November 2022

Want to find out more about the digital library resources available to research your dissertation question?  Interested in learning how to manage the bibliographic and research data you’ve found?  Thought about making your dissertation something special by using the fantastic collections available at the Centre for Research Collections?
Join us at the Dissertation Festival for a programme of online and in-person events, and learn what the Library can do for you to help you succeed with your dissertation. Our programme will include sessions by University teams and external suppliers. The in-person events include “Using pre-1900 printed sources”, at the CRC on November 1st, at 2.30pm, and “An Introduction to Collections Handling”, at the CRC on November 3rd, at 10.00am.

Welcome to all our new and returning students!

We wish all our new students a very happy Welcome Week, and extend a warm welcome to you and to all our returning students!
If you are new on-campus you will find these library orientation guides useful.
You can find the Library newsletters here.
You can find out about our Library skills self-enrol course on Learn, called Libsmart, here.
You can find out about our upcoming Dissertation Festival 2022 here. It runs from 31 October – 4 November.
If you have any questions about the Library services, or would like to arrange a 1-2-1 meeting with a librarian, take a look at the list of your academic support librarians here and make contact.

New acquisition! Albers' Interaction of Color: Complete Digital Edition

Interaction of Color: Complete Digital Edition from Yale A&A ePortal:
The Interaction of Color: Complete Digital Edition website offers an entirely new way for users to experience Josef Albers’ original masterwork. The website incorporates interactive features that help students understand the book’s fundamental concepts, study the plates, and experiment with their own designs.

 
● Features full text and plate commentary, describing Albers’ renowned principles on how to see and understand color.
● Includes 122 original color studies, many allowing users to move pieces to see the effects of the colors against different backgrounds.
● Presents 60 interactive plates that reproduce the experience of working with paper, a captivating feature inspired by Albers’ teaching methodologies.
● Allows students to create, save, and export their own version of interactive plates in .SVG and .PDF formats.
● Features over two hours of video commentary, including archival video of Albers and interviews with experts explaining key principles.
● Provides supplemental resources, including video interviews with leading contemporary designers and artists explaining how they use color in their professional practices

 
Your A&AePortal institutional access is the same for the Interaction of Color website. Users with A&AePortal accounts can use their same credentials to access the website. All users must have an account to use the Interaction of Color website.
On-campus users:
● Use the link on the library databases A-Z list webpage, or subject lists webpages
● Sign in using your A&AePortal account credentials, or create a new account.
Off campus/remote users:
● Log in to your institutional virtual private network (VPN)
● Use the link on the library databases A-Z list webpage, or subject lists webpages
● Sign in using your A&AePortal account credentials, or create a new account.
If you have trouble logging in, please clear your browser cache and close your browser. Next, open a new browser window and try signing in again.
You can also find it listed on DiscoverEd, the online library catalogue.

ECA Library re-opened on 20th June

Following a period of temporary closure due to a power outage, ECA Library has re-opened to users.
From 20th June onwards, please borrow and return all ECA Library books and other lending materials at ECA Library.
New Click and Collect requests were suspended from 12 noon on Thursday 16th June.
From 20th June, ECA Library will be open with its normal vacation opening hours of 9.00am – 4:50pm, Monday to Friday. (Closed at weekends).
We thank library users for their understanding during the closed period and look forward to welcoming you all back!
 

Evolution House, West Port, Edinburgh

Using the Digital Wall at the Main Library to promote your work

The Digital Wall at the Main Library
Here are some guidelines for students who may wish to exhibit their work on the Main Library Digital Wall.
There are two ways to show video or moving image work on the Digital Wall:
1: Continuous loop films that populate the whole 18 4k screens at about 1-2 mins in length. Pixel Dimensions for these films are 7680 × 2160 at 30fps.
2: Films that are accessed via the touch screens that play on 9 screens at a time: about 3 mins is a good length. (Maximum 4 mins). Pixel Dimensions for these screens are 3840 × 2160 at 30fps. These films can be grouped into ‘collections’ within the Digital Wall database.
Students should supply an Mp4 file, preferably using the H.264 codec.
Still images can be shown using the same formats above, as Mp4 files/short films.
If you wish to exhibit your work on the Digital Wall it would be best to visit the Main Library (first floor landing) to see the Wall in action.
Who to contact:
Malcolm Brown, Deputy Photographer: Malcolm.Brown@ed.ac.uk
Digital Imaging Unit, University of Edinburgh, Main Library, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LJ
Alternative contacts:
Gavin Willshaw, Digitisation & Digital Engagement Manager: Gavin.Willshaw@ed.ac.uk
Stuart Robinson, Technician, Audio Visual Resources, Digital Library: Stuart.Robinson@ed.ac.uk
Watch a clip of ECA Student Work on the Digital Wall

Digital Skills Festival 2022

Do you know about the Digital Skills Festival? There are still a few places left on the following workshops:
Introduction to reference managers – Monday 30 May 14:30-16:00:
https://digitalskillsfestival.ed.ac.uk/introduction-to-reference-managers/
Managing your references using Zotero – Tuesday 31 May 09:30-10:00:
https://digitalskillsfestival.ed.ac.uk/managing-your-references-using-zotero/
Enhancing your workflow with the new Web of Science platform – Tuesday 31 May 12:00-13:00:
https://digitalskillsfestival.ed.ac.uk/enhancing-your-workflow-with-the-new-web-of-science-platform/
Misinformation, disinformation and fake news: What is it all about? – Tuesday 31 May 13:00-13:30:
https://digitalskillsfestival.ed.ac.uk/misinformation-disinformation-and-fake-news-what-is-it-all-about/
Managing your references with EndNote – Thursday 2 June 13:00-14:00:
https://digitalskillsfestival.ed.ac.uk/managing-your-references-with-endnote/
Using Mendeley for bibliography management – Thursday 2 June 15:00-15:30:
https://digitalskillsfestival.ed.ac.uk/using-mendeley-for-bibliography-management/
 

Evolution House CLOSED until 20th June 2022

Latest update: Monday 23rd May 2022:
ECA Library is closed until 20th June 2022 due to a loss of power to Evolution House building.  Further information including reopening time will follow.
Click and Collect Service for ECA lending books:
The Click and Collect service for Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) Library lending books (Standard, Short Loan and Reserve items) is now available to University Staff and Students, and NHS Lothian Staff on a temporary basis.
To borrow from the ECA general collections showing as ‘Available’ (‘item in place’) please sign into DiscoverEd and ‘Request this item’; Once requests are processed and fetched by library staff, users will be notified by email and items should be collected from the Art & Architecture Library, Minto House, Chambers Street, during advertised opening hours.
Collecting requested items:
All requested items are collected from the Art & Architecture Library, Minto House, Chambers Street, after you have received a confirmation email.
From 27th May onwards the A&A Library opening hours are Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm only (closed at weekends).
Where should I return ECA items I have borrowed from Art & Architecture Library?
Items should be returned to the Art & Architecture Library (preferred) or Main Library, George Square.
For more information visit: https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/library-museum-gallery/using-library/borrowing-a-book/books
Our online Library collections and services, including Scan & Deliver for items located at other University of Edinburgh libraries and Interlibrary Loans service remain available to all.
Use DiscoverEd to find print books and journals available at other site libraries, as well as ebooks, ejournal articles, database content and other materials available online from the Library.
Information about alternative study space is available on the Library study space page.

Dissertation Festival : Monday 7 March – Friday 18 March 2022

  • Do you want to find out more about the library resources available to support your dissertation question?
  • Are you interested in learning how to manage the bibliographic and research data you’ve found?

Join us for two weeks of online events and find out what the Library can do for you to help you succeed with your dissertation.

  • Make your dissertation something special : find out about our fantastic collections of digital primary sources
  • Discover the full range of digital resources that you can access via the University
  • Take the first steps to learn new skills in managing your bibliographic references and your research data

Live session times don’t suit you? Dissertation Festival sessions are complemented by the modules in the new LibSmart II online course which can be undertaken at any time to build your knowledge and skills in the library landscape for your dissertation research. For more information, see http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/LibSmart
Find out more at : www.ed.ac.uk/is/dissertation-festival

Nineteenth-Century Collections Online: British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture – Database trial available this month

We currently have temporary access to the following database on a one month trial basis:

  • Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture, covering approximately 1733 to 1968, features a wide range of primary sources related to the arts in the Victorian era, from playbills and scripts to operas and complete scores. Access rare documents sourced from the British Library and other renowned institutions, and curated by experts in British arts history. This archive includes thousands of invaluable primary sources, including original, signed works, that explore Victorian popular culture, bloods and penny dreadfuls, music, and the history of the English stage.

You can access the trial via the library e-resources trials webpage
Please do submit your feedback about this resource as we cannot consider purchasing it as a new subscription without positive feedback regarding its usefulness for research and/or teaching. Thank you!