Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all the Library staff.

The Library is now closed for Christmas and New Year. We will re-open on Tuesday 5 January 2010

And it’s goodbye from him

This is my last post to the spineless? blog, as I retire from my position as Senior Subject Librarian at the end of 2009.  The photo below was taken at a lovely retirement lunch held in the Library a couple of weeks ago.

Below is a photo taken a few years after I started at Heriot-Watt.  I’m not sure of the exact date, but it was taken when I worked at the branch library in Chambers Street.

Here’s another one, taken when the first PCs were installed in the Library.  The size of the hard disk was 20MB.  I remember asking a computer expert what would happen when the hard disk filled up, and was told that 20MB was more than enough for a lifetime!

Here’s a copy of one of my first payslips:

I’ve already looked back over my time at Heriot-Watt, in the editorial of the final issue of the Internet Resources Newsletter, so what I’d like to do now is thank all of the staff and students at Heriot-Watt for making my time there enjoyable.

Roddy MacLeod

New books on how life began, oceans, plankton, metal contamination, marine animals & writing…

 

The following titles are now available at Riccarton campus library as standard loans. Click on the covers for more information:

                                                                                     

    

   

For a full list of new books recently acquired by the library, go to the New Books section of the Library Catalogue.

If the title you want is on loan to another library user you can place a reservation on that item and we will inform you, via e-mail, when it is returned to the library.

If you have any suggestions for new book titles please contact your relevant Subject Librarian or click here for further information. 

Julie Arnot,  Assistant Librarian

Enjoy the Vacation

The Library staff wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Remember to return or renew all your books before you leave for the vacation. You can check which books you have on loan, and renew them, through the catalogue – select Patron Functions to see your details.

Both Libraries will be open during the vacation; in common with the rest of the University, we will be closed between Christmas and New Year and will re-open on Tuesday 5 January.

We look forward to seeing you in 2010.

Gill McDonald
Acting Librarian

Library website- revamped

 

The Library website has been looking very tired and dated of late- so we are glad to announce that it has had a bit of a revamp!

The new website uses the Heriot-Watt University design template and will be made available over the Christmas vacation ready for you in the new semester.

Some things we think you will like are the:

• Site search, A-Z index and quickfinder which will help you quickly find information on our resources and services.
• Key services and information on each page of the website.
• Arrangement of 10 different sections reflecting what what you most commonly want to do in the library.

 Website Group

Happy birthday spineless?

This spineless? blog is three years old – the first post was written in December 2006.

According to the statistics, in those three years it’s received over 93,000 visits, plus an unknown number of syndicated views where posts have been read within feedreaders such as Google Reader and Bloglines.   Spineless?’s busiest day was Thursday, October 22, 2009, when there were 698 pageviews.

The top posts are have been:

Free chapters from 700 chemistry books
10 websites to help you keep up-to-date
Ten science search engines
Plagiarism – whose idea was that anyway?

There have been 592 posts, and 294 comments.

Spineless? is a blog for staff and students of Heriot-Watt University, and contains the latest information on resources and services for teaching, learning and research, plus more!   It includes information about:

• Library services
• New resources
• Features, and other items of interest
• Answers to frequently asked questions

Please feel free to leave a comment or feedback on any of the blog entries.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian
@libram

New books in the Library – 7th December

Here’s a selection of new books in Riccarton Library. Click on the covers below for more details. For the full list of new books, go to the New Books section of the Library Catalogue.

  

  

  

 

Information on how to place a reservation for a print book is available. Information on suggesting books/eBooks for the library is also available, or you can let the Subject Librarians know if you have any suggestions for new titles.

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian
@libram

Final reminder – your Standard Loans are due today

Undergraduates, Masters & Diploma students

All Standard Loan books which you have borrowed this semester are due for return by the end of today – Friday 4 December.

If you wish to keep them for longer, you can renew them at any time before midnight by logging on to your Library record (via Patron functions) in the catalogue. Simply select the books you want to renew, and then click on the “Renew Items” button. Remember – you cannot renew a book if someone else has reserved it, if you have any overdue books, or if you have more than £2.00 outstanding in unpaid fines.

All Standard Loan books borrowed or renewed now are due for return in the first week of next semester – by Friday 15 January 2010.

If you need help renewing your books, or of you have any questions about borrowing, contact the Service Desks in the Riccarton or Galashiels Libraries.

Gill McDonald
Acting Librarian

24 Hour Opening a great success!

270 students can’t be wrong!

The first night of 24 Hour opening at the Edinburgh Campus Library saw 270 students visiting the Library between 22.00 on Monday and 09.00 on Tuesday.

We gave the first student to come into the Library after 22.00 on Monday an energy drink and energy bar to keep him going through the night.

We hope that many more of you use this great new service during the next 3 weeks as you revise for your exams.

Gill McDonald
Acting Librarian

Internet Resources Newsletter – December issue

The December issue of the Internet Resources Newsletter is now available.

If you’re interested in new and noteworthy websites of relevance to students, academics and researchers, or news from the scholarly publishing industry, or new academic and library blogs, Twitter, and much more, then check out this newsletter.

The newsletter is edited by Marion Kennedy, Catherine Ure and myself at Heriot-Watt University. It’s monthly, and its free!

Roddy MacLeod
Senior Subject Librarian