Y Llechen

TRIAL: Cambridge Collections Online

2012-02-28T11:29:00.001Z

We are currently trialling online access to Cambridge Collections Online

This trial will run until 26 March 2012 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Important changes to HTML article view on ScienceDirect platform

2012-02-27T12:03:00.001Z

There is going to be a complete redesign of the HTML article page on ScienceDirect which will be rolled out in several phases. The aim is to improve navigation and readability.

The new article page will consist of three panes – left and middle panes are now available.

The left pane focuses on navigation options within the article while the middle pane features the actual article in a format much like the PDF version.

The right pane, due to be released from mid-2012, will aim to add more context to the content being viewed.

You can access ScienceDirect from our Library Catalogue.

TRIAL: Book Citation Index

2012-02-24T16:49:00.001Z

We are currently trialling online access to Book Citation Index on the Web of Knowledge platform.

This trial will run until 22 March 2012 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

New look Library Catalogue Quick Search

2012-02-15T10:56:00.002Z

You will notice that the Library’s Quick Search appearance has changed recently. We hope that you will find the new look a lot cleaner and less cluttered.

We have moved from a three column display

to a two column display.

But, this isn’t the only change...

Take a peek at the new look Advanced Search option too. The link for this can be seen on the search results screen, below the search box.

The tag cloud has now been incorporated into the headings in the left-hand column.

Export to RefWorks is now in the record display along with other options in an ‘action bar’ at the top of the screen.

Please let us know your thoughts on the new Quick Search look.

TRIAL: Independent Scholarly Publishers Group

2012-02-09T16:53:00.002Z

We are currently trialling online access to Independent Scholarly Publishers Group.

This trial will run until 19 April 2012 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Archives Temporary Closure

2012-02-09T15:28:00.002Z

Due to major refurbishment work in the main strong rooms the search room of Bangor University Archives will close on the 20th of July 2012 and will reopen on September 10th, 2012.

No Archive service, including rare books, will be available during this period.

Y Llechen Poll Results

2012-02-06T17:07:00.000Z

Our first mini poll on Y Llechen has come to an end. We asked Blog readers which they preferred? Print Books or Electronic Books?

77 people voted altogether and the results are as follows:

I prefer print – 37 votes (48%)
I like both – 33 votes (42%)
I prefer electronic – 7 votes (9%)

This poll has now finished, but we have just posted a new mini poll and are keen to hear your thoughts on which is your preferred route to electronic resources.

Vote now!

News about Early English Books Online (EEBO)

2012-02-02T09:13:00.002Z

Early English Books Online (EEBO) will continue to be available on two platforms throughout 2012.

The original platform can be accessed here. The new platform, which was launched in August 2011, can be accessed here.

The new platform is very much in development and we would appreciate any feedback you might have that can be passed on to the platform developers to help improve the functionality of the resource over the next year.

New Resources for 2012

2012-01-24T16:17:00.000Z

Here is a list of some of the brand new electronic resources available from the Library in 2012:

Handbook of Translation Studies
Translation Studies Bibliography Online
American Economic Association Journals
Marine Digimap
MEDLINE via Ovid
Ovid Nursing Full Text Collection
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: UK & Ireland

Visit our New E-Resources page for more information.

There have also been some platform changes. Most notably, PsycARTICLES is now available on the ProQuest platform alongside PsycINFO, enabling more seamless access to full text articles.

Finally, there have been a couple of non-renewals. We no longer have current access to the following e-resources via the Library Catalogue:

Emerald Management Journals
Nexis

Closure of the British Library Integrated Catalogue

2012-01-20T11:18:00.000Z

The British Library is withdrawing access to the Integrated Catalogue on Monday 23 January 2012. It will be replaced by Explore the British Library.

If you have bookmarked http://catalogue.bl.uk you may wish to amend it to http://explore.bl.uk.

All British Library links from our Library Catalogue and Library Web site are being updated. But, please let us know if you spot any broken links.

In particular, there will no longer be a link from our Library Catalogue to the British Library Newspaper Catalogue. Instead, just search the Main Catalogue and limit to "Newspaper Library".

Explore the British Library enables you to search across nearly 60 million records of items in the Library's collections. You can find out more about it, and the changeover here.

Coming soon! New enhancements for OvidSP

2012-01-18T10:20:00.000Z

On 19 January 2012, Ovid will be updating their platform. There will be no scheduled downtime.

The update will provide the following user interface enhancements:

Ability to export citations to Excel
An enlarged Ovid Resource Box
Simpler way to change Ovid Resource selections
Access to Print/Email/Export/Add to My Projects quick-click buttons at the bottom of the search results screen
New Advanced Search entry tips to promptly search by Keyword, Author, Title and Journal
More prominent navigation within Journals A-Z

You can access OvidSP from our Library Catalogue.

Library E-Resources Sessions JAN 2012

2012-01-16T16:21:00.000Z

TRIAL: China Academic Journals

2012-01-13T11:52:00.000Z

We are currently trialling online access to China Academic Journals.

This trial will run until 11th February 2012 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Scheduled Maintenance: BioOne (Resolved)

2012-01-10T09:37:00.002Z

BioOne will be experiencing scheduled maintenance on Friday January 13th, 2012 starting at 11pm.

The maintenance period will be no longer than four hours in duration and the web site will be unavailable for at least one hour during this time.

TRIAL: Parker on the Web

2012-01-09T11:04:00.000Z

We are currently trialling online access to Parker on the Web.

This trial will run until 20th February 2012 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

IT Services - disruption Saturday, 7th January. (resolved)

2012-01-06T15:23:00.000Z

May we remind you there will be major IT disruption between 0900 to 1200 on the 7th January. Disruption will be:

The internet will be unavailable
Voicemail will be unavailable
Calls to direct dial numbers will not be available (01248 351151 will be available)
There will be no telephone service on the Science Site and Fron Heulog

LIBRARY CATALOGUE and E-RESOURCES NOT AVAILABLE (resolved)

2012-01-05T16:41:00.001Z

THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE and E-RESOURCES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE for approximately one hour between 18:00 and 21:00 this Thursday and Friday, January 5th and 6th. The system will be down for essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience.

TRIAL: Digital Theatre Plus

2012-01-03T11:22:00.002Z

We are currently trialling online access to Digital TheatrePlus.

This trial will run until 17^th January 2012 andyou can access it here.

To access this trial you will need a unique username andpassword that you can obtain by contacting eresources@bangor.ac.uk

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you canleave comments at the bottom of this post.

Did you know that you can use a WILDCARD when searching the catalogue?

2011-12-22T12:01:00.011Z

A wildcard is a symbol you can use instead of one or more characters. You can use the asterix (*) wildcard in your searching.

Compare the results of these 4 search examples.

Search in the catalogue for:

eskimo boy
eskimo boys
eskimo boy*
"eskimo boy*"

Note that the inverted commas tell the system you need the words to be next to each other. Adjacency matters.

The * means you wish to search for 'boy' and any number of characters that follow, such as in 'boys'.

The default search box called Quick Search is also known as a KEYWORD search. This means that your search words could appear anywhere in the item's description, as opposed to a title search where the words must appear in the title.

QuickSearch uses a formula which brings the most relevant results to the top of your results list. This is known as 'Right Results'. This relevancy formula is why a search for 'colour dictionary' brings up the title 'The Hillier colour dictionary of trees & shrubs' as the most relevant, and therefore the first, result. Adjacency in the title making this book the most relevant in the ranking order.

If you are interested in the most recent titles, or want the results to be in publication date order, it is possible to click on 'Sorted by --- Date' seen at the top of the results list.

Where do you want to go?

2011-12-16T16:11:00.004Z

Want to know about access to other University libraries over the Christmas and New Year period??

Where do you want go?

http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/members

Web of Knowledge: Scheduled maintenance (resolved)

2011-12-16T09:56:00.000Z

Thomson Reuters will be performing maintenance to Web of Knowledge, EndNote Web and ResearcherID this Sun 18 Dec beginning at 2pm.

Maintenance is expected to last approximately 12 hours and there may be disruption of service and product access.

Merry Christmas from all at Deiniol Library

2011-12-14T10:25:00.004Z

Many of you may know that the Deiniol Library was once a school. The Bangor Central School opened in 1936 and was later known as Bangor Secondary Modern.

Between 1929 – 1952 the children produced a school magazine which offers a facinating snapshot of life in Bangor during these years, including how the children helped in the fields during the war effort in a facinating account entitled ‘The Caterpillar corps’ which describes their efforts to rid the fields of caterpillars to protect crops including cabbages. Some of the stories and poems written in this publication are currently displayed on a notice board in the Deiniol Library for all to see.

As Christmas draws near I thought I would share a Christmas poem written by Form 1A pupil Harry Williams which strangely appears in the summer issue of 1952.

Merry Christmas from all at the Deiniol Library.

Christmas

Put up the holly and deck the tree,
Make garlands gay for all to see,
Stir the pudding and ice the cake,
And pack the presents ready to take
To your friends on Christmas morning.
Send off the greeting cards which say
A Happy Christmas to those far away,
Then wait till Santa pays his call
On sleeping children, big and small
Bringing gifts for Christmas morning

TECHNICAL ISSUE: Problem with Quick Search (resolved)

2011-12-12T10:29:00.001Z

Please be aware that Quick Search is not working this morning. All otherlibrary catalogue searches are working fine.

We are working to resolve this issue ASAP.

Online Renewals: 'My Library'

2011-12-12T10:09:00.001Z

Don't get caught out by overdue books this Christmas and New Year.

Renew online using your university username and password.

New E-Resource: Marine Digimap

2011-12-12T09:53:00.001Z

The recent trial of Marine Digimap was a success and we have now purchased a subscription which will run until 31 July 2012 in the first instance.

This resource contains scanned and georeferenced marine maps at scales ranging from 1:3,500,000 to 1:2,500 available for making maps online or for download.

Productsincluded are:

SeaZone Hydrospatial Data, a vectordataset available in ArcGIS and MapInfo formats. This dataset contains an array of differentfeatures including bathymetry, ship wrecks, economical information, ecologicaldata, structures and obstructions.
SeaZone Charted Raster Data,based on scanned and geocoded images of the well known Admiralty Chart seriesand is available for immediate use in GIS, without the need for additionalsoftware.

Clickhere for more information

New E-Resource: JoVE Basic Protocols

2011-12-05T10:26:00.001Z

This is the freely available section of the Journal of Visualised Experiments (JoVE).

JoVE is a video journal for biological, medical, chemical and physical research. This free section provides access to about 50 peer reviewed video articles that are free to view and download.

Click here for more information

Index to Theses now also available via ProQuest

2011-12-05T09:59:00.001Z

Index to Theses is a bibliographic database of PhD theses published in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Many of the records have links to full text documents available via EThOS and Bangor University’s institutional repository.

As part of the Library’s subscription to Index to Theses, we have also been granted access to the same content via ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: UK & Ireland.

The advantages to this alternative platform are:

Content is cross searchable with all other ProQuest databases we subscribe to
Direct export to RefWorks is possible

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: UK & Ireland is also cross searchable with ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: Full Text. This is a database of worldwide dissertations, including full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997.

The Library does not hold a subscription to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: Full Text, but there is currently a free trial running until 9 December 2011.

TRIAL: The Listener Historical Archive (1929-1991)

2011-11-25T13:22:00.001Z

We are currently trialling online access to the Listener Historical Archive (1929-1991).

This trial will run until 8th January 2012 and you can accessit here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you canleave comments at the bottom of this post.

TECHNICAL ISSUE: JISC Historic Books

2011-11-22T14:25:00.001Z

Due to a recent upgrade, the majority of Early English BooksOnline (EEBO) books on the JISC Historic Books platform have not been indexedcorrectly and are inaccessible.

JISC are working on this issue as a matter of urgency andhope to have a resolution by Friday 2nd December.

TRIAL: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database

2011-11-21T16:02:00.001Z

We are currently trialling online access to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database.

This trial will run until 16 December 2011 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Meet your User Support Librarian

2011-11-16T13:07:00.001Z

Hi, my name is Vashti.

I was born in Bangor, grew up in North Wales and speak Welsh as a second language. I come from a “non-traditional university background” and never assumed I would go to university, but I read lots of books when I was a child, and was encouraged to apply to Cambridge when I was doing my A Levels. Much to my surprise I ended up at King’s College Cambridge studying Social Anthropology, meeting lovely people and having a great time.

In between studying and socialising I worked in my college library, and they gave me a job when I finished my degree. After a few years at King’s Library I moved back to Wales, and worked in the library at Coleg Menai, before deciding it was time to get a library qualification, and heading down to Brighton (another great place to live), to study Information Management. After finishing my course, I worked in the Development Studies Library at Sussex University.

I returned to Wales (I love the scenery and people here), worked in e-learning for a few years, and did a postgraduate diploma in Heritage Management at Bangor, before joining the library team at Bangor University Library in 2009.

I enjoy meeting a wide range of people and helping them to understand and access our library resources. I’m particularly keen on encouraging people from the local community to use the university libraries; helping students with dyslexia, visual impairments and a range of disabilities to access our services; working with mature students and people from non traditional university backgrounds; meeting and assisting our international students; and generally helping university staff and students find the library materials they need for their research.

I work part time since becoming a mum, and when I’m not at work, I love spending time with my young son, reading lots of books, dressing up, dancing, and enjoying the beautiful countryside here in Wales.

Scheduled downtime: Zetoc Alerts (resolved)

2011-11-11T13:49:00.001Z

*Please note* that Zetoc Alerts will be frozen from Monday 14 November until Tuesday 15 November.

Users will be unable to access Zetoc Alerts to create new Zetoc Alert lists or modify their existing Zetoc Alerts lists at this time.

This will not affect the sending out of Zetoc Alert emails as normal during this period.

Access to the Zetoc Service and searching will not be affected, although some downtime and possible disruption on the 15 November is expected.

Further information at:
http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/27oct2011.html

TRIAL: Marine Digimap

2011-11-08T11:40:00.000Z

We are currently trialling online access to Marine Digimap.

This trial will run until 16th December 2011 and you can access it here.

To access this trial you will need a unique username and password that you can obtain by contacting eresources@bangor.ac.uk

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Archives of General Psychiatry

2011-10-28T15:09:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately, Archives of General Psychiatry will no longer be available online to Bangor University users from 1 January 2012.

Good news though, we will continue to subscribe to the print journal which you can find in Deiniol Library.

Have you read a good e-book recently?

2011-10-18T17:06:00.002+01:00

Would you like to help the library increase the range of e-books and make access as quick and easy as possible?

We are involved in a national study to look at how the provision of e-books in academic libraries might be improved. The project will help libraries and publishers better understand the requirements of users and develop affordable e-book delivery through libraries.

Project staff would like to talk to students to understand what tasks students use e-books for, how they find out about them in the first place and how they evaluate them.

If you are interested in taking part in a 30-minute interview on Wednesday, 26th October, please contact eresources@bangor.ac.uk stating what time you will be available.

We are giving a Lug a Mug worth £5 to everyone who takes part.

Lots of new ebooks in the Library Catalogue

2011-10-18T16:24:00.000+01:00

You will have noticed that when browsing some of the ebooks from our library catalogue that after about 5 minutes of reading online, a pop-up window appears and you are asked if you wish to continue reading.

If you choose 'yes' at this point, the Library incurs a charge (the amount is identified in the full record of the book) and you will receive access to the ebook for a 24 hour period.

If the charge to loan an ebook is over a specified amount, then you may receive a message advising that the Library has been contacted to approve the loan. If this is the case, you should receive an email back from us within 24-36 hours.

In order to keep Library costs to a minimum, and allow us to buy more books on your behalf, we encourage you to make best use of the free 5 minute browse period to decide if you really want to loan or download the ebook. If you do decide to continue reading, then you have 24 hours to read the book before your loan expires.

Please also be aware that each library user is only entitled to a limited number of 'charged' ebook loans per day.

Remember:

Choose Read Online rather than Download
First 5 minutes of Read Online is free
Use the free 5 minute browse period to decide if you wish to continue reading the ebook
If you continue, the book is available to you for 24 hours

Please let us know if you have any questions.

User Guides: JISC MediaHub

2011-10-13T15:43:00.002+01:00

There are two new PDF user guides available for JISC MediaHub. MediaHub Essentials is a two-page reference to the most important features, and MediaHub Help is a full guide to the resource.

You will also find printed copies of MediaHub Essentials in your library.

TRIAL: SAGE Reference Online

2011-10-07T10:41:00.001+01:00

For a free personal trial of SAGE Reference Online until 31 October 2011, please click on this link.

Maintenance on Web of Knowledge (resolved)

2011-10-06T12:32:00.000+01:00

Please be advised that Thomson Reuters will be performing maintenance to the Web of Knowledge, EndNote Web and Researcher ID this coming Sunday, 9 October 2011, commencing at 14:00 BST (13:00 GMT).

Maintenance is expected to last approximately 12 hours. During this time, there will be disruption of service and access to these products including WoK Personalisation.

New E-Resource: Early Music Online

2011-10-06T11:45:00.000+01:00

This web site is the result of a project to digitise 300 of the world’s earliest surviving volumes of printed music held in the British Library.

Click here for more information

TRIAL: Rock's Backpages

2011-10-05T14:32:00.001+01:00

We are currently trialling online access to this database of rock writing and music journalism.

This trial will run until 17th October and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Library Help Sessions: October 2011

2011-09-30T15:45:00.004+01:00

New E-Resource: Publishing Your Research 101

2011-09-26T11:38:00.000+01:00

This free resource from the American Chemical Society is aimed at navigating the research publication process. The educational video series provides assistance on writing, submitting and reviewing manuscripts.

Three episodes have been released so far, called:

Episode 1: How to write a paper to communicate your research
Episode 2: Writing your covering letter
Episode 3: Selecting peers to suggest as reviewers

Click here for more information

TRIAL: eLibrary

2011-09-26T11:22:00.000+01:00

We are currently trialling online access to this full text general reference tool. The resource includes multi-subject coverage from magazines, newspapers, books, maps, images and audio/video files.

This trial will run until 8th October 2011 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Welcome

2011-09-21T13:47:00.002+01:00

Bangor University Library and Archives welcome all new and returning students and staff, and look forward to helping you make the most of our range of collections and study areas to support your learning and teaching.

We have lots of presentations and tours already booked for new students during Welcome Week, and will also be attending Serendipity – the Freshers Fair – at Maes Glas on Wednesday and Thursday, where we can answer your questions about library services and you can meet some of our librarians.

We have a wide range of printed resources such as books and journals located across several library sites which you can search for via our online catalogue, and many electronic resources such as e-books and e-journals available online and accessible from both the university and home.

There are also study areas available in all libraries, and new social learning areas in the Main Library and Normal Library.

Please visit or contact the library if you need any help and information.

Hampshire County Council Contemporary Art Collection

2011-09-20T10:19:00.003+01:00

This collection is now available to view online for the very first time via the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS).

The collection of nearly 400 pieces includes the work of significant British artists, such as limited edition prints by Bridget Riley, Henry Moore, and John Piper, through to more recent additions from Hampshire-based artists or works depicting Hampshire scenes, including a set of works bequeathed to the council by artist Nick Schlee.

This collection adds to the 120,000 plus digitised images already available online through the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS). VADS is a research centre based at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) and provides online access to hundreds of art and design image collections from universities, colleges, libraries, museums and archives across the UK, for free use in non-commercial education and research.

For more information about Hampshire’s Contemporary Art Collection and its development, see: http://vads.ac.uk/collections/HANTS

Training: Digimap Support Drop In

2011-09-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

This drop-in webinar is open to any students and staff who are interested in learning more about Digimap.It takes place on 9 November 2011 between 2pm and 4pm.

No booking is required, just drop in to the online chatroom at any point during the 2 hour slot to chat to the Digimap Support Team. You can either talk to the team (a mike is required) or use text chat. You will need headphones and speakers.For more information, including a link to the webinar click here.

User Guides: Science Magazine

2011-09-15T14:17:00.003+01:00

There is a new educational tutorial for Science Online. The eight minute video teaches users how toaccess Science content, browse articles, research the site, find daily Sciencenews and more. The video is availablewith subtitles in several languages.

You can watch the video here or click on the User Guides link in the catalogue record.

TECHNICAL ISSUE: Web of Knowledge and Internet Explorer 9

2011-09-15T10:06:00.000+01:00

The new Web of Knowledge platform does not currently support Internet Explorer version 9 and if you are using this browser you may experience problems when browsing and viewing results, e.g. missing results and blank pages.

We recommend that you either switch to another browser, e.g. Google Chrome or Firefox, or turn on the Compatibility View in Internet Explorer 9. You can enable the Compatibility View in Internet Explorer 9 as follows:
1. Click on Tools menu
2. Click on Compatibility View Settings
3. Type ‘isiknowledge.com’ in the text box and click on Add

TRIAL: British Online Archives & Communist Party of Great Britain Archive

2011-09-08T10:07:00.000+01:00

We are currently trialling online access to these two resources. Access them here.

The trial period will run until 14th September 2011.

If you want to feedback to us on these resources, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

New E-Resource: BookBoon Textbooks

2011-08-31T15:54:00.001+01:00

This online publisher offers free textbooks for students covering topics such as economics, statistics, IT, engineering and natural science. The books are provided in PDF format and you can print the books or download them and read them offline.

Click here for more information.

My Work Experience in Bangor Library & Archives

2011-08-18T15:49:00.001+01:00

By Lukas Zach, from the Medical University of Vienna

I am currently attending a course on librarianship at Austria’s National Library and thus have to do a work experience at another library than the Medical University’s. I decided to apply in Bangor for several reasons. First, I studied Celtic Studies at the University in Vienna and wrote my master’s thesis on two middle-welsh texts from the 14^th century, and second, because I’ve always wanted to do some work abroad, see how other libraries work, which IT-systems they use and so on.

So, after having received a positive answer to my application from Mr. David Learmont, I started off for Bangor, beginning my work placement on August 1^st.

After my arrival and a short tour through the library by very friendly members of staff, I was told that I would be spending most of my time here at the Archives and Special Collections.

During the next three weeks I did a lot of different work, from reading and cataloguing of old diaries and journals to interesting work with old deeds and manuscripts of the Penrhyn Collection in the archives. I was able to get a glimpse of everyday business in a University archive as well as have very interesting talks with members of staff from the different departments. Such seldom chances of international exchange among colleagues can prove very fruitful and I have been able to get new insights and points of view on certain topics.

Besides from working in the Archives, I also spent some time in the Special Collections and the Welsh Library, which turned out to be very interesting, also considering my personal interest in Welsh culture and history. Amongst other things, I helped in compiling and writing bibliographical lists on Welsh emigrants as this seems to be a topic of great interest at the current time.

All in all I can say that I’ve very much enjoyed my work placement here at Bangor University’s Archives and Special Collections and that I have gathered a lot of useful and interesting knowledge throughout these last three weeks. I’m glad I chose to come here and see a little bit of how things are done outside Austria.

I would like to thank all the helpful and very nice members of staff that I have encountered here, it was a real pleasure and fun having worked with you during my short stay here!

Bangor University Library & the Local Community

2011-08-09T13:46:00.007+01:00

Members of the local community are very welcome to come and use the reading rooms and some of the collections at the University Library. Please continue reading to learn more about our history, and our resources.

The origins of Bangor University are rooted in the local community. In the 19^th century, quarrymen, farmers and many other local people generously donated money from their meagre earnings towards the establishment of a college of higher education for North Wales.

“…the poor Welsh farmers and quarrymen were, in proportion to their means, the most liberal supporters of the North Wales College, putting those of us who belong to the wealthier and leisure classes to shame by the largeness of their contribution”. (William Rathbone, MP for Caernarfon, and one of the founders of the university, addressing the House of Commons in the 19^th century).*

The collection which formed the core of the University Library and Archives was begun in 1883 by William John Parry of Bethesda, who later became known as the Quarryman’s Champion due to his role in raising funds for the quarrymen during the Penrhyn quarry strike of 1900-1903.

W.J. Parry donated 350 books, and wrote to potential donors for contributions, saying: “The Library of such an Institution must become, in course of time, an inestimable advantage and blessing to all North Wales…It is my purpose to commence such a Collection that must become more precious and valuable from generation to generation.”**

In 2011, we have a wide range of resources at the University Library and Archives. The Main Library on College Road contains the Welsh Library (a collection of books relating to the history and culture of Wales, including novels and reference books), the Law Library, and books, journals and dissertations for subjects including history, archaeology, business, literature, music, social sciences, linguistics and more. Next door to the Main Library we have the University Archives, which contains historical papers relating to the university, manuscripts from local estates, individuals and families, farming records and more.

The Fron Heulog library in the Healthcare Sciences building opposite Morrisons in Upper Bangor has books on health, nursing and midwifery, the Normal College library by the Menai Straits contains our collections to support teacher training and sports science courses, plus teaching materials and children’s books. In Lower Bangor, on the Deiniol Road leading up to the train station, is the Deiniol Library which houses the science and psychology collections.

Local people are very welcome to visit any of the libraries, use the Reading Rooms, and read printed books and journals in the libraries. You can even borrow books if you join a public library, and use Linc y Gogledd, which links together academic and public libraries across North Wales.

Any library resources accessed online, including e-books and e-journals, may only be accessed by members of the university, due to license restrictions; and computers may only be used by university members with network passwords.

Library web pages.

Archives web pages.

References

*Quoted in J. Gwynn Williams,1985. The University College of North Wales: foundations, 1884-1927. p.49. Welsh Library.

**Coetmor MS2iii, Coetmor Papers, 1818-1926. University Archives.

(Thanks to Shan Robinson for some of the background research).

New E-Resource: JISC MediaHub

2011-08-05T16:03:00.001+01:00

JISC MediaHub is a new academic video, image and audio resource.

When logging in to this resource on campus, you can select either Log in via UK federation or Log in via direct access. Off campus users must select the Log in via UK federation option.

From the home page, you can see that there are three main collections of resources available for you to browse:

Inside JISC MediaHub – these collections are available to Bangor University and include items previously available via the NewsFilm Online and Film and Sound Online databases. Examples include: footage, running orders and programme scripts from the ITN/Reuters archives of television news, cinema newsreels and press agency newsfeeds; documentaries and feature films from significant film makers; photographs and representations of artefacts in museums or galleries and programmes from broadcasters such as Channel 4, Channel 5, Anglia TV, etc.

Outside JISC MediaHub (unrestricted) – these collections are linked to from JISC MediaHub, but are held on external web sites and are freely available to all.

Outside JISC MediaHub (restricted) – these collections are linked to from JISC MediaHub, but are held on external web sites that may require you to use your Bangor username and password to access. Please note: you will only be able to access resources in this collection that Bangor University Library has a current subscription for.

You can explore the database by collection, time frame, subject or place, and film and sound files can be watched or downloaded, either in full or as segments.

TRIAL: Jordans Online Services

2011-08-04T15:09:00.000+01:00

We are currently trialling online access to full text Family Law content from Jordan Publishing.

This trial will run until 1st September 2011 and you can access it here.

If you want to feedback to us on this resource, you can leave comments at the bottom of this post.

Welcome to Y Llechen

2011-08-03T12:13:00.010+01:00

Welcome to Y Llechen (The Slate). For an explanation of the blog name read About Y Llechen.

This is the public blog for Bangor University Library in North Wales.

We will be using this blog to post updates about new and existing electronic resources, articles about interesting books and other resources in the libraries, details of free library events and training sessions, and other information of interest to people who use our library collections.