Collections

Searching the Collections

The Library Catalogue can be searched using the OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogues) upstairs and downstairs in the library. The Library Catalogue gives holding information for all material in the Main Lending, Short-Loan, Reference, Journal, Exam Papers, Language Resources, Pamphlets and Theses collections. Material can be searched for in a variety of ways, including by author, title, and keyword. The Library Catalogue also contains course Reading Lists. Help is available onscreen or ask at the Welcome Hub. Material is arranged on the shelves using the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme. The correct shelfmark for an item can be located using the Library Catalogue.

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Main Lending

The main lending collection is shelved downstairs in the library. There are two lending periods - Week Loan and Long Loan (3 weeks). All books are shelved using the Dewey classifcation system so all items are ordered from 000 - 999.

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Short Loan

The short loan collection is made up of items which appear on recommended reading lists or items which are in very high demand. In order to allow as many people as possible to use such items they are issued for 24hrs or less. The collection is located next the Welcome Hub.

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Reference

The reference collection is located beside the short loan collection. The material shelved here cannot be borrowed but it can be consulted within the library. Types of material housed here include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, yearbooks, statistics etc

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Exam Papers

The Library has a small collection of past Exam Papers. These are shelved in the Reference section. From 2006, exam papers are available in Moodle.

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Language Resources

The language resources collection is shelved in the Language Resources Room located upstairs in the library. This includes foreign language books, journals, and dictionaries. There is also English language material, aimed mainly at foreign students.

The room also has a collection of audio-visual material. All videos, audio-tapes, slide collections etc. are listed on the Library Catalogue and have the shelfmark Language/Video Room. The material covers a wide range of subjects such as ecology, animal diseases, mathematics and crop management. Most of the material is available for loan or there is equipment on which to play the items.

There is a CD-I machine and current packages available include ones for learning Business French, German and Spanish. Other packages are available on CD-ROM. These are not available for loan.

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Pamphlets

The pamphlet collection is shelved downstairs in pamphlet boxes. This collection is arranged by subject using the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme and the items can be borrowed.

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Theses

The theses collection is shelved downstairs at the back of the library. All theses/dissertations/investigational projects are listed on the OPAC. Doctoral theses are shelved alphabetically by author, and are for reference only. Postgraduate and undergraduate theses are shelved in boxes by course, then by year and alphabetically by author within the year. There are also some theses kept in the short loan collection. These have been deemed to be of high quality in particular subjects by academic staff. Doctoral theses are shelved alphabetically by author upstairs - find them on the end of the first bay at the top of the stairs. These are for use in the library only.

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Journals

Details of the current journal holdings can be found on the OPAC. All journals are shelved upstairs in alphabetical sequence by title. The most recent issue of most of the current journals is on the display shelves in the centre of the room. All journals are for reference only. Journal articles on a particular subject can be found using the Databases via the Library Homepage. Three newspapers are also available daily - The Times, The Guardian, and The Financial Times. Please ask at the Welcome Hub if you have any trouble locating particular journals.

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