Home > Library Blogs > Library News

Monday, December 10, 2012

Due Dates of books over summer

Over summer, normal borrowing rules apply to items issued by the Unitec libraries.  
Please note that 
  • Books are issued for one month and are subject to recall. 
  • Please renew or return your books on time. 
  • We recommend you return your books before you go overseas or on a long holiday. 
  • If you have books out, please check your emails regularly. 
  • You can post books back to us. 
Check the library website for more information on borrowing
For contact details including postal address, see our Contact Us page

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Library and SCC hours over summer break



From 24 November some Unitec library services will be open for shorter hours. 
For a quick summary...

Mt Albert Campus
  • Main Library:  Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 5.00pm   Weekends: Closed
  • Building 1 Library:   Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 4.30pm   Weekends: Closed
  • Student Computer Centre:
    • 24 Nov - 20 Dec  Mon-Fri  8:30 - 4:30 pm   Weekends: Closed
    • 21 Dec - 3 Feb  Closed 
    • 4 Feb - 24 Feb  Mon-Fri  8:30 - 4:30 pm   Weekends: Closed
 Waitakere 
  • Waitakere Library: No change
  • Te Puna OraClosed until 4 February 2013
Northern Campus Library and Learning Centre: Closed until 11 February


Remember to check the Library Hours page 
for full details and special dates 


Monday, November 19, 2012

Library Survey results

Thank you again, to all 1884 of you who completed the Library Survey!
The results were really pleasing to us – overall you rated us highly. In fact, we sit in the top 25% of the 40 institutions, primarily Australian and New Zealand universities, which have done this survey over the past two years.

A brief reminder:
The Survey ran in September – it’s the one where we gave away two iPads.
We asked you to rate 32 statements twice – once to measure their importance, and once to measure your impression of the Library’s performance.

The results:
Of the 32 statements, you rated 24 with importance ‘averages’ of 6.00 or higher” (each statement is rated on a seven-point scale, from 1, low, to 7, high with 4 being “neither agree nor disagree”).  And five statements featured in both the top 10 importance list and the top 10 performance list, meaning we’re doing really well in some of the things important to you.

What you liked:
•    Our staff (all questions relating to staff rated over 6).
•    Printing, scanning and photocopying
•    The website, access to Library resources and services off campus
•    Books and article delivery service

What we need to improve on:
There were only two statements identifying gaps which are considered ‘meaningful, requiring investigation’. These are “A computer is available when I need one” and “I can find a quiet place in the library to study when I need to”. We acknowledge that these are very important and we’ll continue to work on these and other issues. Significantly, each of these (and other, smaller) gaps has decreased, meaning you’ve acknowledged the work we’ve done to address and alleviate issues since the 2010 survey. Thanks!

What next?
Over the summer months, library staff will be analyzing the data, especially all the 2500+ comments you made, with a view to seeing how and where we can improve our systems and services. If you want to read more, we’ll be making a fuller analysis available soon. We’ll give you the link when we can.

To see the full survey report, click here.

Peter Hughes , Library Director
Rosanne van Leeuwen, Associate Director, on behalf of the Library Team
November 2012

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Recycling at Main Library

The Main Library at B110 now has a three bin system. Everywhere you see a rubbish bin in the library there should also be two other bins - one for paper and the other for plastic, glass and cans. 

Please help us help the planet by selecting the correct bin for your rubbish. 

We are offering a $20 PAKnSAVE gift voucher to the first 3 people who post a photo of themselves on the Unitec Library Facebook page using the Main Library (B110) glass/plastic/cans recycling bins (with blue sticker on them) correctly - you will need to have 'liked' the Library Facebook page as well. To do this go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/UnitecLibrary/224005597629398


Glass, Cans & Plastic -
What can be recycled?

What can't be recycled?
  • Glass bottles and jars,
  • Aluminium and tin/steel cans,
  • Plastic bottles and containers with 1 - 7 symbols (please wash and squash plastic containers first)
  • No food
  • No tetra-pak cartons (e.g. juice boxes etc.)
  • No takeaway coffee cups
  • No plastic supermarket bags or plastic  wrap  

For details on what can be recycled at Unitec see: www.recycle.unitec.ac.nz

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Extended hours at Main Library (Mt Albert)

Mt Albert Main Library will be open extended hours over the study and exam week period, from Saturday 3rd November until Thursday 22 November as follows:
  • Monday - Thursday open 8am - 10pm
  • Friday open 8am - 7pm
  • Saturday and Sunday open 9am - 7pm

The other libraries’ hours and the Student Computer Centre hours are not being extended. Their hours will remain the same as during semester time. See http://library.unitec.ac.nz/aboutlibrary/hours.htm for our full hours.

Graphic novels galore!

Come to the main library in B110 at Mt Albert campus and see our fantastic graphic novels aka 'grown-up comics'. You will either find them on display downstairs (see photo below) or upstairs to the right in the Recreational Reading area near the group study area. Search our catalogue for your favourite characters or  see this link for all our 'graphic novels' .

Copy Centre Opening Hours

The Copy Centre at Mt Albert Campus B117 (behind The Hub) has extended hours for rest of semester. See below for details.

Where

Mt Albert campus (B117 and B1*) and Waitakere (B510)

Normal hours




Extended
hours
(B117 only)

Monday to Thursday: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Friday: 8.30am - 4.00pm
* Building 1 is open 9.00am - 3.30pm weekdays


Thurs 25 Oct - open until 7.00pm
Friday 26 Oct - open until 7.00pm
Weekends 27/28 Oct, 3/4 Nov, 17/18 Nov, 24/25 Nov: 10.00am - 2.00pm
but not open weekend of 10/11 Nov

Contact

Copy Centre
Phone +64 9 815 4315
For more info on services and special offers , see the Copy Centre's facebook page
 

 

Student printing issues - update

We will post updates about student printing issues to this blog as we get them.


Wednesday 24 October 2012, 12.30pm

Unitec IMS has been working hard to resolve the issues and Konica have informed us that the problem causing the printing issues has been resolved. We will keep you informed if problems reoccur.


Wednesday 24 October 2012, 11.58am

Unfortunately the student printing systems based in the Library and Student Computer Centre are experiencing performance issues which are preventing student printing on and off throughout the day.  This is caused by a network problem that was triggered last week by a power outage. Restarting the servers solves the problem temporarily, but then the problem can reoccur a few minutes later. Unitec IMS are investigating but we have no timeline yet as to when it will be resolved.  The Copy Centre which uses a different server and seems to be free of the issues we are experiencing,  therefore we are recommending that students use the Copy Centre. See Copy Centre Opening Hours.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Focus on Open Access


Next week (22-28 October) is International Open Access Week.


What is Open Access?

According to Peter Suber (Director of the Harvard Open Access Project)
“Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. What makes it possible is the internet and the consent of the author or copyright-holder. “
For a fuller explanation see Peter’s introduction to Open Access.

Why is Open Access important?

Traditional journal subscription models are restricting access to research. Students, teachers and researchers need better access to research and Open Access is a viable solution.  See this great handout with quotes from people about why they support Open Access and how it can help in many spheres of life. For more information see Peter Suber’s full overview.

What can I do?

Keep informed, lobby for your right to access research and get involved! Here are some ways for students to get involved:
  • Join the Right to Research Coalition
    This Coalition was founded by students in 2009 “to promote an open scholarly publishing system based on the belief that no student should be denied access to the articles they need because their institution cannot afford the often high cost of access.  Since its launch, the Coalition has grown to represent nearly 7 million students internationally...”
    See http://www.righttoresearch.org/about/index.shtml
  •  Join the “make textbooks affordable” campaign
    "We're fighting to rein in costs by promoting cost-saving solutions on campus, while also tackling publishers' stranglehold on the market to change prices for good.  We're educating students, faculty and bookstores, and raising awareness through research and the media.   We're also calling on publishers, colleges and foundations to support the creation of more open-source textbooks that could save students millions each year.”
    See http://studentpirgs.org/campaigns/sp/make-textbooks-affordable
Sign up at http://www.openaccessweek.org for access to all the support and resources you need, and to connect with the worldwide OA Week community.

For examples of how others are advancing Open Access and taking action during The Week, click here if you’re a: RESEARCH FUNDER | RESEARCHER/FACULTY MEMBER | ADMINISTRATOR | PUBLISHER | STUDENT | LIBRARIAN

Plus check out the Open Access Week website for handouts, posters and more ways to get involved.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Library Survey iPad winners announced

A big thank you to all students and staff who recently completed the Unitec Library survey. There were over 2,000 responses.  Library staff will be analysing your feedback with some preliminary results going up on the website before the end of the academic year.

We are delighted to announce the winners of the two iPads - Susan, a Nursing student based at Waitakere and Dhruv, a Business student based at Mt Albert. Both were excited to get a phone call from Rosanne van Leeuwen this week and are pictured here receiving their iPads.


Again, thank you all for participating in our survey - your feedback will be very valuable.  And congratulations to our two winners.

Monday, October 08, 2012

Focus on Unitec Research

Calling all Researchers - Get cited - add your work to Unitec research bank - click here for more details...


Symposium speaker's research revealed

Kelston Boys High School Principal, Brian Evans was a keynote speaker at Unitec's Teaching & Learning Symposium on Monday 1 October. See his Master of Education thesis on Research Bank (scroll down for link to full-text)

Open access? Network enabled research ?

Find out what it's all about. Check out the videos and more from the Open Repositories Conference recently held in Edinburgh.

Recent items added to Research Bank:

  • Fernando, Achela; Shamseldin, Asaad; Abrahart, Robert (HIC 2012 - 10th International Conference on Hydroinformatics: "Understanding Changing Climate and Environment and Finding Solutions", 2012)
    River flow forecasting models provide an essential tool to manage water resources, address problems associated with both excesses and deficits, and to find suitable solutions. With changing climate and environmental ...
For more Unitec research go to the Research Bank >>

Friday, September 28, 2012

Test your knowledge of Unitec’s research systems

Unitec has a variety of systems and services that we use to manage and communicate Unitec’s Research outputs. Some have restricted access via a login e.g. ROMS, but most are available publicly online e.g. Unitec Research Bank. It’s not always easy to tell them apart. So to help you understand the purpose of each system or service we’ve designed the short quiz below. If you get stuck, see the links at the end of the quiz for some help.

Quiz
What system does Unitec use to manage its research outputs?
  1. ROMS (Research Outputs Management System)
  2. Advance
  3. ePress
Where can the public find out about Unitec research online?
  1. Unitec website
  2. Advance magazine online
  3. Unitec Research Bank
  4. Unitec ePress
  5. Annual Report of Unitec Research Outputs
  6. nzresearch.org.nz
  7. All of the above
What is the name of our Institutional Research Repository (IRR)?
  1. Unitec Research Outputs
  2. Unitec Research Bank
  3. Research Commons
Check out the answers below.

Links

See these links to help you decide the right answers:
Research repositories at other institutions:

Definitions

Here are a few definitions to clarify the differences and integrations between the systems we use.

nzresearch.org.nz – This is an online harvester powered by DigitalNZ that gathers records from all the research repositories in New Zealand including the Unitec Research Bank. Records on nzresearch include the brief details of the item, together with a link to the item on its native repository. nzresearch is administered by the National Library of NZ.

ROMS – the Research Outputs Management System – is the research management system used to record Unitec’s research outputs. It is an internal system used only within Unitec. Unitec Research Office staff administer ROMs.

Research Bank - Unitec’s Research Bank is an open repository used to expose Unitec’s research to the world. Data from ROMS is used to identify suitable items for addition to the Research Bank. Unitec Library staff administer the Unitec Research Bank.

More about Research Bank


More about ROMS:


Answers to Quiz


Q: What system does Unitec use to manage its research outputs?
A: ROMs (1)

Q: Where can the public find out about Unitec research online?
A: All of the above (7)

Q: What is the name of our Institutional Research Repository (IRR)?
A: Unitec Research Bank (2) 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Library Update


Supporting Highly Productive Talent


This year the library trained another 6 rovers to provide Library, IT, and study support to fellow students. Past rovers reported that the skills they learned providing this peer support helped them obtain employment, as roving in the library not only introduced them to technical and critical thinking skills, but also gave them the confidence to interact with others.


Rovers promoting Library services in the Hub during Orientation Week

 

 

Information skills


Dulcie Brake (Academic Literacies) and Dan Wagner (Performing Arts) with Yvonne Sang (Library) at a CoP meeting in April this year.

Library staff created an information literacy toolkit for academic staff to help embed information skills – finding, evaluating and using relevant information - into the curriculum. The Information Literacy Community of Practice meetings this year focused on using new media in the class room: using and embedding e-books into course content and the benefits of using ipads in teaching practice. Penny Dugmore, our eLearning librarian, also presented on eBooks at Unitec’s eLearning mini symposium earlier this year.

Supporting Maori & Pacific Student Success


Donna Salmon, Maori & Pacific liaison librarian,  with students
Librarians visit Maia every fortnight as a way to offer support and assistance to students in their space. We run tailored information skills for Maori courses and provide one on one research support for staff and students

The Library hosted the Samoan History Day organised by the Pacific Centre on the 30th of May with both staff and students attending. We work with course leaders to run tailored library orientation sessions for Pasifika students and made special provision for the “Pacific Return to Nursing (PRTN)” course run during the weekend.

Our Maori and Pacific liaison librarian is a member of the Pacific Information Management Network that helps connect Unitec with other Pacific information professionals in Auckland.


Unshackling the property anchor


Online subject guides use depicted as an infographic

Get Adobe Flash player


Online inquiries via our chat service, library guides and Research Bank are all online library services that have grown substantially in usage over the last year.

Inquiries received via our online chat service increased from 493 for semester 1 in 2011 to 827 in semester 1 2012 (up 66%). A chat box - giving users instant access to a librarian - is available on every library page and has also been embedded into Moodle courses. Contact your Subject Librarian to have the box added to your Moodle course.

Subject guides were accessed 29% more than the same period last year – a total of 129,048 times. Our APA Referencing guide is the most popular (59,362 hits), followed by Nursing (8262 hits) Animal Studies (5391 hits), Business (5001 hits) and Education (3996 hits). Subject guides informs students of the best resources available on their subject and is regularly updated by subject librarians. These can also be embedded into Moodle courses.

The Research Bank is Unitec’s research repository, making research produced by Unitec staff and students accessible to the world. There were a total of 15,024 visitors to the Unitec Research Bank for the first half of 2012, compared with 11,460 for the same period in 2011, a 31% increase. This represents 39,308 pageviews compared to 27,834 for the same period in 2011.

Reconceptualising our Services

 

Students using the new Wireless Zone
We merged our 2 service points in the main library for an enhanced user experience, added more computers to address student demand and created a new Wireless Zone in the Student Computer Centre (located in The Hub).

A 46 inch screen was installed in study room 1 to facilitate group work, collaboration and innovation.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Check out the new ebooks

The Unitec Library ebook collection is constantly growing. Each month new titles are added, according to the demand from students.

Click here to see the new titles that have been purchased in August.

For more information on using ebooks, see our Online Library ebooks page


Thursday, August 30, 2012

How many times have you been counted?

We all know that our libraries are busy places, especially at exam times.
Just to prove it, here is a graph that shows how many people have walked through the front doors of the Waitakere, Building 1 and Mt Albert Main libraries.

How many times have you been counted?



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Academic Search Complete database

Academic Search Complete is a full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text journals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.  It covers a wide range of subjects.

In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.

The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,400 journals.

Academic Search Complete is made available through EBSCO.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Database maintenance Sunday 26 August

On Sunday 26 August there will be scheduled maintenance on the Scopus and Science Direct databases.

Scopus and Science Direct will be unavailable from midnight on Saturday 25 August until 6:30 pm on Sunday 26 August.


Friday, July 27, 2012

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

SPORTDiscus - a sports and sports medicine database

SPORTDiscus with Full Text is a definitive research tool for all areas of sports & sports medicine literature.

Providing full text for more than 550 journals indexed in SPORTDiscus—many with no embargo—this authoritative file provides comprehensive coverage on a wide variety of pertinent topics, including: sports medicine and science; physical fitness, exercise and education; kinesiology; coaching, training and sport administration; officiating, sport law & legislation; doping, health and health eduction.

SPORTDiscus with Full Text is made available through EBSCO

Monday, July 16, 2012

Start off strong this semester

Learn essential library, information, technical and study skills to help you succeed at Unitec:

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Library Hours during Inter-Semester Break

From 30 June to 22 July the Library is open during the following hours:

Main Library
Monday-Thursday 8.00-6.00
Friday 8.00-5.00
Saturday 9.00-4.30
Sunday Closed
Student Computer Centre
Monday-Friday 8.00-4.30
Saturday 9.00-4.30
Sunday Closed
Building One
Monday-Friday 8.30-4.30
Weekends Closed
Northern Campus
Monday-Friday 9.00-4.00
Weekends Closed
Waitakere (unchanged)
Monday-Thursday 8.00-8.00
Friday 8.00-5.00
Weekends 10.00-4.00

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Library website survey results

The results of the recent Library website survey are now available. See the results summary and analysis. Please contact us if you would like more detailed information about the data we collected.

Taken on balance the survey results indicate that the areas we most need to improve are technical functionality and design and to a lesser extent navigation. We hope to make some improvements to these areas over the mid year break.

Please do not hesitate to provide us with further feedback to help us stay in tune with your needs. To feedback add a comment to this blog post or use our feedback form linked here and from footer of our website.

Thank you for your participation.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Library system outages on July 9th, 10th and 11th

In order to upgrade our Voyager Library system we have planned outages for the following days:
  • 9 July - from 6pm onwards
  • 10 July – all day
  • 11 July – possibly all day
During these outages you will not be able to:
  • Access your library account online, including logging in to renew & request items
  • Search databases using LibrarySearch or Multi-Search.
Also the real-time availability information normally found under the LibrarySearch locations link will not be available.

However you will still be able to:
 We apologise for any inconvenience these outages may cause.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Mt Albert Main Library extended hours

Mt Albert Main Library will be open extended hours over the study and exam week period, from Saturday 9th June until Thursday 28th June as follows:
  • Monday - Thursday open 8am - 10pm
  • Friday open 8am - 7pm
  • Saturday and Sunday open 9am - 7pm

The other libraries’ hours and the Student Computer Centre hours are not being extended. Their hours will remain the same as during semester time. See http://library.unitec.ac.nz/aboutlibrary/hours.htm for our full hours.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Māori Music Presentation

As part of Unitec's contribution to New Zealand Music Month there will be a presentation on Māori music at the Waitakere campus. This will take place at 11.00am, Monday 28 May, at Level 2, Waitakere Central Library.

Mereana Taungapeau from the Alexander Turnbull Library will present images from the Alexander Turnbull Archives, including photos of Māori performers from the last 75+ years.


Waitakere Level 1 Closed 30 May - 1 June

Auckland Council Libraries are closing Level 1 of Waitakere Central Library on
Wednesday 30 May, Thursday 31 May and Friday 1 June, to refurbish the area.
 
There will be no access to Level 1 of the Library for public or Unitec staff and students, unless the work is completed ahead of schedule.

Unitec staff and students can access Level 3 Unitec designated space and Level 2 Non-Fiction Collection, via the airbridge from Building 510.  

Access via the airbridge is ONLY for Unitec patrons during the refurbishment.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

American Film Scripts Online

American Film Scripts Online contains 1,009 scripts by 1,062 writers together with detailed, fielded information on the scenes, characters and people related to the scripts. Most of the scripts are accompanied by PDF versions of the original script. In addition, the database includes facsimilie images for more than 500 of these screenplays. Most of the scripts have never been published before, and nowhere else are they available online.

American Film Scripts Online uses PhiloLogic software, developed at the University of Chicago, to enable in-depth browsing and searching of both the bibliographic and the full-text elements within the database. 

Monday, April 23, 2012

Check out our D.I.Y. books & dvds

USU is celebrating all things D.I.Y in its latest issue of 'Script' so we have a display of D.I.Y. related books and dvds at the Main Library (B110 Mt Albert Campus) running all week. A list of all the books and dvds on display plus some great eBooks can be found by using the 'DIY' tag under LibrarySearch. Just click on the link to 'Tags' in the top right menu of LibrarySearch and then click on 'diy' to see the list. If you know of some more great D.I.Y. resources or web links feel free to post them in the comments below.

Also in the spirit of D.I.Y we would also like to encourage you to use our self-issue machine (located) next to the display by the stairs to borrow books.  Do it yourself and feel empowered!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

System outage - Friday 20 April

In order to undertake important server maintenance we have scheduled an outage of the Library's SFX and MetaLib systems on Friday 20 April from 12 noon until 4pm approximately.
During this time the following will not be available:
  • Linking to full text of articles from LibrarySearch and Google scholar.
  • Searching across multiple databases using LibrarySearch or Multi-Search (MetaLib).
  • eJournal finder.

During this time the following will still be available:
  • You will still be able to search the databases individually via the subject guides.
  • The library website will still be up
  • Searching the Library catalogue, course reserve and exam papers repository, and access to 'My Account' to renew and request items online will still be available.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Note added on 20/4/12 at 3pm : The server maintenance was completed early and all library systems are going again now :)

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

System outages - 12 April

On Thursday 12 April 2012 from 9am to approximately 12 noon several library systems will be unavailable for approximately one hour each while scheduled server maintenance takes place on three library servers.

During this period you may be unable to use Voyager, LibrarySearch or combined database searching. However you will still be able to search the databases individually via the subject guides

During this period the library website will be up but the library search features and access to 'my account' may be down.

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Feeling lost? Ask us for help!


Sometimes its hard to understand how everything works at Unitec. The good news is that our staff are very experienced at helping students, so when you are at the Library or in one of our Learning Commons or Student Computer Centre labs we encourage you to ask staff for help.

Also at the Main Library (Mt Albert) we have student rovers (see below) working 10am - 3pm who are very keen to assist you with copying, printing, formatting - all sorts! So please do not be shy  - we want to help you :)

More about Student Rovers @  Mt Albert Main Library
Our student rovers this semester are: Chamandeep, Miracle, Nelson, Herman, Vinita and  Bharat. You will see these students wandering around the library wearing lanyards and t-shirts announcing "Ask Me"!  They are here to help you with any questions you might have.  Don't be afraid to ask them.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Assignments and exams - check out these helpful links

With assignments due soon and exams pending we are backing you to succeed! So don't be afraid to ask for our support. See the links below for study help, tips and contacts.

Tips for success:

Who you can ask for study help:

Monday, March 19, 2012

Viewing Library sites on your mobile device

We have been working hard to improve the way our existing website and LibrarySearch display on your mobile device. We have also developed a new library site just for mobile phones.

Check it out and send us your feedback.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Database maintenance 18 March

On Sunday 18 March there will be scheduled maintenance on the Proquest Science, Scopus and Science Direct databases.

Proquest Science will be unavailable from 3.00pm on Sunday 18 March until 3.00am on Monday 19 March.

There may be temporary service disruptions to Scopus and Science Direct between 1.30am and 2.30pm on Sunday 18 March.

Friday, February 03, 2012

Start off strong in 2012

Learn essential library, information, technical and study skills to help you succeed at Unitec: