By Caroline Ball – Subject Librarian (Law and Social Sciences)
The transition from school, college or the workplace to university can be an intimidating one – it’s a new environment, lots of new people, strange faces, new academic expectations – and it’s no surprise many students find themselves feeling a little lost when it comes to their first assignment. Or their second assignment. Or perhaps all the assignments!
Where do I start? How do I plan an essay? How do I reference properly? What is plagiarism and how can I avoid it? How do I research this topic? What material should I use? How can I tell a good source of information from a bad one?
You’re not alone asking these questions, far from it – but mostly importantly, there is help available!
The University has libraries at several sites – at Kedleston Road, Britannia Mill, Buxton, Leek and Chesterfield – and they offer so much more than just shelves and shelves of books (though we have those too, of course!). But one of the most important things your university library provides is help and support through your time here at the University.
Did you know each college has a dedicated academic librarian, who offers support to all students studying programmes in that area? They can help with finding books in the library, doing research using the extensive electronic resources available through the library website (like e-books, journals, databases), and referencing for your assignments.
If you don’t know who your academic librarian is (I’ll give you a hint – it’s me!), ask one of your lecturers, pop into the library, or take a look at the online Library Guide for your subject area at http://libguides.derby.ac.uk/index.php These guides will give you information about how to use the library, links for the best resources for your programme and contact information for your academic librarian. You can also make a one-to-one appointment to talk to us in person, over the telephone or Skype, or using a Course Resources chat room. If you are on a Joint Honours programme, you may have more than one librarian at your disposal, depending on which subjects you have chosen!
We also have a Study Skills Service, who can help with all aspects of study – citing and referencing to essay writing and document formatting, Excel spreadsheets and time management skills, exam tips, revision skills, and more. The Service offers a Study Advisor Scheme where you can book appointments to get support from fellow students studying at higher levels – or you might even want to consider applying to be a Study Advisor yourself!
If you have a quick question when you’re in the library, head to the Subject Information Point at Kedleston Road Library. This desk is staffed from 8.30am to 7pm, so you can always find someone to give you on-the-spot help.
The Library also runs a programme of skills workshops, drop-ins and online webinars across all sites, called Enhance Your Learning or EYL, for short. EYL offers help and guidance on all kinds of skills that will help you achieve success both at university and beyond – digital skills, employability skills, literacy and numeracy skills, personal development, research and study skills. To see what’s on offer, visit the EYL website at http://libguides.derby.ac.uk/eyl/home and maybe sign up for a workshop or two!
So you see, there’s a lot more to your library than just books. (And computers. And a huge variety of online resources. And study rooms and learning spaces. And comfy bean bags.) So if you haven’t already, why not drop by and say hello!
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/vectors/books-library-education-literature-42932/