Mile End Library now open 24/7!

From today, Monday 15th March 2010, the Mile End Library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This means you can study and use Library resources round the clock as exams and end-of year deadlines approach.

The Library will be closed over the Easter weekend, from midnight on Thursday 1st April, until 8.30am on Tuesday 6th April 2010.

24/7 opening finishes at midnight on Friday 4th June 2010.

Literature search skills sessions at the Medical Libraries

Would you like some help with searching the medical literature online?

Whitechapel Library are holding drop-in sessions for anyone who wishes to improve their information skills.

EVERY WEDNESDAY, 2 pm to 4 pm at Whitechapel Medical Library

There will also be sessions at West Smithfield Medical Library on Thursday 25th of March and Thursday 22nd of April, from 2 pm until 4 pm.

These sessions will be open to all Queen Mary staff as well as NHS staff and all students in the healthcare professions.

The content will be dictated by your needs but could include:

• guidance on searching MedLine using PubMed
• tackling critical appraisal
• negotiating NHS evidence
• simplifying referencing using EndNote Web

We are looking forward to seeing you at one of these drop-in sessions soon!

Need help in the Mile End Library? Look out for the Roving Information Service!

Mile End Library is currently trialling a Roving Information Service. Experienced Help Point staff are roving all three floors of the library between 12 and 2pm, Monday to Friday, offering help and advice to all library users at the point of need.

Roving staff can be identified by their red library ID card and lanyard, and carry a clipboard with the Roving Information Service logo.

The roving staff can help with all kinds of problems, including

• IT and printing support and troubleshooting
• helping readers to use the Library catalogue and find books on the shelves
• assisting with self service
• advising on library facilities and lending policies

The Roving Information Service is currently being trialled until Easter.

New functionality in the sfx e-journals database

The Library is currently trialling the bX software. bX extends the functionality within the SFX e-journals database, adding an "Amazon-like" recommendation service. bX will recommend alternative journal articles to the currently viewed reference, based upon what other users have looked at whilst viewing the same article.

You can see an example of bX in action here

The bX recommendations will help researchers find relevant articles in their specified area, as well as providing links to similar articles which the Library can provide access to if we do not subscribe to the full-text of the particular journal article you are looking for.

All feedback is welcome. Please use the "Problems? Comments? bx feedback?" link on the SFX e-journals results page.

24/7 opening at Mile End Library coming soon!

24 hours a day, seven days a week access to the Mile End Library in the build-up to the exam period begins on the 15th March 2010.

24/7 opening begins at 8.30 am on Monday 15 March 2010 and ends at midnight on Friday 4 June 2010. However, please note that the Library will be shut for the Easter weekend from midnight on Thursday 1 April 2010, until 8.30am on Tuesday 6 April 2010.

Extra silent-study spaces in the Mile End Library

In response to user comments about the loss of silent study spaces on the second floor of the Mile End Library, Library Services are replacing the current study carrels and the map cabinets on the west side of the second floor of the Library (overlooking Library Square) with brand new units. These will have:

• four study bays instead of the three in the current carrels
• power sockets on the desks for laptops, etc.
• new, more comfortable chairs

This means that this study area will be unavailable while the current study carrels and the map cabinets are removed between Friday 19th and Sunday 21st February 2010, and the new furniture is installed on Monday 22nd February 2010. There will also be some noise and disruption on the second floor while the removal and installation take place, but we hope to keep this to a minimum.

At the end of this project there will be an additional 50 silent study spaces available on the west side of the second floor, and the map cabinets will have been moved to their new home near the video collection, also on the second floor.

Electronic resource free trial: Bibliography of British and Irish History

Queen Mary Library Services have a free 30 day trial to the Bibliography of British and Irish History. This provides bibliographic data on historical writing dealing with the British Isles, and within the British Empire and Commonwealth, from 55BC to the present.

It is the successor to the Royal Historical Society Bibliography of British and Irish History, which was freely available online from 2002 to 2009. It is now published by Brepols.

To use the trial go to: www.brepolis.net, choose Enter databases and then choose BBIH, which is the only available option.