Being the coolest of them ALL — Library 1.01
Today’s post has been written by one of our new-ish recruits, Elli Gerakopoulou. Elli joined us in February 2018 and has been making a nuisance of herself by asking us lots of hard questions about what we offer. Here’s Elli’s guide to getting the best out of some of the Library services you might not know about…
Do you want to make all the staff on the help desk goggle their eyes with awe when you ask a question? What about making your friends compliment you on your library skills?
Step 1: Learn the lib-lingo!
Resources: We use this word to talk about everything we have. It includes all of the physical and digital material provided by the library such as books, ebooks, articles, papers, journals, maps and DVDs.
Inter-library loan (ILL): This is the service which enables you to borrow a book, chapter, or article we do not have in our collection from another library. We can’t always guarantee we’ll be able to get it for you but we’ll try our best. Click here to learn more and request an Inter Library Loan.
Step 2: Find out what the library is offering!
Laptops: Both All Saints and Crewe Libraries offer weekly and short loan laptops.
24 Hour laptops: At All Saints, remember you do not get a charger. You can find them on the ground floor next to the North Wing entrance. Next to each laptop there is a small light. Its colour shows if the laptop is charged (blue), charging (red) or taken (no light). It is worth remembering you will need to scan your card twice; under the screen and in the column where your laptop is (you will see a flashing light).
At Crewe, laptops for quick use must be borrowed and returned during help desk opening hours.
Weekly laptops: They go relatively quickly. You can come in the reception or help desk during staff hours at All Saints or Crewe and ask for one. You cannot reserve a laptop but you can come early in the morning. This gives you more chance to get a weekly one.
Desktop PCs: There are a number of desktop computers you can use in the library. When you enter All Saints Library, there is a monitor showing you the availability on each floor.
On the library website, there is a guide explaining where each computer is located and another that shows you the software applications installed on the desktop PCs.
InfoSkills: The library runs lots of different InfoSkills workshops. InfoSkills will help you solve the different library-related questions you might have, improve your research skills and advance your employability skills. You can book them via this calendar.
You can also book 1–2–1 meetings with your subject librarian if you are struggling to find the right resources. Send us an email or a message on chat.
Remember to include 3 things:
i) the subject you are studying
ii) your name
iii) your student number
Step 3: Know how to contact us
In person: you are always very welcome to pop in during staff hours (All Saints, Crewe) if you have any questions or issues. At All Saints, opposite the Library help desk is the IT help desk in case you are having issues printing, logging in, connecting to wifi or anything similar.
Email: You can email us at library@mmu.ac.uk .
Remember to include your
i) name
ii) student number
iii) and as much detail as you can so we can help you as quickly as possible. For example, if you are having trouble opening an online resource include the URL on the email.
Chat: If you do not want to send an email, you can use our Chat service. Check the availability here. If you are using Chat to tell us about noise or temperature problems in the Library, please remember to tell us where you are!
Phone: You can give us a ring during staff hours (All Saints, Crewe) on 0161 247 6106 (it’s the same number for both libraries!)
