Scan and Deliver: re-launch of the CSL scanning service

The service, offered by the Central Science Library (CSL), is provided to allow current staff and students at the University to be able to get scanned copies of material from printed works that is not currently available electronically. 

This service will now be known as Scan and Deliver. The other major change is that users will now be charged for the service.

Please visit the CSL's website to see how you can order and pay for items to be scanned: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/CSL/serv.html#scanning

Can't find that journal article anywhere in Cambridge? We can help!

Photo courtesy of libraries@cambridge

Try the Balfour Library’s extensive collection of over 100,000 scientific reprints dating from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. There is an author card index for them in the library – just ask a member of library staff for assistance.

Alternatively, we offer a quick and easy document delivery service for a subsidised fee – ask a member of library staff for more information or see our Inter-Library Loans website at http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/library/interlibraryloans.html 

We always welcome the challenge of searching for obscure papers, just ask us! library@zoo.cam.ac.uk

Christmas Vacation borrowing and other useful information, to help you get through the festive period

A special Christmas package of information, just for you!

Michaelmas Term 2012 ends on Friday 30th November. All books on loan from the Balfour Library must be returned by this date, or can be renewed for further periods unless they have been requested by another borrower.

Saturday morning opening has now finished until next term. 

Vacation borrowing for undergraduates 

This is permitted for the whole of the Christmas vacation. 

You can take a maximum of two books away from Cambridge which must be returned by midnight on the first day of the Lent Term 2013 (15th January). This applies to Overnight Loan books and Open Shelf books.

You can borrow books for the vacation period from 09:00 on Thursday 29th November. This is on a strictly first come, first served basis. You may not reserve books before borrowing them.

Please see the library website at: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/library/booksborrow.html for more information on how to borrow, return and renew books on loan from the Balfour Library.

You may be interested to know that the University Library and the Central Science Library (on this site) also offer vacation borrowing for undergraduates, please see their websites at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newspublishing/detail.php?news=380 and http://centralsciencelibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/vacation-borrowing.html respectively.

How to access online resources when you are away from Cambridge

The recommended route for accessing e-journals provided by the University remotely is as follows:

• Go to the ejournals@cambridge website at: http://camsfx.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/cambridge/az
• Enter the title of the journal you need (if it does not appear then there is no online subscription to it)
• Click on the 'find journals by title' button
• Click on the link for the journal title as appropriate for the particular year of publication of the article that you need
• The Raven login box should appear
• Enter your Raven userid and password and click on the 'Submit' button
• You should then be taken to the host page for that journal and you can find the article(s) you need from there
• (You only need to enter the Raven login once per session so you won't have to keep logging in and out each time you need a different journal)

Away from Cambridge, you will not be able to get the full text of e-journal articles through searching PubMed or Google / GoogleScholar, or directly from the journal's homepage for example, as you will not be recognised as being a valid member of the University of Cambridge and will not be allowed to download them. The recommended route as above should guarantee you the access to the content you are entitled to.

It is strongly recommended that you check the ejournals@cambridge website as above to see whether you will actually be able to access particular online journals remotely BEFORE you leave Cambridge. 

See also the eresources@cambridge website at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources/ for access to particular citation databases, such as Scopus and Web of Knowledge. See the 'Access Route' link next to the journal or database title to check this.
Troubleshooting e-journals access

Finally, if you are having trouble accessing e-journals and e-resources remotely using your Raven password please see the guidance provided on the Central Science Library's 'Raven FAQs' website at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/CSL/ravenqanda.htm

E-books

Don’t fancy taking all those heavy books home over the vacation? Then you might be interested in using e-books from home instead. 

Not everything is available as an e-book however so you will need to check that the e-books you need are actually available BEFORE you leave Cambridge.

The simplest way to find and access e-books is through the online library catalogue LibrarySearch at http://search.lib.cam.ac.uk/. If you perform a catalogue search for a book and there is an electronic book version of it available, you will retrieve a record for it which will contain a direct link to that e-book. To access e-books off-campus you will need your Raven password.

There is also an up-to-date list of all e-books available that you can browse by subject here http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/libraries/ebooks_coll.html.

There are even more collections of free e-books available to you that won’t be found through LibrarySearch however. Please see the ebooks@cambridge website for further information on all the e-books available in the university, how to use them, and how to download them onto your e-reader or other mobile device, at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/ebooks/.

Library Christmas and New Year closing dates 

The Balfour Library will be closed from 17:00 on Monday 24th December and will re-open at 08:30 on Wednesday 2nd January 2013.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Clair & Jane

LibrarySearch+

The University Library is currently piloting a new search service called LibrarySearch+.  It offers a single search box for finding full text and citations from the whole of the University's online (and print) resources content. You can even search for the title of individual journal articles, and much of the content is provided by databases such as the Web of Knowledge.

The pilot lasts until the end of December, please send any comments via the ‘Feedback’ link in the top right hand corner of your search results page.

[The following text has been adapted from a post on the University Library's eResources etc. blog here: https://eresources.blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?m=201207].

What is LibrarySearch+?

It’s a single search box for finding the full text and citations for the majority of the University’s extensive online subscriptions. This includes:

• Online articles from scholarly journals, covering the vast majority of the University’s subscriptions (JSTOR, Science Direct, OUP, CUP etc.
• Newspaper content.
• Major academic databases (incl. Web of Knowledge).

 It also contains data currently in LibrarySearch: 

• Over six million catalogue records from Newton.
• Digital collections in the DSpace repository.
• Using the interface, users can easily email and export references to a wide variety of citation management tools. Advanced search options are available, including the ability to search across a single journal title.

 How is it different?

Traditionally, libraries have put different kinds of scholarly material into different interfaces. This meant that you had to look in one place for books and printed journals, another for e-journals, and yet others for full-text journal articles and news reports.

Now you can search all these formats together and get a big picture overview of work in your field. LibrarySearch+ will even search inside the full text of books for your keywords.

How can I manage my search results?

You do get a lot of search results but the idea is that you then refine them in various ways, for example by content (e.g. book, e-book, journal article, thesis), or only review results from peer-reviewed journals or with full text online, or by publication date.

You can use the ‘save to list’ feature which allows you to export or email your saved items to EndNote or RefWorks  or BibTex and in your preferred citation format.

You can access LibrarySearch+ in three ways:

• From the current LibrarySearch interface http://search.lib.cam.ac.uk/
• From the library catalogues interface http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/
• Directly from this URL http://searchplus.lib.cam.ac.uk.

Go to the libraries@cambridge Service Developments blog post to download a user guide https://libcamdev.blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=859.

Returning or renewing books at the end of the summer vacation

All books currently on loan to you from this library will be due for return on Tuesday 2nd October, which is the first day of term. You will receive an automatic reminder email about this beforehand.

Please note that this summer we implemented a new library security system and self-issue machine, that allows you to return books yourself.

However, if the books were on loan to you and therefore not in the library when all the books were tagged for the new system (in August), then you will not be able to return the books on the machine and library staff will have to do it manually (and place new tags in the books).

Therefore, you will only be able to return the books during library opening hours (8.30am-5.00pm Monday to Thursday, 8.30am-4.30pm Fridays).

If you wish to renew the book(s) then you can do this yourselves via Your Account on the library catalogue (see the link in the top right-hand corner of this page: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/). Alternatively, library staff can do this for you over the phone or send us an email to request it).

Many thanks for your cooperation.

New security system and self-issue machine in the library

Over the summer vacation the library implemented a new security system. It is an RFID (Radio Frequency ID) one from 3M. It is (almost) the same system as the one in operation in Cambridgeshire Libraries. 

A team of 6 people took 7 full working days to tag 18,000 books and 22,000 journal volumes with new RFID tags. Using two mobile workstations, they removed each item from the shelves, tagged them and linked them to library management system software, and then re-shelved them.

The new system will be more reliable, and should greatly improve the security of library stock and also the way you borrow books.

Borrowing books:

It is still a 24-hour self-issue system.

One useful change is that you will now be able to borrow up to four books simultaneously (subject to your borrowing entitlements). Borrowing should be much quicker and easier.

To borrow a book, simply select 'Borrow' on the touch screen and follow the instructions.

You can even get a print out showing the details of the books you have just borrowed, along with their due dates!

Returning books:

Simply press 'Returns' on the touch screen and follow the instructions (you have to return each book separately on the machine).

The most important change to remember is that you are now required to place your returned books on the shelf dedicated for this purpose, which is located to the right of the self-issue machine (where the New Books used to be shelved).

You can get a printed receipt showing that the books have been returned.

Another major benefit of the new system is that when you return a book it will actually be returned immediately on the library circulation system and you will now be able to borrow another one straight away (rather than having to wait until library staff processed the book the next day or after the weekend).

Library staff will re-shelve the books from the returns shelves at 11.00am each day but you are able to borrow any book from these shelves at any time..

The new detection system gates:

These work in much the same was as the previous system, in that an alarm will sound if you attempt to leave the library without borrowing a book properly first.

If you have borrowed a book using the self-issue machine then the alarm should not sound. If it does sound, and library staff are not available to assist you, simply move away from the gates and try again - if the problem persists please alert a member of library staff or if out of hours, let them know what happened the next day. Journals (issues and bound volumes) still cannot be borrowed.

Quarto sized (large sized) books move:

We have had to move the Quarto books that were shelved on either side of the security gates to the back of the Newton Room (the room where the photocopiers are located). This is because they have also been tagged and when removed from the shelves they would have kept triggering the alarms.

CCTV:

This is still watching you!

How to see what books you currently have on loan:

Unfortunately the self-issue machine will not be able to show you this, you will still have to check 'Your Account' on the library catalogue (see the link in the top right-hand corner of this page http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/).

Find out more about RFID technology here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification

If you have any problems with or concerns about the new system please let us know. We hope you find it to be a real enhancement to the way you borrow books from the Balfour Library.

New library security system will improve how you borrow books as well as their security

Photo by libraries@cambridge

The library is implementing a new security system during the summer vacation.

The new system will greatly improve the security of library stock and also the way you borrow books. It will still be a 24-hour self-issue system, but you will be able to borrow several books simultaneously (subject to your particular loan entitlements) so it will be much quicker and easier. When you return a book it will actually be returned immediately on the library circulation system and students will especially benefit from being able to borrow another one straight away (rather than having to wait until library staff process the book the next day or after the weekend). It will be similar to the system that is in place in Cambridgeshire public libraries, if you are familiar with that. Library staff will of course be on hand once the new system is in place to show you how to use it.

The first stage of the implementation is tagging each of the 30,000 books and journals! This will be undertaken by a ‘tag team’ from the security system supplier, 3M. They start next week and will be moving around the library with two mobile workstations, removing items from the shelves, tagging them and linking them to software, and then re-shelving them. This will obviously cause a bit of noise and reduce access to the stock wherever they are working.

The library will remain open to readers during this time. If you need something or wish to study in the area that the team is working in, please let me or Jane know and we can make a note of it and let you know as soon as it is available again. If the disruption proves too much however, I may need to close the library to readers until the work is completed, but I’d like to avoid this if possible.

The tagging process will take at least one week, probably longer.

The second stage will be to install the new security gates at the main library entrance / exit. This will probably take place in mid-September, and we will need to close the library to readers for one or two days while the work is taking place. I will let you know nearer the time. The new security system will then be live in time for the new academic year.

Apologies for the short notice and any inconvenience but the team was available sooner than expected. If you have any queries please contact us.

Thanks for your cooperation!

Library Management System downtime during the week beginning Monday 9th July

The Library Management System, Voyager, will be upgraded next week. The system will be down for the whole week beginning Monday 9^th July.

This means that you will be unable to borrow books using the self-check facility – library staff will have to issue books to you manually, during opening hours only.

You will still be able to search the library catalogues from wherever you are, via LibrarySearch http://search.lib.cam.ac.uk/. However you will not be able to use ‘Your Account’ to see books you have on loan from a library, or to renew them.

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

End of Lent Term 2012 information

Lent Term 2012 ends on Friday 16^th March. All books on loan from the Balfour Library must be returned by this date, or can be renewed for further periods unless they have been requested by another reader. Saturday morning opening has now finished until next term.

Vacation borrowing for undergraduates

This is permitted for the whole of the Easter vacation.

This means that you will be able to take a maximum of two books away from Cambridge which must be returned by midnight on the first day of the Easter Term (24 ^th April 2012). This applies to Overnight Loan books and Open Shelf books. 

You can borrow books for the vacation period from 8:45am on Friday 16^th March. This is on a strictly first-come, first served basis. You may not reserve books before borrowing them.

Please see the library website at: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/library/booksborrow.html for more information on how to borrow, return and renew books on loan from the Balfour Library.

You may be interested to know that the University Library and the Central Science Library (on this site) also offer vacation borrowing for undergraduates. See the UL website for more details at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/students/vacationborrowing.html

How to access online resources when you are away from Cambridge

The recommended route for accessing ejournals provided by the University remotely is as follows:

• Go to the ejournals@cambridge website at: http://camsfx.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/cambridge/az
• Enter the title of the journal you need (if it does not appear then there is no online subscription to it)
• Click on the 'find journals by title' button
• Click on the link for the journal title as appropriate for the particular year of publication of the article that you need
• The Raven login box should appear
• Enter your Raven userid and password and click on the 'Submit' button
• You should then be taken to the host page for that journal and you can find the article(s) you need from there
• (You only need to enter the Raven login once per session so you won't have to keep logging in and out each time you need a different journal)

Away from Cambridge, you will not be able to get the full text of ejournal articles through searching PubMed or Google / GoogleScholar, or directly from the journal's homepage for example, as you will not be recognised as being a valid member of the University of Cambridge and will not be allowed to download them. The recommended route as above should guarantee you the access to the content you are entitled to.

It is strongly recommended that you check the ejournals@cambridge website as above to see whether you will actually be able to access particular online journals remotely BEFORE you leave Cambridge. See also the eresources@cambridge website at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources/ for access to particular databases, such as Scopus and Web of Knowledge. See the 'Access Route' link next to the journal or database title to check this. Some online journals are not accessible outside of the University network so you may wish to download or print off articles from these before you leave Cambridge.

Raven passwords

If you do not currently have a Raven password and think you may need one to access the Web of Knowledge or Scopus databases (to search scientific literature) or online journals and databases when you are away from Cambridge, you should apply for one following the instructions given on the University Computing Service 'How do I get a Raven password?' website at: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/docs/faq/n5.html This page will also help you if you have lost your Raven password.

Troubleshooting ejournals access

Finally, if you are having trouble accessing ejournals and eresources remotely using your Raven password please see the guidance provided on the Central Science Library's 'Raven FAQs' website at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/CSL/ravenqanda.htm

Easter period closing dates

The Balfour Library will close for Easter at 5:00pm on Thursday 5^th April and will re-open at 8:30am on Tuesday 10^th April. The library will be open as usual throughout the Easter Vacation however, see our opening hours at http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/library/open.html

We wish you a very Happy Easter!

Clair and Jane

New online book recommendation form

I would like to introduce the Balfour Library’s new online book recommendation form, which has kindly been created for me by the Clinical School Computing Service.

It is called ‘Recommend a book’ and it can be linked to from the ‘Quick links’ menu on the library website’s homepage at http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/library/index.html, or you may wish to bookmark the direct URL which is http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/library/form/pubform.php. 

I would just like to reiterate here that book recommendations are always welcome (from members of the Department of Zoology) - please do use the new online form to recommend books that you would like to see in the library. We really do want to develop our collections to make them as relevant and well-used as possible so please do keep recommending titles suitable for purchase!

Your feedback on this new form would be most welcome.