ARTstor digital library now available

The University Library is pleased to announce the acquisition of access to the ARTstor digital library. The acquisition was made possible by contributions from the faculties of Architecture and History of Art, Classics, Divinity, English, History and Philosophy of Science, and Modern and Medieval Languages, and from St. John’s College, Trinity Hall, and Wolfson College. The Library is extremely grateful for their support. 

ARTstor is an online resource containing more than one million digital images relating to the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. The collections comprise contributions from outstanding international museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, and artists and artists’ estates.

There are several history of medicine and natural sciences images available on ARTstor: 
featured collections include Cook's Voyages to the South Seas (Natural History Museum, London), Hill Ornithology Collection (Cornell University Library - some spectacular images from Audubon and Gould), Magnum Photos, Vesalius Anatomical Illustrations (Northwestern University). I've put a poster highlighting these on the Library noticeboard.
 
ARTstor allows the user to search using keywords and advanced search terms or browse by collection, classification or geography. Users can sort their search results and organize images into groups and share those groups with colleagues and students.

A range of tools allow users to make the best use of these high resolution images for research and pedagogical purposes and users can register for a personal account to access to additional features.

The ARTstor downloadable guides highlight important content and collections for subjects including African and African-American Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Architecture and the Built Environment, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, Design, Decorative Arts, Fashion and Costume, History of Medicine and Natural Science, Languages and Literature, Latin American Studies, Maps and Geography, Medieval Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Music History, Native American Studies, Photography, Religious Studies, Renaissance Studies, Theatre and Dance and Women’s Studies.

ARTstor is available on campus at http://www.artstor.org and off-campus using your Raven login and the link to the site which can be found at the eresources@cambridge Database A-Z. It is also available on a range of mobile devices.

Borrowing books from the Balfour Library only possible during opening hours next week

The library management system, Voyager, is being upgraded throughout the whole of next week beginning Monday 12th December. This means that the self-issue system will not be available so books will have to be issued manually by library staff, during library opening hours only. 

Due to library staff taking annual leave on various days throughout the week the Library Office may be unattended for short periods at times; in this case please come back later and do not remove books from the Library without speaking to a member of library staff first.

The online catalogues, Newton and LibrarySearch, will still be available during the downtime - click on this link to access the catalogue and for more details on how the downtime will affect the information displayed: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/. You will still be able to access online journals as usual.

You will not be able to use the 'Library Account and Renewals' widget linked to from the Balfour Library website home page (under the Quick links menu), or from LibrarySearch, during the downtime - please ask a member of library staff for assistance with renewing books. 

Please take all of this into account when planning your borrowing.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused, and thank you for your assistance.

P.S. No book stamping actually required!

Android version of Qiqqa available

This is now available to download from the Android Market, in a beta version. You can also download it via Qiqqa.

It allows you to sync your documents down to your device and view them offline. See the Qiqqa website for more information at http://www.qiqqa.com/ (see the Download tab).

I haven't been able to try it out on my own Android phone (annoying phone memory problems) but I'd be pleased to hear from anyone who has used it.

If you're interested in using Qiqqa in general let me know and we can go through it together and I can perhaps put you in touch with others in the Department who are using it.

2 new e-books in zoology now available

Two books that are recommended on undergraduate reading lists are now available as e-books - although undergraduate and postgraduate students and teaching staff alike may find them useful.

They can be found and accessed via the library catalogue, LibrarySearch, at http://search.lib.cam.ac.uk/. There are also direct links to the books as provided below. The library has several print copies of each.

The biology of lakes and ponds, 2nd ed., by Christer Bronmark and Lars-Anders Hansson.

http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=86973&src=2

Evolution, 3rd ed., by Mark Ridley. 

http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=229196&src=2

You can find out all about e-books on the ebooks@cambridge website at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/ebooks/

A special Christmas package of end of term information, just for you!

Michaelmas Term 2011 ends on Friday 2nd December. 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

We permit the borrowing of books for the whole of the Christmas and Easter vacations for undergraduates.

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 Lent Term (17th January 2012). This applies to Overnight Loan books and Open Shelf books.

You can borrow books for the vacation period from 09:00 on Friday 2nd December. 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 Zoology Library blog for more details at: http://www.balfourlibrary.blogspot.com/

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 the Web of Science. 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.

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

Library Christmas and New Year closing dates

The Balfour Library will be closed from 16:30 on Friday 23rd December 2011 and will re-open at 08:30 on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Best wishes,

Clair & Jane

Vacation borrowing for undergraduates at the Central Science Library

Vacation borrowing for all undergraduates is now in operation. 

Undergraduates can borrow books over the Christmas vacation period until 9th January 2011.

Their website can be found at: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/CSL/index.php

E-books - find out what's available!

I have been made aware of a link to an Excel document listing all of the e-books purchased by the University on a librarians' website, which I thought might be useful for anyone who just wants to browse through a list of them, organised by subject: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/libraries/ebooks_coll.html

But of course there is plenty of information on e-books on the ebooks@cambridge website here: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/ebooks/ It allows you to search for e-books and also provides links to all the collections that have been purchased. There is also comprehensive help in using e-books, information on how to use e-books on mobile devices, how to cite e-books, and a list of free e-books widely available on the web.

Don't forget also to check out the eReference section linking to the amazing Oxford Reference Online collection of online subject and language dictionaries and thesauri, and all the other reference e-books purchased by the university, such as Who's Who.

In general, you can use the online catalogue LibrarySearch to find e-books at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/ The book titles have '[electronic resource]' next to them. You will be able to click on this and go through to the e-book (and if you're away from the university you will be prompted to enter your Raven password to access the e-book).

We've also put handy little stickers on the covers of printed books that are also available online, with a link to the online catalogue so you can access it!

Handbook of the Birds of the World, and Handbook of the Mammals of the World

The Balfour Library purchases each volume in both of these book series as they are published.

We are very sorry that the receipt of Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 15: Weavers to New World warblers was so delayed, but it is now available in the library. Vol. 16: Tanagers to New World blackbirds, is due to be published imminently and we will let you know when it has arrived in a New Acquisitions post on this blog. These vols. are kept in the Quarto (large size) section of the library, just inside the main doors, at shelfmark range qK (47-63). Vol. 16 will conclude this series.

Handbook of the Mammals of the World, vol. 2: Hoofed mammals, is now available in the library. This series is also kept in the Quarto section of the library, at shelfmark range qY (19-).

These vols. are for reference use only in the library.

For more information on these series, please see the publisher Lynx Edicions' website at: http://www.lynxeds.com/

New acquisitions

New books purchased:

Developmental plasticity and evolution, by Mary Jane West-Eberhard. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2003. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (308ii-iii).

Handbook of the mammals of the world. 2. Hoofed mammals. Chief editors Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: qY (20) (Quarto, large size shelves).

Meiofauna marina: biodiversity, morphology and ecology of small benthic organisms. Vol. 19. Chief editors Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa, Kai Horst George, M. Antonio Todaro. Munich: Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: GHN (129xviiii). 

Donations:

Five weeks with Lapland birds: an account of the Cambridge Lapland Expedition 1955, by S. J. J. F. Davies. Perth, WA: Curtin University of Technology; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: qKZ.4 (34) (Quarto, large-size shelves).

New theses:

Ant community structure in the high canopy of lowland dipterocarp forest, by Kalsum binti Mohd Yusah. Cambridge; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (502) (Library Office).

Boldness and social interactions in three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), by Jennifer Harcourt. Cambridge; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (499) (Library Office).

Cooperation in cleaner fish mutualisms: the role of repeated interactions, by Jennifer Oates. Cambridge; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (504) (Library Office).

The evolution of gene regulation in Diptera: a study of molecular antagonists of the achaete-scute genes and their role in the evolution of thoracic bristle patterns, by Marta Costa. Cambridge; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (500) (Library Office).

Genetic architecture and ecological speciation in Heliconius butterflies, by Richard Montague Merrill. Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (498) (Library Office).

Migratory strategies and population dynamics in the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), by Charlotte H. Chang. Cambridge; [2011]. (M.Phil.) Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (500) (Library Office).

Worldwide MHC class I and II diversity in humans, by Nouar Qutob. Cambridge; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: Thesis (501) (Library Office).

Christmas vacation borrowing from the University Library

Christmas vacation borrowing for undergraduates begins at the

University Library from Friday 18th November. The return date will be set at Thursday 19th January, 2012. 

Undergraduates may borrow up to five books between these dates, and must be aware that the books are subject to recall throughout the vacation. Books may be returned by secure post to the following address:

Book Returns

Cambridge University Library

West Road

Cambridge

CB3 9DR

The UL offers vacation borrowing over the Christmas and Easter vacations. It does not offer an extended loan period during the long summer vacation, but all current undergraduates may borrow for the normal two week period throughout the long vac.

Readers who normally borrow for eight weeks will see no change in their borrowing allowances.

How students do their academic reading - survey with prizes to win

I've been asked to pass on this message, intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students:

Hello fellow hard working readers,

Would you like to have less competition for core books on your reading lists? Would you like to have access to easier library tools and spend less time on finding reading materials? Would you like to have a clearer picture of what to read and when?

Don't we all? And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

A current Arcadia (UL/CARET) project is currently doing research into how students like you do their academic reading here in Cambridge, in order to help solve problems just like these, and to help shape a modern 21st century library experience. But we can't do a good job without understanding how students read every day, what are your real life needs, what are the ups and downs, and how do you deal with current problems around reading. So if you have a little time, we would be extremely grateful if you could help out. You can help in many ways, and there are cool prizes up for grabs too, like Amazon Kindles, book tokens and Amazon  vouchers.

You can sign up and learn more about the research here:

http://camreading.tumblr.com/helpout

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Oszkar Nagy

Arcadia Fellow - Student Reading in Theory and Practice project

oszkar@caret.cam.ac.uk

Rare book on display in the Library

There is now a different book on display in the Library: Elementa ornithologica iconibus vivis coloribus expressis illustrata. Edicio secunda, by Jacob Christian Schaeffer. Ratisbonae, Typis Breitfeldianis, 1779.

Balfour Library shelf mark:  qK (8).

The book is open at: Plate 38: Cockerel. This is a beautiful, hand coloured engraving of the bird, skilfully rendering all the colours of its bright and varied plumage. He is so lifelike that he appears to be strutting right off the page. The plate includes a diagram of the bird’s tongue, and this was included for most of the birds illustrated throughout this work. It was erroneously assumed that if songbirds in particular were to speak, it was necessary to ‘loosen’ their tongues.

Jacob Christian Schaeffer (1718-1790) was a German dean, professor, botanist, mycologist, entomologist, ornithologist andinventor. He studied theology at the University of Halle, became a teacher in Ratisbon, and eventually became an extraordinary professor. He was also awarded the titles of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Divinity by two German universities and became Pasteur in Ratisbon in 1779.

In Elementa ornithologica Schaeffer organised birds according to his own system of classification.  He divided birds into two classes, Nudipedes (those with naked legs) and Plumipedes (with feathered legs). These two groups more or less correspond to the Land and Water birds classification of previous authors.

Schaeffer published several works, including this one, as well as Elementa entomologica in 1776, of which the Balfour Library owns a copy. He was aware of the difficulties in hand-colouring the engravings in the works he published and recommended that colour charts be made: he suggested that fixed criteria for discerning different colours should be defined, that each defined colour should be given an unambiguous name, and that this combination of colour and name should be made available to the public by way of samples. When it came to mixing the colours for the charts, he recommended that one should imitate as closely as possible the colours that one found in plants and animals.

Schaeffer also experimented with electricity and optics, tried to manufacture his own lenses and paper, and became famous for having made one of the first washing machines!

Sources:

Tim Birkhead. The wisdom of birds: an illustrated history of ornithology. London: Bloomsbury; 2008. Balfour Library shelfmark: K (227). (An illustration of a starling from this work is included in this book on p. 251).

International League of Antiquarian Booksellers http://www.ilab.org/index.php

Jacob Christian Schäffer. Wikipedia article at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Christian_Sch%C3%A4ffer

Kärin Nickelsen. The challenge of colour: eighteenth-century botanists and the hand-colouring of illustrations. Annals of Science, Volume 63, Number 1/January 2006, pp. 3-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00033790500151177 

Michael Walters. A concise history of ornithology: the lives and works of its founding figures. London: Christopher Helm; 2003. Balfour Library shelfmark: K (225).

Having trouble accessing ejournal@cambridge via Lapwing? Use eduroam.

I've discovered that it isn't possible to download articles from journals via ejournals@cambridge at http://camsfx.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/cambridge/az from your laptop using the Lapwing wireless network. 

It's all to do with proxy server settings here at the university, apparently. The solution is to use the eduroam wireless network instead of Lapwing.

Eduroam is (according to eduroam http://www.eduroam.org/) 'the secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. Eduroam allows students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to obtain Internet connectivity across campus and when visiting other participating institutions by simply opening their laptop'.

Undergraduates may think that they wouldn't need to know about this, and I don't think it has really been advertised to them much, but actually it's quite a stable wireless network available in many departments and colleges in the university (including the Department of Zoology), that they may find easier to use than Lapwing.

Potential eduroam users need to do a bit of simple configuration on their laptop before leaving Cambridge to travel to the academic institution they will be visiting - and this is what any student or academic / research staff member can do to be able to just use eduroam in and around the University of Cambridge. For instructions, and to find out which institutions participate in eduroam nationally and worldwide, see the University Computing Service website at: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/wireless/eduroam/localusers.html. 

Can I use eduroam to access the wifi newtwork from my smartphone?

Yes, you can configure your smartphone to use the eduroam wireless network. See the University Computing Service mobile devices website for instructions on how to do this for your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, Android, Nokia, Windows mobile, or Blackberry phones: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/mobiledevices/. 

What is ejournals@cambridge and why should I use it rather than Google?

ejournals@cambridge is the University Library's official alphabetical list of all the online journals that it subscribes to.

Most of the time, using a machine on the cam.ac.uk network or on on your laptop, you will be able to simply do a search on Google or Google Scholar for a journal article and then download the full text. However sometimes, having found a link to the article, you may be asked for a password or payment to be permitted to download the full text, even though the journal is subscribed to by the University. ejournals@cambridge gives you the definitive details of what full text coverage is subscribed to, and gives you the links to the full text of it.

So, next time Google says 'no', try ejournals@cambridge!

Available now: a guide to using Twitter in university research, teaching, and impact activities

The short guide to 'Using Twitter in university research, teaching, and impact activities', is available to download as a PDF.

Although it's been put together by the LSE (London School of Economics), it is actually quite a generic guide and can be used by all academics and researchers across disciplines.

I think it's a great resource. After a brief explanation of what Twitter actually is, the guide goes on to cover topics including: 

• Setting up your Twitter account;
• Useful Twitter terminology;
• Tweeting styles;
• Building up your followers;
• Using Twitter for research projects;
• Using Twitter in departments;
• Using Twitter alongside blogging;
• Using Twitter in teaching;
• Resources (such as academics on Twitter, related blog posts, guides and articles).

I actually came across this guide having read a Tweet from a fellow librarian. Click here for more information and to download the guide: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2011/09/29/twitter-guide/

Charles Darwin on Land and at Sea - online exhibition

The Charles Darwin exhibition at Christ's College is now available online at: http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/darwin2009/

It is based on their 2009 exhibition and celebrates the achievements of one of the most brilliant and influential scientific thinkers in history, and includes a section on his time at Christ's.

Web of Knowledge now available on your mobile - updated post

You can access Web of Knowledge from anywhere at any time using your Web of Knowledge username and password, including from your mobile phone.

It's easy to create an account (which has to be done from a computer on the Cambridge network) - just follow the instructions here: http://wokinfo.com/about/mobile/

I have successfully searched Web of Knowledge (WoK) from my Android smartphone. Since I was logged on to the university's free wifi via EduRoam (or you could log on to Lapwing) I found that I could actually open the full text PDFs of articles I retrieved. I have just tested accessing WoK from my phone while connected to my own mobile phone network and found that I could also download the full text PDFs, for journals where the university has a subscription. I bookmarked the mobile site on my browser and was asked to login using my WoK password as I had previously set it up.

The mobile version has the ability to search within individual products (e.g. Web of Science), as well as the All Databases search.

You can sort, refine, email, add records to EndNote Web, link to full text, view times cited counts, search history.

Pretty impressive?! Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Rose Book-Collecting Prize 2011-2012

Attention student book-collectors! 

Your chance to win £500 

You can enter any type of collection provided it is solely owned by you and has been collected by you. The books do not have to be especially valuable - a collection of paperbacks, put together with imagination, is equally eligible. 

The contest is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Cambridge. 

The closing date for entries is the first day of Lent Full Term, Tuesday 17 January 2012. 

Full details of how to enter are given on the University Library website at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/bookprize/

New acquisitions

New books

Admiralty Tide Tables. Volume 1, 2012, United Kingdom and Ireland including European Channel Ports. Published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. Balfour Library shelfmark: D.13 (10). (Reference shelves).

Avoiding attack: the evolutionary ecology of crypsis, warning signals, and mimcry, by Graeme D. Ruxton, Thomas N. Sherratt, and Michael P. Speed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2004. Balfour Library shelfmark: GGT (20ii). (Overnight Loan shelves).

The biology of lakes and ponds, 2nd ed., by Christer Bronmark and Lars-Anders Hansson. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2005. Balfour Library shelfmark: GHM (115bi-ii). (Overnight Loan shelves).

Elements of evolutionary genetics, by Brian Charlesworth and Deborah Charlesworth. Greenwood Village, CO: Roberts and Company Publishers; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: EN (185). 

Evolution: the extended synthesis, edited by Massimo Pigliucci and Gerd B. Miller. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (332i-iii). (2 x Overnight Loan shelves). 

Handbook to the construction and use of insect collection and rearing devices: a guide for teachers with suggested classroom applications, by Gregory S. Paulson. Dordrecht: Springer; 2005. Balfour Library shelfmark: Q.10 (14).

Important bird areas [in the] Americas: priority sites for biodiversity conservation. Senior editors Christian Devenish ... [et al.]. Quito, Ecuador: BirdLife International; 2009. Balfour Library shelfmark: qKZ.7 (22) (Quarto, Large Size shelves).

An introduction to behavioral endocrinology, 4th ed., by Randy J. Nelson. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: GEK (53d). (Overnight Loan shelves).

Livestock in a changing landscape. Volume 1: drivers, consequences, and responses, edited by Henning Steinfeld ... [et al.]. Washington, DC: Island Press; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: GGZ (38i).

Livestock in a changing landscape. Volume 2: experiences and regional perspectives, edited by Pierre Gerber ... [et al.]. Washington, DC: Island Press; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: GGZ (38ii).

Monitoring forest biodiversity: improving conservation through ecologically responsible management, by Toby Gardner. London: Earthscan; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: GHH (11).

Nature's versatile engine: insect flight muscle inside and out, by Jim O. Vigoreaux. New York, NY: Springer Science and Business Media; 2006. Balfour Library shelfmark: Q.5 (92).

Population genetics for animal conservation, edited by Giorgio Bertorelle ... [et al.]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2009. Balfour Library shelfmark: GGW (217).

Sensory evolution on the threshold: adaptations in secondarily aquatic vertebrates, edited by J. G. M. Thewissen and Sirpa Nummela. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 2008. Balfour Library shelfmark: UU (32).

Donations

Biology of the sauropod dinosaurs: understanding the life of giants, edited by Naomi Klein ... [et al.]. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: WY (11).

Insect ecology: behaviour, populations and communities, 3rd ed., by Peter W. Price ... [et al.]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: Q.8 (20c).

New flora of the British Isles, 3rd ed., by Clive Stace. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: FA (41c).

Spider silk: evolution and 400 million years of spinning, waiting, snagging, and mating, by Leslie Brunetta and Catherine L. Craig. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: R (8).

Collins New Naturalist series http://www.newnaturalists.com/Pages/home.aspx

I've been catching up with purchasing the books in this series that are of relevance to zoology and related disciplines:

Badger, by Timothy J. Roper. London: Collins; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: YOM (3).

Bird migration, by Ian Newton. London: Collins; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: K.8 (64).

Climate and weather, by John A. Kington. London: Collins; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: GI (28).

Dragonflies, by Philip S. Corbet and Stephen J. Brooks, with many colour photographs by Robert Thompson. London: Collins; 2008. Balfour Library shelfmark: QC (19).

Grouse: the natural history of British and Irish species, by Adam Watson and Robert Moss. London: Collins; 2008. Balfour Library shelfmark: KK (17).

Plant pests: a natural history of pests of farms and gardens, by David J. Alford. London: Collins; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: QZ (27).

Wildfowl, by David Cabot. London: Collins; 2009. Balfour Library shelfmark: KI (12).

Balfour Library Conservation Project - What's been eating that book? Update...

 
I recently blogged about a book that was found during the volunteers' cleaning that appeared to have been nibbled at by a deathwatch beetle larva. 

Our conservator has since advised that, due to the sheer size of the holes, she doesn't think the damage was caused by a beetle larva but probably by a slug or snail! It's definitely not rodent damage either, as that would have sharp, serrated edges.

I don't know how they would have got inside the book; maybe it was left open for a while and the slug or snail decided to stop on its travels to have a munch?!

Self-service photography at the University Library (UL)

Self-service photography of authorised material in the Manuscripts, Maps and Rare Books reading rooms of the University Library has been a permanent service for readers since May, following a successful trial earlier in the year. 

It is now also possible for readers to take photographs of material in the open stacks and of authorised material in the Anderson Room, East Asian Reading Room, Commonwealth Room, Reading Room and West Room, on a trial basis. Photographs may be taken for non-commercial research or private study only. General  photography (e.g. of people, locations, reading rooms) is not permitted.

Full guidelines are available at

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/specialcollections/selfserviceguidelines.pdf.

Mobile interfaces, devices and apps for accessing library and information resources

Here are some ways that you can use your mobile phone to access library and information resources via special mobile interfaces, devices or apps to help you do your research on the go.

To access e-books on your mobile phone / Kindle ...

All the e-books the university buys can be read onscreen but at present many of our suppliers do not offer licence agreements that permit texts to be downloaded, mainly because of the need to renegotiate agreements with publishers, authors, and rights holders of illustrations etc. Exceptions to this include: chapters from books on the Cambridge Books Online and Oxford Scholarship Online platforms which can be downloaded in PDF format to e-readers including the Kindle; chapters from the Royal Society of Chemistry platform, and the STAT!Ref medical books which are optimized for delivery on mobile devices.

For more information please visit the ebooks@cambridge website http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/ebooks/ 

To search PubMed on your iPhone or Android phone ...

PubMed on Tap / PubMed on Tap Lite enable you to search PubMed from your iPhone while you're out and about. The Lite version is free but only lets you view 10 abstracts from any search. The full version can be downloaded for £1.79 from the iTunes App Store.

PubMed Mobile and PubMed Mobile Pro allow Android users to search PubMed from their phone.  PubMed Mobile is free. PubMed Mobile Pro costs £1.86 and offers a bit more functionality. Download them from Android Market.

PubMed also has a mobile interface http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/

[Some of this information was mentioned in the excellent document 'A guide to accessing information via your mobile phone', written by Lynsey Hawker, NHS Liaison Support Librarian, St George's, University of London http://www.sgul.ac.uk/services/library/guides-help-sheets/help-sheets-pdfs/accessing-information-via-your-mobile.pdf]. 

To search the university's online catalogue, LibrarySearch, via your mobile phone ...

CamLib is the mobile interface for Cambridge libraries, available at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/mob/camlib.cgi. CamLib has been tested with iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices. Find out more about what you can use it for here: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/toolbox/camlib.html

The UCAM Library Search app for iPhones has been developed by a Cambridge PhD student. It's available for free from the Apple iTunes App Store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ucam-library-search/id459882806?mt=8

If you've found any other really useful mobile web interfaces or apps please let me know and I can mention them in a blogpost here.

The Libraries Directory has a new look!

Photo courtesy of libraries@cambridge

The Libraries Directory has a new look!

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/libraries_directory/libraries_directory.cgi

The newly designed interface uses the new University style, and is enhanced by the incorporation of images from the libraries@cambridge Flickr stream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/libatcam/sets/) as well as from those contributed by libraries.

You can use the Directory to find out the opening hours, locations (with maps), contact details, stock and service information of all the libraries in the University. It is searchable and you can also find out what libraries cover which subject via the Subject List link.

Helpful tip: when searching for a book on the online catalogue, LibrarySearch http://search.lib.cam.ac.uk/, click on the details of the book and scroll down the screen to see which libraries hold the book. Next to the library name is an 'i' icon - click on this and you will be brought to the library's entry on the Library Directory.

Changes to University Library borrowing for University staff (and info for visiting scholars)

From 1 August 2011, all staff employed by the University of Cambridge will now be eligible to borrow ten books for a loan period of up to eight weeks from the main University Library. 

Staff visiting the Library should bring their blue University Card to the Entrance Hall desk, where staff will check your record to ensure the new allowances are enabled, and will be happy to help with any questions about using the Library and borrowing from the collections.

Academics and scholars who are officially visiting the University but do not hold a degree from the University of Cambridge will be able to borrow five books for eight weeks, as before. This also applies to staff members employed by Cambridge Colleges and by institutions affiliated to the University. Such staff members should wait until they have received their blue University ID cards before coming to the University Library. 

If staff are not to be issued University ID cards, they will need to bring alternative photo ID (e.g. driver's licence or passport) to the University Library Admissions Office. All applicants in this category will need to provide a completed 5.4 form, available here:

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/admissions/5_4.pdf

New acquisitions

New books purchased 

Bats: from evolution to conservation, 2nd ed., by John D. Altringham, drawings by Tom McOwat and Lucy Hammond. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: YV (10bi-ii). 

Biochemistry, 7th ed., by Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, and Lubert Stryer, with Gregory J. Gatto. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Company; 2012. Balfour Library shelfmark: EH (50gi-iii). 

Biological anthropology: the natural history of humankind, 3rd ed., by Craig Stanford, John S. Allen, and Susan C. Anton. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2013. Balfour Library shelfmark: qYYV (3ci-ii).

Development of the nervous system, 3rd ed., by Dan H. Sanes, Thomas A. Reh, and William A. Harris. Burlington, MA: Elsevier: Academic Press; 2012. GF (216ci-iii).

Ecology, 2nd ed., by Michael L. Cain, William D. Bowman and Sally D. Hacker. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: GG (272bi-ii). 

Evolution: a developmental approach, by Wallace Arthur. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (331i-iii).

Evolution since Darwin: the first 150 years, edited by Michael A. Bell ... [et al.]. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (330i-ii).

The geometry of evolution: adaptive landscapes and theoretical morphospaces, by George R. McGhee. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2007. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (329i-ii).

Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 15: weavers to New World warblers, by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, and David Christie. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions; 2010. Balfour Library shelfmark: qK (63).

How and why species multiply: the radiation of Darwin's finches, by Peter R. Grany and B. Rosemary Grant. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2008. Balfour Library shelfmark: KY (50i-ii).

How we live and why we die: the secret lives of cells, by Lewis Wolpert. London: Faber and Faber; 2009. Balfour Library shelfmark: EC (307i-ii).

Introduction to genetic analysis, international 10th ed., by Anthony J. Griffiths ... [et al.]. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Company; 2012. Balfour Library shelfmark: EN (131ji-ii).

The major transitions in evolution revisited, edited by Brett Calcott and Kim Sterelny. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (271b).

Physical anthropology: an introduction, [13th ed.], by Robert Jurmain ... [et al.]. [Belmont, CA]: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning; 2012. Balfour Library shelfmark: qYYV (4mi-ii).

Plant ecology, 2nd ed., edited by Michael J. Crawley. Malden, MA: Blackwell Science Ltd.; 1997. Balfour Library shelfmark:GG (127bi-ii).

Plasticity, robustness, development and evolution, by Patrick Bateson and Peter Gluckman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: EEB (75i,iii).

Principles of animal communication, 2nd ed., by Jack W. Bradbury and Sandra L. Vehrencamp. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: GFY (14bi-ii).

Principles of social evolution, by Andrew F. G. Bourke. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: EO (327iv,v).

Sensory transduction, by Gordon L. Fain, with illustrations by Margery L. Fain. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: GFM (26ii-iii).

Vertebrates: comparative anatomy, function, evolution, 6th ed., by Kenneth V. Kardong. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2012. Balfour Library shelfmark: UU (26fi-iv).

The weather makers: our changing climate and what it means for life on earth, by Tim Flannery. London: Penguin Books; 2007. Balfour Library shelfmark: GGW (216i-iii).

Donations: 

Animal camouflage: mechanisms and function, edited by Martin Stevens and Sami Merilaita. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: GGT (22i-ii).

Bioelectrogenesis: a comparative survey of its mechanisms with particular emphasis on electric fishes, edited by Carlos Chagas and Antoni Paes de Carvahlo. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company; 1961. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (3).

The cane toad: the history and ecology of a successful colonist, by Christopher Lever. Otley: Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing; 2001. Balfour Library shelfmark: WJI (3).

Commentary on the effects of electricity on muscular motion, by Luigi Galvani. Translated into English by Margaret Glover Foley. Norwalk, CT: Burndy Library; 1953. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (7).

Descriptive catalogue of the physiological series in the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Part I: surviving Hunterian specimens demonstrating those organs in plants and animals for the special purposes of the individual. Part II: Hunterian species demonstrating the products of generation together with surviving Hunterian specimens from other sections. Edinburgh: E. & S. Livingstone; 1970-71. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (6i-ii).

A discourse on the torpedo, delivered at the Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society, November 30, 1774, by Sir John Pringle. London: Royal Society; 1775. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (4).

The electrical eel: or, Gymnotus electricus, by Adam Strong. A new edition, with considerable additions. London: [J. Bew]; 1777. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (5).

Das elektrische Organ des afrikanischen Zitterwelses (Malopterus electricus Lacepede), anatomisch Untersucht von Emil Ballowitz. Jena: Gustav Fischer; 1899. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (12).

Die elektrischen Fische: nach neuen Untersuchungen anatomisch-zoologisch dargestellt, von Gustav Fritsch. Erste Abtheilung: Malopterus electricus. Zweite Abtheilung: die Torpedineen. Leipzig: Verlag von Veit Comp.; 1887-1890. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (11i-ii).

Essai sur les phenomenes electriques des animaux, par Ch. Matteucci. Paris: Carilian-Goeury et Vr. Dalmont; 1840. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (1).

Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Part 2: sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates and rays, by Henry B. Bigelow and William C. Schroeder. New Haven , CT: Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale University; 1953. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (10ii).

The great auk, or garefowl (Alca impennis, Linn.): its history, archaeology, and remains, by Symington Grieve. London: Thomas C. Jack; 1885. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (8).

The natural history of the frog fish of Surinam, by Thomas Hutchinson. York: [G. Peacock]; 1796[?]. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (9).

Naturalised birds of the world, by Christopher Lever. London: T. & A. D. Poyser; 2005. Balfour Library shelfmark: K (230b).

The naturalized animals of Britain and Ireland, by Christopher Lever. London: New Holland Publishers; 2009. Balfour Library shelfmark: YZ.41 (9b).

Naturalized birds of the world, by Christopher Lever. Harlow: Longman Scientific and Technical; 1987. Balfour Library shelfmark: K (230).

Naturalized fishes of the world, by Christopher Lever. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; [1996]. Balfour Library shelfmark: V (30).

Naturalized reptiles and amphibians of the world, by Christopher Lever. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003. Balfour Library shelfmark: W (27).

Plasticity, robustness, development and evolution, by Patrick Bateson and Peter Gluckman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2011. Balfour Library shelfmark: EEB (75ii).

They dined on eland: the story of the acclimatisation societies, by Christopher Lever. London: Quillar Press; 1993. Balfour Library shelfmark: G (57).

Traite des phenomenes electro-physiologiques des animaux. D'etudes anatomiques sur le systeme nerveux et sur l'organe electrique de la torpille. Paris: Fortin, Masson et Cie; 1844. Balfour Library shelfmark: Keynes (2).

Research Skills Programme

The University Library's Research Skills Programme for the Michaelmas Term has now been launched.

Courses on the Programme are open to all members of research staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University. Sessions cover a wide range of subjects and skills, including:

• Be The Boss of Your Hard Drive - Working With Digital Data
• How To Avoid Plagiarism 
• How To Do A Literature Search
• How To Find Things on Your Reading List
• IfM: Managing Your Information - A Workshop for First-year PhD Students
• Referencing Without Tears
• UL orientation tours

Some sessions will require advanced booking. For more information on the Programme and to make bookings, please visit:  http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/courses/

Natural History Museum's first book for iPad, Audubon's Birds of America

Unfortunately the Balfour Library does not own a copy of John James Audubon's magnificent, 1m tall Birds of America, with 435 hand-painted plates illustrating American birds in their natural habitats, so you may be interested in the iPad or eBook version of a copy owned by the Natural History Museum (NHM).

A resized print edition of the work will also be launched by the NHM.

The NHM's art collection holds half a million artworks, representing all the great natural history artists. There are also over 1 million books, including some richly illustrated volumes of great historical significance.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2011/september/museums-first-book-for-ipad-birds-of-america-is-launched102402.html

Free research paper management software - Qiqqa

Do you download a lot of PDFs?  Need a way to manage and manipulate them effectively?

This new, free software features:

• Document Management;
• Annotation Reports - easily summarize large documents for review; 
• Document Syncing - access your documents from anywhere;
• Built-in brainstorming software to visualise your ideas -add links to referenced material, reshuffle, and zoom in;
• Citation & bibliographies;
• Designed for academics, by academic;
• Interfacing with Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote etc.; 
• iPhone,iPad, Android, and support for other mobile devices;
• ... and much more.  

 Free research paper management software - Qiqqa

New to Cambridge Libraries, or don't know where to start?

Check out the Cambridge Libraries Gateway! http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/libraries/

This is a website that consolidates information about all the libraries available within the University of Cambridge - there are over 100 of them!

Sections include: How do I...? (e.g. find books, find journals etc.); ads for new library services such a the new mobile phone app; the Research Skills Programme for all undergraduate other members of the University; a feed from various libraries' blogs; a link to the online book renewal / library account facility; and much, much more.

Cambridge Libraries will have a presence at the Freshers' Fair, which will be held on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 6th October at the Kelsey Kerridge Sports Hall. Several librarians from different libraries around the University will be ready and very willing to talk about all the libraries available to you and how you can use them. We will be giving out fliers, and hopefully will have a mobile phone and laptop to demonstrate some of the remote library services available.

On the new Cambridge Libraries website you can also check out also our new film, The Perfect Desk, to give you a student's eye view of the library system in Cambridge.

Balfour Library Conservation Project - what's been eating that book?

The volunteers are briefly assessing the overall condition of each book they clean; cleaning inside where necessary, and recording any damage they come across.

They found this spectacular evidence of insect pest damage caused by what I believe to be a deathwatch beetle:

The beetle has really chewed through the text block. They like damp environments and mould damaged timber, so this volume must have been kept in a damp place at some point (n.b. it's not here anymore!).

It is possible to see right through the pages! Deathwatch beetles leave holes that are much wider than those of woodworms. Woodworm damage is narrower and appears more like round holes or narrow tunnels through the text block.

You can see how someone has attempted to repair the damage by removing the damaged text and pasting in blank pages. I think that's probably caused more damage!

Thankfully the beetle either got bored or too fat to continue through the volume to the wonderful plates at the end.

This is the title page, again with fresh paper pasted in behind the holes.

Insects only eat at their larval stage, so it's funny to imagine little grubs burrowing their way through the book.

Balfour Library Conservation project - books that are falling apart!

One of the volunteers' tasks is to tie up books whose spines or boards have detached or are detaching. This keeps the book together on the shelves, in its correct shape, until such time as we can box the whole book in acid-free boxes.

Cotton tying tape is used to keep the books together. Granny knots must be used; they can be easily untied and re-tied by readers. The bows must lie in the direction of the spine, not across it, otherwise the tape gets caught up with other items on the shelves and may untie itself.

A perfect example! The tying is neat and the bows are not visible when the books are shelved. If you knotted at the front or side of the books, as if you were doing up a parcel, the knot would damage the book next to it on the shelf by being squashed against it.

We use black tape as we think it looks better on the books than the usual natural colour tape, which may get dirty or discolour over time.

Who knew that book tying was so important? We had much fun practising this during our training with the conservator; try it yourself and you'll see how difficult it is to get the bows lying along the spine, which is the indication of a proper granny knot! Some of us are apparently natural granny knot tie-ers, some have to really think about it and do these instead of reef knots! (Natural granny knot tie-ers apparently have to keep tying up their shoe-laces...).

Balfour Library conservation project - look the state of those books!

Here are some photos showing the amount of dust that the volunteers have had to contend with. These will be followed by photos of some of the same books - now clean!

Dirt visible on the shelves, and on the boards and spines of the books.

Decades of dirt on the text blocks. These don't have a shelf above them so even more dirt has accumulated on them.

The amount of dirt that has collected on the shelves is amazing, especially at the back of the shelves behind books.

More dirt on the text blocks - you might also be able to see where fragments of spine or pages from the books above has collected on the top of the books below.

After cleaning! Look how clean the shelves are too!

Now you can actually appreciate the marbled colour effect on the text blocks of the first four books on the shelf. All the dirt has been removed from the whole of the books. You can also see where one book has needed tying.

Dirt is a real enemy of the book. It is acidic and gradually breaks down pages and bindings over time. It is also a potential health hazard, and makes the books generally unpleasant to handle. Pests might also be encouraged by its presence. It is great that we are finally tackling the problem and are managing to preserve the books for a little bit longer.

Balfour Library Conservation Project - how are the books cleaned?

The CAMdfas Heritage Volunteers are simply using specialist brushes and other equipment to clean the books:

The work area. The desks are protected with heavy duty polythene, which are wiped down at the end of every session.

Natural hog bristle brushes, used for cleaning the spines and boards (covers) and text blocks of books. Note that we have used two colours of electrical tape on the metal ferrules. The black indicates that the brush should be used for the really dirty text block edges (as Wendy demonstrates below) and boards. The green indicates the brush should be used for pages inside the books where relevant. The tape also protects the books from the metal ferrules.

Natural hog bristle shaving brushes, from the local chemist! Hog bristle is quite robust and removes an impressive amount of dirt.

Pony hair brushes used for smaller books and more delicate materials.

The brushes are cleaned at the end of every session with soap and water, and are left to dry naturally.

Wendy demonstrating how the brushes are used along the text block to remove dirt in to a bin. We tried to show the amount of dust coming off but we're not sure it's visible! The technique when cleaning the text blocks is to always move the brush outwards from the spine. Similarly when cleaning the boards, the brush strokes should fan out from the centre of the spine.

Microfibre cloths from the local supermarket. They are used for cleaning and drying the shelves and desks. They need to be washed after every session as they get so filthy.

The volunteers wear protective clothing such as face masks with filters to prevent them inhaling anything nasty, and vinyl gloves, and glamorous aprons.

If the volunteers find anything sticking out of the books that is getting damaged or causing damage to the book it is removed and logged on index cards and bagged in separate clear polythene self-seal bags (purchased from a well-known high street store!)

A manuscript has been removed from the book.

The volunteers make a note of the books they are cleaning at every session, and record anything relevant such as any damage found, and where they have bagged a loose item. They quickly flick through each book and clean the inside pages where required, and note the condition and any damage found (more of which later).

Cards with numbers on. These are ingenious! When removing books from the shelves, the first book on the shelf has the number 1 card placed in it, and so on, until the last book on the shelf. The different colours are used when removing more than one shelf at a time. This means that the volunteers don't have to worry about what order they are cleaning books in. The books are also much easier to re-shelve in the correct order, rather than trying to follow often obscure classmarks.

If the boards are detached or detaching from a book then it is necessary to tie them to the book using specialist cotton tape (more of this in a later blog post).

The volunteers seem remarkably unfazed by the amount of dirt! All of the equipment being used is quite inexpensive and readily available. The most valuable thing is the volunteers' time spent on carefully cleaning and recording the books.