It’s been over 2 months since we launched our new portal and many of you have emailed with suggestions and comments. We thank you for your kind comments and please know that we consider every suggestion seriously. The interest of our users always comes first and with this in mind, we continue to fine-tune and enhance our portal.
To help you make full use of the features in the library portal, we have created a series of short video clips that you can view. We have also created added an FAQ to the new portal guide for questions we have received in these 2 months.
Now for a little bit of fun.
Virtual Videos & a Virtual Challenge
It’s time to show us what you know! Take our Library Portal Virtual challenge and you stand to win:
Top 3 Prizes:
1st: iPod Nano (8GB)
2nd: Nikon Coolpix L23 Digital Camera
3rd: Creative ZEN X-Fi Portable Media Player (8GB)
Consolation Prizes:
10 sets of Kinokuniya vouchers ($20 each)
The challenge ends on Oct 19th, Wed (6 pm) and winners will be notified via email.
For help with the challenge, view the videos or come by to the Library booth on ERDD 2011 (Central Forum- Oct 6th, Thur).
In accordance with the 100th anniversary of The 1911 Revolution, the NUS Chinese Studies Students’ Society together with the NUS Chinese Library and the Chinese in Southeast Asia Research Group of the Department of Chinese Studies proudly co-organize a seminar themed “Kuayu Studies in and Commemoration of Sun Yat-sen through Artifacts and Images”. The talk will be conducted in Chinese Language.
We cordially invite all the students and staff across the campus to take this opportunity to get an insightful view on the different ways of significant commemoration of Dr Sun Yat-sen (who is also referred to as ‘Father of the Nation’ being the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China) by all the Chinese around the world including places in Singapore, Penang in Malaysia, Hawaii in the U.S. and Bangkok in Thailand.
The details of the talk are as follows:
Title: Kuayu Studies in and Commemoration of Sun Yat-sen through Artifacts and Images
Speaker: Assoc Prof Wong Sin Kiong, Department of Chinese Studies, NUS
Date: 6 October 2011 (Thursday)
Time: 4pm-5.30pm
Venue: Central Library Level 4, Theatrette 1
NUS Libraries is happy to bring to NUS staff and students E-Resource Discovery Day 2011 (ERDD) to be held on 6th October at the Central Library Forum. As always, we have exciting activities lined up for NUS staff and students! For those of you who are wondering what you can get out of ERDD, here is a guide of things to do:
1. Work ‘em brains and win great prizes!
Your ERDD journey can start today. We have an Online Quiz which will be open until 5th October. Take part to win a chance to enter our lucky draw! The first prize is a digital camera and it awaits its new owner! Stand a chance to win other prizes by participating in vendor-run quizzes too.
For those into keen competition, we will have our E-Resources Treasure Hunt to be conducted on the day itself (6th October). The grand prize is an ASUS Netbook; space is limited so do register quickly! Expect keen competition from your fellow competitors! Hint: To get a headstart, start exploring our library portal and subscribed databases on your own from today!
You can also get a goody bag if you complete a series of e-resource tasks at the Forum on 6 October. There are limited numbers of goody bag so do come early! One bag per participant only.
2. Discover resources for your research and assignments!
NUS Libraries subscribes to thousands of electronic resources. Unlike physical books or journals, E-Resources may get hidden in the big virtual world. Here is a chance for you to acquaint yourself with your relevant resources. The major e-resource vendors will be on site to answer any queries you may have. Already an avid e-resource user you say? No worries! If you want to know how to get more out of your favourite resource, approach the vendor for details as well!
3. Be entertained and make some noise through social media!
Yummy lunchtime aural and visual treats are in store for you! We have the ever gravity defying Alpha Verve, NUS’ own very musically talented Deon Toh (Original Music Society), and a gang with extremely happy feet, the LindyHoppers, all performing live just for you!
Our roving social media team will be out and about capturing moments during ERDD. Come tell your friends what you did and got at the E-Resource Discovery Day events/booths! “LIKE” NUS Libraries Facebook page, tag yourself to your photo and share your thoughts about the event to get our popular highlighter set! Also, each participant stands a chance to win a Lomo camera in a lucky draw!
4. Do your bit for a good cause… shop till you drop at the book and garage sale!
We are sure you have been hearing the phrase that the economy is not doing well pretty much daily on various news channels these days (if you have trouble keeping up with the news, please do try our Factiva database for your daily news articles J ). As such, our popular Book Sale is back to offer you cheap books (from as low as $1). In addition, we will have a garage sale as well this year. Proceeds from the sale will be given to the NUS Annual Giving Bursary for needy NUS students. The book and garage sale will last for two days, on 6 and 7 October. Slightly more than $6000 was raised from last year’s book sale. We hope to top this amount this year.
Quick Tip: Bring your own bag (or bags) and help save the environment by not using plastic bags. Check out our Facebook page for sneak peeks of titles that you can expect to find. We will not know where they will be located on sale days so do search our shelves thoroughly on the two days. The Book Donation Drive is ongoing and will end on 30th September 2011.
E-Resource Discovery Day 2011 Website
For further details such as contest registration, programme, prizes, terms & conditions, do check out the ERDD website: http://bit.ly/ERDD2011.
E-Resource Discovery Day 2011 Committee
NUS Libraries
This exhibition showcases the artistic talents of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) residents, and aims to reduce the prejudices that we often have for the mentally ill.
As “Metamorphosis” signifies a rebirth, it is akin to Project IMHope which serves as a platform for our residents to re-connect with the society through our weekly interactions. The birdcage represents their “home”, a safe haven but also a form of restriction. The butterflies taking flight out of the cage towards the window symbolizes how our residents relate to the outside world through their artworks. The rich and vibrant colours of the butterflies represent meaning, hope and colours that Project IMHope adds to the residents’ lives.
The artworks on display were selected from a large collection of works done by the residents of our adopted wards during our weekly sessions. We hope that through this exhibition, the residents will improve their self-esteem and gain greater acceptance from society.
Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library was the starting point of Biz’s Amazing Race. And amazing it was! A race it was not quite.
TNL was there, of course. Who can resist watching a library transform (albeit only for that hour) into a noisy, rowdy, fun-filled place with students running around?
And what a transformation it was. Check it out.
There was a festive and colorful welcome at the entrance of the library. You can see the 3 librarians in the background. No, they were not just waiting around for students. They had spotted the Campus Security patrol car parked outside with lights flashing. It seems a car had skidded into a drain in front of the tennis courts.
The students started streaming in after the briefing in the LT. There were 6 teams. Each named after a hero. Ares was the first to come in. All the new students were in red and the seniors were in navy blue Ts.
First, they had to hear a short briefing about the library and its services. Here is a funny shot of Su Yian (one of the librarians) pointing at the Self-service Borrowing machine and the students looking at the Loans Desk.
After the briefing, 3 reps from each team were sent to Game Master Wai Kit who gave them their 1st clue. Each team had a different clue. But all of teams were required to locate the Call Number of a book (if you don’t know what a Call Number is, aiya, you should have come lah. Tsk, tsk, tsk…) from LINC+ and then locate the book on the shelf.
It doesn’t end there. They had to find a piece of information in the book to be given to the Games Master before he handed them the envelop for their next station.
Teams ran up (well, some did. Some thought time would stand still for them while they sauntered) to the 3rd Storey where the books and LINC+ terminals were.
When they got there, they tapped furiously away. Some were clever enough to take a pic of the screen which showed the Call Number of the book.
Then off they ran to the shelves to locate the book. Ah… here is where they stumbled. Some remembered just a part of the Call Number and got shocked when they realised, hey, there are tons of books with HD31! Which one, leh?
When they found the book they wanted, it was quickly scanning the book for that bit of information.
Then off they went to the Game Master to submit their answers to get the next clue. But wait.. first, they had to perform a mini activity…
Some got patted on their heads…
And 2 librarians got proposed to…
All things done, then, it is off to the next station.
Wajihah Hamid travelled the road less travelled, following the footsteps of Marco Polo. For several months their paths must had intersected, albeit many years apart. Could Marco Polo have felt the same mysticism present in the ancient Silk Road cities? Did Wajihah tell the same stories Marco Polo told, to a disbelieving audience?
In the summer of 2007, Wajihah Hamid left the comforts of Singapore to volunteer with the Silk Road Foundation and Mongolian National Museum for an archaeology expedition in Takhilt, Khovd. There she experienced the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols by living in a ger (tent) at the ancient crossroads of Takhilt. Upon completion of the expedition, she ventured overland across Mongolia. Her travels took her across the Gobi desert to China via the fabled Trans-Mongolian train where she began her Silk Road journey. After spending time in the ancient historic cities of China, she crossed over to Kazakhstan before finally reaching Uzbekistan, the mecca of the Silk Road
Wajihah’s journey through the Silk Road was the fulfilment of a childhood fantasy. The beautiful lakes and scenic parks dotting the landscape transformed her preconceived imagination of Mongolia and Central Asia as a terrain filled with arid deserts. She saw vast lands of greenery, picturesque mountains and even the sea amidst a celestial glow. The warmth nature of the people and their sense of contentment was a humbling experience.
Through this exhibition, Wajihah aims to show the exuberance of life and diverse landscape of the places she visited, and to share her experience of the ancient Silk Road. Wajihah also hopes to raise funds for the Mongolian NGO, Adolescents Development Centre. Do visit the exhibition to find out more.
A warm welcome to all new undergraduate and graduate students for the academic year 2011/2012!
For many, the start of tertiary education is a disconcerting experience. There are new friends to make, new environments to adjust to, new subjects to tackle, and even new food to get used to. If you are an international student, there is the added challenge of adapting to a different country and its culture.
NUS Libraries prides itself on being a “home away from home” for all students and we hope you will spend a lot of time with us during your studies. We have a rich collection of print, multimedia and electronic resources to support your study and research interests.
As a student of NUS, you can make use of the facilities and resources at all the seven libraries. To help you make the most of this privilege, we have organized a series of orientation programmes. Do check out the schedules on the page behind. Invest some of your precious time and you will learn to:
Find your course readings
Navigate your way around the library
Access remote electronic resources
Save time by finding information efficiently and effectively
For more information, do check out the poster below!
If you have any queries, just approach the friendly librarians at the Information Desks of any of the libraries. You can also get connected to NUS Libraries on your favourite social networking platforms:
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways …” ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 – 1861)
Citation counts to one’s publications are important as they signify the impact of one’s research. The counts are commonly used as an indicator of staff performance and may affect one’s promotion or tenure. They are also used as a tool for department benchmarking and university ranking. Thus, it was no surprise that the citation count workshops conducted this month by the NUS Libraries’ Cited Reference Team were once again oversubscribed.
The workshops were targeted at teaching, research and administrative staff. We clarified the often confusing terminologies used in citation counts and illustrated the steps for using Scopus and Web of Science to obtain the citation counts for an author. We also demonstrated how to compile citation counts for both indexed journals and non-indexed publications such as book chapters and conferences. We shared many tips on searching the databases and the interesting exchange of questions and answers with the participants made the workshop a great learning experience for all.
The Cited Reference Team received much favourable feedback which have encouraged us to continue developing and improving subsequent citation count workshops. We would once again like to thank Dr Michael Beer from the Department of Civil Engineering for allowing us to use his name and publications during the workshop demonstrations.
Did you miss the workshops? Are you interested in finding out more about citation counting? Do checkout our Cited Reference LibGuides page for the presentation slides and detailed guides.
