A new journal on PsycARTICLES...

...is about to be made available. It is called "Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal" and they promise access to all the latest issues. Although UEL has previously had access to it via Academic Search Complete, it has always come with a full-text 'embargo' on the last 12 months. As well as the latest issues, PsycARTICLES promise that in 2013 all back issues to Volume 1 will be made available. Furthermore, they are promising six more new journal titles in 2013. More details as I get them...
Don't forget that all PsycARTICLES publications can be accessed via EBSCO PsycINFO.

Clinical and health psychology...

...materials can be found on the wide-ranging (and free!) Trip Database, which someone has recommended to me. It seems to be aimed primarily at clinicians and clinical professionals (namely medical practitioners), but the overlap into health psychology-related topics is sufficient to make it a potentially useful resource. It focuses on 'evidence', which includes systematic reviews, guidelines (split by country), Q&As and even e-Textbooks. Give it a go and let me know what you think!

A new library management system...

...has been installed over the summer which should improve the efficiency with which the library deals with its many transactions. At present, we are encountering a few 'teething problems' with this brand new piece of software which means that some students are unable to check their library accounts online or place requests for books. We are hopeful that these problems will be resolved soon. In the meantime, if you find that you are one of these people, please visit the library helpdesk, telephone 020 8223 4224, or make use of Ask-a-Librarian, and a member of library staff will be able to check your account for you or place the request on your behalf.

Free British Library workshops...

...run regularly at the British Library in St Pancras. They are normally free and cover a wide range of topics related to using the BL and more general research and information skills. Information on up-coming workshops can be found here: http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/inrrooms/stp/workshop/workshops.html.

Changes to Library Search...

...have been made during the summer, with more improvements still to come. The basic look remains the same, but you should notice that once you find a book on the system the options are now slightly different. Whereas previously you clicked on the somewhat mysterious-sounding 'Locations' link to see information about the book, regardless of whether it was print or e-book, you now click on 'GetIt' (if it's a print book) or 'ViewIt' (if it's an e-book).

Another improvement is to reservations. Previously the request button appeared regardless of whether you were signed in, yet only worked if you were signed in, thus leading to some confusion and occasional frustration. However, now the option only appears after signing in - along with the other functionality only available to logged in users, such as the ability to save searches, add reviews and tags, and to access your own library account.

Other improvements are coming soon, and I will update you as they go live.

The UEL SCONUL Access blog…

…is a very helpful reference point for SCONUL Access cardholders to keep up-to-date with opening hours and access restrictions both at UEL and other libraries in London and beyond. It is regularly updated by our SCONUL Access administrator, so it’s well worth bookmarking if you are a frequent SCONUL Access user: UEL SCONUL Access blog.

Institutional research repositories...

...are where universities make publicly available their research output. This can include pre-print journal articles, conference papers and other research outputs, as well as sometimes including dissertations and theses. At UEL we have roar@UEL, but for a list of repositories from other universities, as well as facilities to search across their content, have a look at the following webpage: http://www.arl.org/sparc/repositories/collectedrep.shtml. Alternatively, if you just want a list of all repositories (by continent, then country) from around the world, check out this rather impressive collection of links: http://www.opendoar.org/countrylist.php.