One of the most important and treasured places in a university is the library. It not only houses books on various subjects but also is an active instrument of the academic system. Despite the amount of knowledge a library offers to share, several students have a love/hate relationship with the library. Whether you are a bookworm or a panicked all-nighter, a library is an ultimate place to get all the reading and research material at one place. Without active support from the library, the complete academic operations can come to a halt. It is a powerhouse of knowledge and holds a significant place in the university for students and teachers to study and research. As a university library has abundant educational resources for dissertation and coursework writing, students must utilise it to its full potential in an enjoyable and useful way. If you lack the motivation of going to the library or are not sure about how to make the most out of the available library resources, here are top 7 library tips that are needed for university.
Take a Tour of the Library
If you think that a university library is same like a school library or a public library, then, you need to take a tour of it to understand the magnificence of a university library. Once you are into the university, make it a point to take an entire tour of the library in your initial days. A library tour will familiarise you with the services and facilities available at the university library. You might not be able to utilise all the available facilities during your first year. However, over time you will be able to better use the library services for academic and research work.
Additionally, some universities have separate libraries for different subjects whereas collegiate universities have their own library as well as one main university library. Taking a tour will help you understand the type of library in your university, its opening hours and rules. One of the best advantages of taking a library tour is that you will get to see if the library can offer you any of your textbooks on a long-term loan. Getting textbooks from the library on a long-term loan can help you in saving a significant amount of money.
Know Your Librarian
Librarians can be of great help to students throughout their academic years. As librarians are highly trained professionals, they can help you in researching and finding reading material on your preferred subject. From textbooks to journals, research papers, eBooks, eJournals and audio-video materials, a librarian can suggest you the best resources. You can either meet your university librarian in person or send an email to get solutions for all your queries. Since the library can be full of books and encyclopedias, new students often get confused about where to start looking for their subject books. A librarian can suggest you from which aisle or shelf you can begin your search.
Explore the Library
You can find complete material to write a great essay or assignment in the library. A number of university students say that they find numerous high-quality research papers and academic publications in a university library that are not available on Google. Although you might prefer to spend time only in your subject section, exploring the different sections of the library will give you a glimpse into the amount of knowledge that the library stores. Many times students need to work on overlapping essay or assignment topics. By exploring the library, you will be able to use resources from various subjects and also understand the perspectives of different authors. Additionally, you can also choose books from other subjects or books aimed at general readers to expand your knowledge and skills.
Skim the Library Shelves
University lecturers often recommend students the books or journals to be referred from the library for writing an essay. However, when you find a book or journal that you were looking for, try to skim the nearby shelves to discover more resources. By looking at related books in the nearby shelves, you might come across a unique collection of books or journals related to your subject. This will help you in getting a better understanding of your subject and in writing a unique essay. Also finding a great book unexpectedly can boost your interest and productivity while working on an essay.
Use Multiple Resources
In addition to the physical collection of books, university libraries also have a vast collection of digital academic resources. Many libraries store audio recordings, DVD collections, newspaper archives, online journals and information in various multimedia formats for the students. As these resources are often underutilised, you can easily get your preferred resource from the library without waiting for it for a long time. You can also get access to library webpages where online copies of books, journals and academic papers are available for the students. This will help you save time in looking for academic resources on other websites.
Take Advantage of Interlibrary Loan
Several university libraries have arrangements with libraries in the same and overseas countries. If you do not find a book in your university library, instead of purchasing the book you can request for interlibrary loan. Interlibrary loan is a service where students can browse the collection of all associated libraries and order a book or a journal from the other library. Under this service, you can also request for scans and photocopies of the academic material to assist you in your research.
Use Library Study Spaces
Apart from borrowing books from the library, you can also use the library space to study quietly and effectively. As a library is a quiet place, students find less distraction in the library as compared to home. Additionally, while studying in the library, all the resources will be immediately available for you and you will not have to wait to access the material on your upcoming visit. Moreover, libraries also offer independent and group study spaces for students to study independently or with a group of friends. This will keep you motivated and save you from unexpected interruptions.
Author Bio: Helen Thomas is an experienced finance and business writer at PhD Finance Writers, specialising in PhD thesis writing for finance. She specialises in research, content and article writing on various topics, including finance, math, and economics.
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