uoslibraryculture:

E-books Update:  if you’ve used an e-book from the library in the last few weeks you might have noticed that, although the procedure is the same, things look a bit different!  This is due to the e-book supplier Dawsons updating their service.  If you want to find out more check out their You Tube channel - there’s lots of other useful stuff here too, for example watch how to download a book, or copy a chapter.

uosliboffcampus:

Here are some photos taken by our Distance Learner Librarian to give students abroad an idea of our library.  They show the different spaces that are available. Check each photo to read the caption.

Now it’s revision time you might want to find a quiet space or a silent room within the library yourself to get your head down ready for exams.  See all the different kinds of spaces you can use.

(via uoslibpsychology)

Source: uosliboffcampus

Top tips for preparing for exams

“Fortune favors the prepared mind.”

Start by reading this Revision and exams advice from the Skills for Learning section on the Library website.

Next, be prepared.  Know when and where your exams are (Examination timetables, summer 2013), and know what will happen in the exam and what is expected of you (Examination and assessment procedures, including information on student conduct during examinations).

Many of your questions will be answered in the Examination FAQs, including ”What should I do if I discover I have an examination clash?”, “What should I do if I have missed or can not attend my examination(s)?” and “When will I receive my examination results?”

Start early, work steadily, then go into your exam and show what you can do!  Wishing you the best of luck! :)

10 things I wish I knew before I started uni

Read this advice from a current student, from The Guardian’s How to get ahead in your degree series.

Here is some further info about referencing (point 2) and Google Scholar (point 6).

Referencing

Start with Cite Them Right, available online via MySunderland.  There is a link to Cite Them Right on the Discover homepage, and you will be prompted to log in with your University username and password.

For some Law assignments, you may be required to use the OSCOLA referencing style.  Here is the full OSCOLA guide, and the Quick Reference Guide.

Google Scholar

Under Settings, tell Google Scholar that you are from the University of Sunderland, and Scholar will then show you links from your search results to full-text items in our library collections.  You can find instructions on how to do this here.

Do the @LexisNexisUK Research Certificate and get another qualification to add to your CV!

Explore the learning resources on the LexisNexis Academy site, then have a go at the test when you are ready.

When you pass, you will be sent a printed certificate in the post.

And don’t forget to let me know when you’ve passed it! (Email me: laura.wilkinson@sunderland.ac.uk)

Taking it further: have a go at the JustCite Proficiency Test and Westlaw Certification

@SunderlandUni Mooting and Debating final at the Supreme Court

Thanks to Ben Middleton for allowing me to reproduce his report and photos here:

On Monday, the final of our internal Mooting and Debating (MaD) competition took place at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and was judged by the Deputy President of the UKSC, Lord Hope of Craighead.

The moot problem included issues relating to the publication of photographs vis-à-vis the right to privacy, and freedom of expression and the public interest.  These are principles on which Lord Hope has personally ruled. About 20 students and staff were there as the finalists pitched against one another in over an hour of top-notch legal wrangling. It was amazing to watch.

Senior counsel for the appellant was Mr. Liam Tinkler, who put in a commanding performance and was ably assisted by his Junior, Mr. Jamie Skiggs. Senior counsel for the respondent was the excellent Miss Amber Hobson, ably assisted by her Junior, Miss Sarah Preece. The final was extremely close to judge, and it is testament to all those involved that Lord Hope considered that in law, the appeal failed, but that the winners of the moot, ‘by the slimmest of margins,’ were appellant counsel Liam and Jamie. All four counsel were exceptionally professional, and Lord Hope made clear that he was extremely impressed with the standard of their advocacy skills, which no doubt have benefited considerably from this experience.

Mooting and Debating is one of the key strands to law’s employability strategy. Chris Ashford has done a sterling job in preparing the students, including organising everything and writing the moot problem itself, and running MaD as a module and as an extra-curricular activity over many years. The excellent impression that the students left on Lord Hope, his judicial assistant and all of the staff of the UKSC is testament to Chris’s hard work and we owe him our sincere thanks.

Special thanks go to Mooting President Mr. Tom Noble, who put in all of the legwork with organising bundles and the competitors, and as Master of the Moot met with Lord Hope in chambers to establish the ground rules and chat about the competition. This would be a nerve-wracking experience for most barristers, and Tom did himself and the University proud.

Thanks are also due to Amy Purvis (who has worked with Chris on Mooting), and to Ben Livings. Both volunteered for the trip and made sure that everything went smoothly.

Finally, huge thanks, and our admiration, are due to Liam, Jamie, Amber and Sarah for taking part. All overcame considerable (and understandable) nerves to perform excellently in front of an audience which would terrify many of those in the legal profession. They are outstanding ambassadors to the Department, Faculty and University, and now all have the most enviable CV and talking points for interview. Thanks also to those other students involved in Mooting and the competition for coming along and offering their support, who also will have benefited significantly from the experience.  We left the Supreme Court staff and Lord Hope with an excellent impression of the University of Sunderland.