I was pleased to be invited to present at and attend the above event at Aston University. Last week, I managed to become excited about my quite esotheric topic Grey literature.
The presentations included: Intergovernmental organisations, statistics, parliamentary publications (from the British Library), grey literature, Research data management (the Bodleian), free maths and stats resources, which included simulations of goats and sheep (Staffordshire University).
You can find the presentations here:
https://alissnet.com/social-science-research-a-masterclass-for-information-professionals/
Social Sciences is a broad field and covers a wealth of resources and it can be quite complex to navigate (eg. statistics and government publications) and keep up to date. The idea behind the event came from feedback from ALISS members who asked for an event where practitioners gave an insight into their tips and insights into certain topics and resources and then there was a chance for hands on practice. I really enjoyed meeting colleagues from other universities throughout the country and I liked the practical aspect and going round speaking to colleagues. I realise we all have similar aims, approaches and challenges in many cases ( I also enjoyed the macaroons for lunch).
Aston University Library
The Aston University Library website is at: http://www.aston.ac.uk/library/
The Library has been remodelled over the past few years and has a glass front.
The Discovery tool is Ebsco Discovery Service which bears a remarkable likeness to Ebscohost and is branded as SmartSearch
Aston University Library
The Library has a huge training room, which they can partition off into 2 rooms, it is now equipped with laptops. I liked the room, (I must admit I still prefer a mouse though for scrolling though).
Aston Library training room
It has zoning and colour coding for different floors and subject collections and at the end of each bay of shelving instructions on how to find a book. It has help points, and a Learning Development Centre in the Library for academic writing skills and maths help and this is very popular. It is very busy in term time and sometimes operates a ‘one in one out’ policy to prevent overcrowding. There is a café and self service laptops.
Overall, an interesting and enjoyable event with an opportunity to update knowledge in some areas.
Aston Library