The HardiBlog

Essential training for all students new to NUI Galway - in just 30 minutes you will learn how to find your way around the Library, what services are available and how to find the books you need in the Library.  You will be shown how to search the library's catalogue to find out if the library has the books or journals you need.  You'll also be given a short tour of the library, so that you can learn how to find the books on the shelves.   This training will be held in the   Library Training Room   on the ground floor of the Library at the following times: January 11th to 22nd   Monday to Friday   11.00 - 11.30 (except January 13th) and 14.00 - 14.30   You can book a place or Just Drop In!  

A reminder of Library Opening Hours for those of you still working hard in the run up to Christmas: The Library is OPEN :   8.30 - 17.30           on December 22nd and 23rd     Please note that the Library will be closed at 17.30 sharp on these dates, so please collect your belongings in plenty of time.     The Library will be  CLOSED from: Thursday December 24th to Sunday January 3rd (inclusive)   From January 4th to January 10th the Library will be OPEN : Monday to Friday   8.30 to 17.30   Normal opening hours will resume on January 11th.   Wishing all our students and staff a very happy Christmas!     

This week the Abbey Theatre/NUI Galway Digital Archive Partnership made freely available online the digitised minute books of the Abbey Theatre 1904 – 1939. As part of the Yeats2015 celebrations, the online digital archive of Abbey Theatre Minute Books will be made available to the public for the first time. Collectively, the minute books amount to nearly 1,000 pages, covering some of the Abbey’s most significant events from the period 1904-1939, being the period that spans Yeats' lifetime. 'A Digital Journey Through Irish Theatre History' , the Abbey Theatre - NUI Galway Digital Archive Partnership is the largest digital theatre project ever undertaken, and heralds a new era in Irish theatre scholarship, both nationally and internationally. Previously unseen, the Abbey Theatre Minute Books include the period in history when both Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats were involved in the management of the Abbey Theatre. The Abbey Theatre minute books contain notes fr...

A recent upgrade of the ARAN (Access to Research at NUI Galway) platform has added some new features. Usage data for each item is now displayed alongside Scopus citations and Altmetrics information (when it is available from the publisher). Altmetrics measures the attention research is attracting on social media. View an example of these new features at http://aran.library.nuigalway.ie/handle/10379/4735 In the new version of ARAN the official published version of each article is explicitly promoted. Usage data for each item A key benefit of uploading articles to ARAN (Access to Research at NUI Galway) is the extra discoverability it offers via Google and RIAN ( http://rian.ie/ ) the single portal to the repositories of the seven Irish universities. Open Access publishing also provides a citation advantage. Seventy-five studies have investigated this. The results of forty-six of the studies report a positive impact of open access publishing on citations. Study results...

When we started our 3D printing service back in September we had just one Ultimaker 2 printer which we thought would be enough to satisfy demand. Soon we realised how slow 3d printing is and found that there was no way we could provide a service with just one printer. Many of the models we print can take more than 4 hours to print and some as long as 8 hours or more. Luckily we were able to purchase a second Ultimaker 2 and also managed to get the RepRapPro Mendel 3 that we built calibrated to where we now have 3 printers working. We had also planned to have the Makerspace area open by now but delays with furnishing the space have meant we could concentrate on the 3D printing service. The Makerspace itself will open January 2016 for definite. To date we have printed over 150 different models for staff and students. Some of the models were for students studying Biochemistry, Engineering and Biomedical Engineering and were part of their 3rd year projects. Other ite...

As part of the Arts in Action programme, drama students from Galway and Belfast, Martin Kenny, Luke Bannon and Sarah Blair performed a new play, 'Fighting the Waves', based upon the archive material held within the Lyric Theatre Archive, of the Hardiman Library. Caroline Lynch, playwright, as Mary O'Malley The play written and starring Caroline Lynch, depicted the life of Mary O'Malley as she dedicated her life to establishing a new theatre in Belfast, during a volatile time in the backdrop to growing social unrest and the eventual conflict of 'The Troubles. The play explores this birth of a new theatre that was hugely influenced by the writing of W.B. Yeats. The play was researched by Barry Houlihan, Archivist at the Hardiman Library and organised by Mary McPartlann, with support from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance. The Lyric Theatre archive contains a detailed account of the growth and development of the theatre and its founding dire...

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D., launched NUI Galway’s 1916 Programme of Events, ‘A Nation Rising: Commemorating 1916 and Beyond’, as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. The event took place in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room of the Hardiman Library where Minister Humphreys, along with Dr. Jim Browne, President of NUI Galway, and members of the organising committee, officially launched the programme, which will be a year-long programme of celebration, understanding and questioning of Ireland's revolutionary period, at the heart of which was the 1916 Rising. The programme will focus on the women and men involved in the lead-up, during and aftermath of the Rising, focusing on how this major event was experienced and felt in the West as well as influenced by those who were based there or had connections there. Events will features a major exhibition, drawing on the archival holdings of the Hardiman Librar...

For a Friday it was very busy at the library entrance at 8:30 this morning.  Still plenty of spaces free upstairs and we are open until 10pm tonight.

Have you ever found the perfect article on JSTOR only to click "Download PDF" and watch helplessly as nothing happens? We imagine it left you feeling a little irritable. We’re sorry you had to deal with that. (And hope you didn’t break your computer.) We're aware of how distressing it is to finally find that perfect article only to have it snatched away. But don’t worry! You’re not alone with this sneaky problem. Web browsers generally have a default setting that blocks all pop-ups. While this is mostly good for the health of your computer (and your personal sanity) pop-up blockers can’t differentiate between ads for the latest internet scam and pop up PDFs of scholarly articles. This is something that users have to manually change within their browser settings. Sound scary? We promise that it’s not. Each browser has a slightly different way of changing these settings, so we’re going to walk you through the most common. Furthermore, some browsers act differently...

[The following is taken from the ScienceDirect Blog ] Last year we  announced  that ScienceDirect would no longer be supporting Internet Explorer 8 as of 1 January 2016. We wanted to make sure you are aware of this and explain why. In order to continue to make the most of your ScienceDirect experience, we encourage you to move to the latest version of the following browsers: Chrome Firefox IE  (version 9 or higher) In 2014, Microsoft announced that it would only support the most recent IE browser version with technical support and security updates. At ScienceDirect, we’ve chosen to follow Microsoft’s lead as we believe this will allow for the best overall user experience as well as allow you to take full advantage of our new features and functionality. We therefore encourage you to update to the most recent version of IE now – or consider another supported browser option. By upgrading to the most recent version of IE, we’ll be able to provide you with...

Once again the exams will shortly be upon us and it’s a very busy time here in the library with study space at a premium. The reading room is pretty much full by 8 am and the library fills up fast too. All our study space are listed here and remember the 30 Minute Rule is in effect. If you leave a study space for more than 30 minutes another student can move your belongings to one side and make use of that space. There are a number of resources available online with tips on how to make the most of your study time – Study Skills: Managing Your Learning Student Connect: Niamh Leonard From Student Services And remember the Student Counselling Service is available for students experiencing difficulty at college. All the staff in the library wish you the best of luck with your exams and are here to help you with any query you may have. Be sure to give yourself some downtime during the Christmas break to recharge and be fighting fit for 2016.

Thomson Reuters will be doing routine maintenance on their authentication system this Sunday, November 29 th .  The maintenance window is 13:00 to 16:00 .  We expect minimal interruption to users who are logged into Web of Science™  or EndNote® Online Apologies in advance for any disruptions this may cause.

ISS has published the following bulletin : Blackboard (VLE) Unavailable Blackboard (VLE) is currently unavailable. ISS have opened a high priority call with our service provider and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. If you have any queries, please contact the Service Desk (Tel. x5777 Email servicedesk@nuigalway.ie ). Conor McMahon Head of Operations Information Solutions and Services Tel. 091 495777

There will be a basic training session on the Endnote bibliography and citation software, with a focus on using Endnote in the context of economics research. Training will take place on December 8, 2015, at 10 am, in the Library training room on the main floor. Please sign up at the James Hardiman Library Eventbrite page if you would like to attend.                                                                 By Mgmwki (Own work) [ CC BY-SA 4.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos and documents of the men and women who served. It contains millions of records from world-class archives. The Fold3 name comes from a traditional flag folding ceremony in which the third fold is made in honour and remembrance of veterans. Trial access is available until Wednesday 02 December via: http://www.library.nuigalway.ie/aboutourcollections/databases/databasetrials/ Please complete the feedback form available from the link above if you review this resource.

Demo of the ScanPro 3000 Microfiche/Microfilm-machines Some features: Simplified, step-by-step loading On Screen instructions Searchability High-Resolution Images No messing with lenses- on screen control and many more easy to use new and improved features  Come along for a professional demo by the Supplier Thursday 26th of November @ 10:30am  Please  book  you place so as to avoid disappointment Additional session can be arranged if requested Venue Microform Area  - located on the ground floor of the Main Library. Take a right at Library/IT Service Desk and then left.  If unsure please ask at the Library/IT Service Desk.

Due to essential maintenance the Postgraduate  Reading Room on Floor 1 of the Library will be closed on Friday 20th November 2015. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your cooperation.

November Friday 20th, 12-1pm Library Training Room    This is a quick introduction on when and  how to cite the main Legal sources for your essay: books journals cases legislation This session is aimed at undergraduates but may have some value for postgraduate law students. There will not be time to cover more specialised formats. Book a Place P resenter : Hugo Kelly hugo.kelly@nuigalway.ie 091 493359

To celebrate Library Ireland week, Special Collections Librarian, Marie Boran, delivered a lunchtime lecture on a spectacular two-volume set, the tour and Illustrations of the Holy Land 1838-39 by David Roberts. Between 1842-1845 the Scottish artist David Roberts published two lavish volumes of lithographed prints. The prints depicted sketches made by Roberts on a tour which included Egypt, Sinai, Idumea (modern day Petra) and the Holy Land in 1838-39. Appearing in different editions the Roberts volumes are famous amongst book collectors, art historians and archaeologists for their depiction of places and historical monuments in the Middle East over 175 years ago. The James Hardiman Library holds a set of these rare volumes as part of its Ringling-North collection.  The lecture celebrated the theme of Library Ireland week which this year was “A Library holds a World of Ideas” and the volumes can be consulted, among others from the collection, within the Archives and Specia...

NUI GALWAY AND LYRIC THEATRE BELFAST IN A DRAMATIC COLLABORATION TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARY O’MALLEY AND THE WORK OF W.B YEATS IN NORTHERN IRELAND.  As part of the Arts in Action programme, two students from the centre for Drama and Theatre, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies at NUI Galway, Martin Kenny and Beau Holland with two drama students from the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Luke Bannon and Sarah  Blair,   will work together with Caroline Lynch, Writer, Actress, NUI Galway graduate and Theatre Director, to present a new piece of writing based on the extensive archive of Mary O’Malley and the Lyric Theatre, which is held at the James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway and researched by archivist Barry Houlihan.  This collaboration is a unique occasion for the student actors from Galway and Belfast to meet and work together on a project whose central character was full of determination and belief in the power of theatre to bring indi...

We have encountered some issues with the service pack upgrade this morning, we are currently looking into these issues and will update everyone when new information is available. Our apologies once again for the inconvenience. On Tuesday, 17th of November from 08:00 - 09:00, the following Library services will be unavailable in order to facilitate necessary maintenance. Real-time information regarding items on loan or availability Booking of group study rooms Placement of reservation requests Online Renewal If you need to access our books and journals you can search our Library Management System at http://opac.nuigalway.ie If you need to access our databases you can search our Database Management System at http://eknowledge.library.nuigalway.ie/V/?func=find-db-1

On Saturday 14th November from 10am GMT – 2pm GMT the www.nature.com , www.palgrave-journals.com and www.palgraveconnect.com websites will be unavailable for scheduled maintenance. During this time content will not be accessible. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.