The HardiBlog

ARAN has attracted over five million hits (downloads and page views) to date, leaving no doubt that adding your publications to it boosts your citations and increases the visibility of your research. It is the definitive open access showcase for research from NUI Galway. Don’t miss out on the benefits by claiming your publications on IRIS and uploading them to ARAN. Just click on the red button (see above) beside your publications in IRIS  to upload to ARAN or email your publication to   aran@nuigalway.ie  and we’ll upload it for you. Upload the final draft post-refereeing  without the  publisher’s type-setting, formatting, logos and pagination (also known as the  post-print).  We check and adhere to publisher’s policies and explicitly promote and link to your published article. Very little admin is required on your part. For advice and support email  aran@nuigalway.ie Read more about open acc...

" Outside the Walls": Research in the Community Seminar hosted by Special Collections, Hardiman Library,  NUI, Galway Thursday, 6 April, 14.45-17.00  Hardiman Research Building, G011 Speakers: Marie Mannion, (County Galway Heritage Officer), Prof. Noel Wilkins, (Galway Archaeological & Historical Society), Professor Gerry Jennings (Western Family History Association), Dr. Christy Cunniffe, Archaeologist. Panel Discussion facilitated by Dr. Nessa Cronin, Irish Studies.   Places are limited. Admission is free but please register at  https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/outside-the-walls-researchers-in-the-community-tickets-33074564914 or emai l marie.boran@nuigalway.ie . 

The following database trials will expire on Friday, 31 March :   Electronic Enlightenment Kanopy (online films and documentaries) Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History   These resources can be accessed via the database trials page. Please complete the database trial feedback form provided for each resource of interest. Collection Development

The recent stepping away from active political life by Martin McGuinness and from his role as Deputy First Minister, signalled a polemic shift in the political landscape in Northern Ireland, His passing today, aged 66, has further intensified the consideration of his life and role in Northern Ireland, and his journey from conflict to peace, over many decades. The perhaps unknown role that Martin McGuinness played, over many years, in negotiating a peaceful and sustained end to conflict in Northern Ireland can be seen within the archive of mediator Brendan Duddy. Brendan Duddy was born in Derry on 10 June 1936. He became a businessman in his native city, and by the early 1970s he owned and managed two fish-and-chip shops, one in Beechwood Avenue (Creggan) and another in William Street. Duddy knew Martin McGuinness in the 1960s when McGuinness worked for a supplier company delivering burgers to Duddy's shops - at a time when McGuinness's interest in politics was not yet kindled. ...

Last semester the Collection Development team ran a survey aimed at undergraduate students.  We asked a number of questions on reading list use and how students were finding using the new Reading List System.  There were 39 respondents across a range of disciplines with the majority coming from the School of Business and Economics.  Some of the key results were: 95% agreed they are more likely to read items from their reading list when they are easily accessible. 71% agreed or strongly agreed that the Reading List System makes preparing for exams, essays and projects more straightforward. 61% agreed that the Reading List System improved overall engagement with the course module. Some 37% neither agreed or disagreed with the statement. Survey Comments As often is the case with surveys, the comments were interesting: "I think it is a brilliant idea as it allows lecturers to provide students with the books they recommend or have used for a particula...

What do the lecturers mean when  they ask you to research your essays? Can you find good material on google? Are some sources more reliable than others? Are you expected to read every source you find? How do you know which sources to use? In a specially organised workshop on Tuesday 21 March at 2.30, we will answer these questions and to show how to use the library databases to brainstorm your topic, come up with original ideas, and identify the best sources for your essays.  https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/finding-excellent-sources-for-your-essay-tickets-32625092530 The workshop is suitable for both Arts and Science students.  It is free, but please register in advance  The presenters are Kris Meen and Ira Ruppo (AWC). 

The Library now provides access to  IOPscience extra , an archive of expanded content from the Institute of Physics . "IOPscience extra hosts some of the most sought-after articles in science today, providing international breakthroughs and pioneering achievements from prolific researchers."   The new content includes:   The complete IOP journal archive Comprising more than 700,000 articles, the database is an indispensable resource for the physics community containing    every IOP article published since 1874.   The Physics World Archive Physics World is widely recognised as the world’s must-read magazine in physics. You can now access every article published since the magazine’s launch in 1988.   New for 2017 – two journals from the American Astronomical Society The Astronomical Journal   the Astrophysical Journal The Astrophysical Journal alone received the highest number of citations of all journals in its JCR ...

Over the past year, more and more of our database providers have worked to increase the security of their resources. In addition to this, databases are becoming more technically complex and offer a huge suite of options for you to choose to make your research better. However, the increase in security and complexity means that Internet Explorer regularly has problems when trying to display content from these databases. Problems include false security warnings, .pdfs of articles not displaying, even the layout of the database not displaying properly. As a result, we would recommend using either Google Chrome , Mozilla Firefox , or Safari as the best browsers to maximise your search experience, and make the full range of database tools available to you. In addition, the recent security upgrades on all these browsers will ensure a safe web experience. As always, we would reccommend accessing our resources by searching the Library catalogue, and signing into your campus account.