Category: Library

Explore the Library this Info Day – Saturday 15 December

Posted on by Library Administration
sydney university staff taking guided tour

Discover more about the Library & see what your future might look like as a University of Sydney student.

This Info Day, join us in a tour of Fisher Library, explore our spaces and learn about the fantastic facilities and support available to you as a student through your studies at University. Tours will run throughout the day.

Info Day is also the perfect opportunity to discover ThinkSpace – our technology-driven, creative play-space that provides you with the opportunity to collaborate, design and create interesting things using new technologies. Come in and and try our 3D printer, or experience the world of virtual reality with Oculus Go. Our friendly staff will be on hand to explain the technologies, answer questions and show you some of the other great features of our libraries.

Where: Fisher Library Foyer

When: Saturday 15 December, 10.00am – 2.00pm

virtual reality at ThinkSpace usyd

 

True to Type

Posted on by Library Administration

If you have ever created a digital document, chances are you’ve come across the terms Italic, Roman, and Sans Serif.

This exhibition tells the story of these three enduring letter-form classifications, through early examples drawn from Rare Books & Special
Collections.

When: 25 October 2018 – 31st January 2019

Where: Fisher Library, Level 3  Corridor & SciTech Library, glass cabinets

Changes to Document Delivery and BONUS+ services

Posted on by Library Administration
book shelves in Fisher Library

The Library is making some changes to the way it supplies material that isn’t held in our collections.  From Monday 22 October 2018 access to the Bonus+ service will be phased out, and clients will be able to use the Document Delivery service for all future requests.

As part of this change the Document Delivery Services is being extended to undergraduate students for a trial period. From Monday 22 October 2018 undergraduates will have access to requesting 10 items per academic year from hundreds of member libraries across Australia within the Libraries Australia Document Delivery (LADD) service. Researchers and post graduate students will continue to use the service as normal.

Find out more about document delivery services on our Library website.

Tips for Productivity and Stress Management

Posted on by Library Administration
students studying

We know exams are tough, so here’s some pro tips to help you through.

  1. Make a list of specific tasks you want (or need) to complete.
    Assign a timeframe and a deadline for these and map them out in a diary or calendar, planning for time to work on them. Still struggling to stay motivated? Come along to one of the Library’s Shut up & Study sessions.
  2. Multitasking doesn’t work – limit distractions.
    No checking of phones or social media! Your productivity depends on it. Focus.
  3. Stop occasionally to tidy up your desk or your surroundings.
    Psychological studies have found that a cluttered work environment impacts negatively on your psyche – if your work space is cluttered, so is your mind. Organise your environment and de-clutter. This has been shown to place you in a lighter and less “heavy-feeling” mental state.
  4. Take a nap. You’ve earned it!
    If you are feeling drained and tired, taking short naps can help refuel your energy. Studies have shown that 20 mins of nap time is optimum for quick recovery, without leaving you feeling drowsy. Feel free to try out the sleep pods in Fisher Library.
  5. Fuel your body with the right stuff.
    Healthy, low-GI food helps fuel your brain! Start your day off right with a free breakfast in Fisher Library. We’ll also be handing out free fruit and herbal tea across our libraries to keep you going.
  6. Just highlighting doesn’t work – get creative with your notes.
    This can help you process and make sense of the information you have taken note of during class time and during study. It allows you to form your own understanding of what you’re learning and summarise it in a way that makes sense to you. By the time you finish this process, it will mean that you have internalised, structured, and therefore learnt the content you are studying.
  7. Share some positivity with a friend or peer.
    What goes around comes around – give support and you will receive support in return. Send a kind message to a classmate or check out the positivity wall in the library and add a note to brighten a stranger’s day!
  8. Finally, schedule in time to take care of yourself.
    Go for a walk, breathe some fresh air, get some sunshine or head to one of the free yoga sessions running at Fisher Library. Regular exercise has been shown to increase serotonin and dopamine release (the “feel good” chemicals in your brain), which has proven to be the most effective “stress buster.” Head over to the Chill Out Zone in your nearest library for some games and craft to give your brain a break.

 

Combine these tips with some self-belief, a little determination and a good night’s sleep and you have yourself a solid approach to managing your stress and remaining productive.

We believe in you!

Check out all of the ways the library can support you this exam time.

 

students studying

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Knowledges Seminar Series: Perspectives on Gender

Posted on by Sarah Lorien
Flags Usyd

On Friday the 16th of November, we will be joined by three esteemed guests for our sixth and final seminar in the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Knowledges Seminar Series: Perspectives on Gender – Dr Sandy O’Sullivan, Laimena ‘Wilo’ Muwadda, and Darren Budda-Deen.

Dr Sandy O’Sullivan, an Aboriginal (Wiradjuri) woman, an Associate Professor in Creative Industries at the University of the Sunshine Coast, will speak about the ways that Queer First Nations’ Peoples are re/presented in museums of national significance, and will explore their roles in resisting and challenging reductive approaches to identity.

Wilo Muwadda, a Kalkatungu man (northwestern Queensland) and Alyawarr – Eastern Arrernte (Central Australia), will talk about the research for his recently completed Masters of Social Science at University of Sydney, which he has spent years discussing with elders from these regions to understand the on local lore in relation to perspectives on gender and sexuality.

Performing for over 35 years as Doreen Maganini in Melbourne and Sydney’s drag scene, Darren Budda-Deen will share his journey from small town boy to prominent entertainer within the LGBTI community. Darren’s Aboriginal descendants are the Kamilaroi tribe whose lands extend from North West NSW to Southern Queensland.

The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Knowledges Seminar Series presents a wonderful opportunity for those wishing to learn more about the rich cultures of our First Nations peoples.
Attendance is open to all University staff and students. We encourage you to register early, as spaces are limited. Book your place here.

 

Flags Usyd

Rare Bites: The Renaissance of Euclid’s Elements

Posted on by Dannielle Williams
Illustration from Euclid text

This talk is focused on the Preclarissimus liber elementorum Eulidis (1432), the earliest Latin edition of Euclid’s Elements printed in Europe. Through this work, Dr Kotevska will discuss the re-emergence of the Elements in the Renaissance after its long disappearance from European culture in the Middle Ages. Those who tasked themselves with restoring Euclid’s mathematical works in the Renaissance variously described their project as one of revival, restitution and instauration. Who were these restorers of ancient learning whose ambition it was to return the Elements to its place as a cornerstone of mathematical learning? And what, in their view, made Euclid so obvious a candidate for intellectual consideration?

When: 25 October 2018; 1-1.30pm

Where: Fisher Library, Level 2, Seminar Room (218)

Speaker: Dr Laura Kotevska

Register here

This talk will be presented by Dr Laura Kotevska, a lecturer at The University of Sydney, appointed in the Department of Philosophy and the Education Portfolio in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Her research concerns the intersection of moral philosophy and mathematics in the early modern era.

Rare Bites is a series of informal and entertaining 30 minute lunchtime talks held monthly during semester. “The Renaissance of Euclid’s Elements” is the sixth talk in Rare Bites 2018 series. If you want to learn about some of the treasures and lesser-known gems within Rare Books & Special Collections at the University Library, this is your opportunity.

https://news.library.sydney.edu.au/rare-books-the-art-of-mathematics/