May 18 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a global event that shines a light on digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities.

University Libraries and the DAWN Network warmly invites you join in and learn more at an upcoming webinar ‘A Screen at the Table’.

Providing a screen at the table supports people with disabilities to participate in our community when a seat isn’t available. That’s why this Global Accessibility Awareness Day, University Libraries and the DAWN Network is encouraging everyone to reflect on how to provide screens (and not just seats) at the table for all members of our community.

Use this GAAD Eventbrite link to register for this wonderful discussion.

Library’s Virtual Reading Room

Experience extraordinary rare and special collections remotely using the University of Sydney’s Virtual Reading Room. The Virtual Reading Room uses special cameras and video conferencing to provide remote access to our special collections, making our Rare Books and Special Collections more accessible.

One hour sessions are free and bookings can be made to view either one boxed collection or, two individual items from the Rare Books and Special Collections – this could be a book, manuscript, script, photographs, glass negatives, or ephemera. Once a booking has been confirmed, participants are emailed a Zoom link.

Use this Virtual Reading Room web link to learn more, make a booking or contact a member of the team.

Improving the Library’s Digital Presence

The library is in the process of revamping its digital presence by building a new website. The goal is to revolutionise the digital experience for both students and researchers using University Library.

Inclusivity is at the forefront of the new website templates, which have been thoughtfully designed to prioritise an intuitive and enjoyable user experience for individuals with disabilities, including those who rely on assistive technology.

To ensure that the website is accessible to everyone, the team will be working alongside the University’s digital accessibility team to conduct usability testing and gather feedback from individuals with disability in the upcoming months.

R U OK? Day

R U OK? Day graphic
R U OK? Day graphic

This Thursday, 9 September is R U OK? Day. It’s a national day of action, to remind ourselves that every day is the day to ask, “are you OK?” if someone in your world is struggling with life’s ups and downs.

This year it’s more important than ever to check in with our friends and colleagues. There are some great activities you can join in through the University and lots of online resources to help you have those conversations with people around you.

Speed Meet and Chat

Friday 10 September 2:00 – 3:00pm

One of the toughest things about studying remotely during the pandemic is how hard it is to meet new friends!

For R U OK? Day the Library is hosting a special edition of our excellent socialising event Speed Meet and Chat!

Register here to join the fun!

Virtual Dance Workout Session

Thursday 9 September 9:00 – 9:30am

As an educator, Dr Ehssan Sakhaee focuses on balancing engagement and performance with overall wellbeing. Start the day by joining Dr Sakhaee for a 30-minute virtual dance workout. You’ll need a space of at least 2m squared.

Dr Sakhaee also runs regular online meditations.

For more information and to register for the Zoom event use this link.

R U OK? Day ‘lunch’ webinar

Thursday 9 September 12:30 – 1:30pm

Join the hosts and guest speakers in this online event to learn when and how to ask R U OK?, so you can have a conversation that could change a life.

You might laugh, you might cry but most importantly you’ll feel empowered because asking, “Are you OK?” when someone’s struggling with something big, something small, or nothing at all, shows them you care.

To register for the Eventbrite event use this link. If you can’t attend you’re encouraged to register and receive a recording of the event.

R U OK? Day x Ther-E-Paws

Thursday 9 September 4pm

Having ruff time? Need some paws-itivity? Join FASS Student Representatives and staff for Ther-E-Paws, an online therapy dog event discussing mental health and wellbeing.

Come along to de-stress, have discussions about mental health, meet our esteemed furry and four-legged guests, and introduce us to your own pets!

To register for the Eventbrite event use this link.

The R U OK? Day official website guides you through the steps you can take in starting a conversation and then how you can respond if that person needs help. There are also Zoom backgrounds and posters to download.

Welcome Week, Semester 2: the Library can’t wait to meet you!

cartoon graphic for welcome week 2021

Have you ever wondered what 5 million Library resources look like? The best way to get familiar with the services and facilities we have to offer is Welcome Week, Semester 2.

From Monday 2 August to Week 1 of Semester 2, we have a jam-packed schedule of awesome activities for you to take part in.

Learn about what study looks like at Uni with Welcome to your Library

Finding information at uni will probably be a bit different from what you’ve done in the past. At uni, you’re part of the scholarly conversation. Find out more about what that means, your responsibilities as a contributor, and how you can get the most out of it.

Get to know our friendly team at Meet the Library Online

The Library is a safe and inclusive community looking forward to welcoming you. Join us for an online Q&A session with Meet the Library Online. Our friendly team is here to answer all your questions about our services and how we can best support you to succeed at uni.

Meet your peers at Plan Your Semester & Think.Create.Innovate

Starting uni is exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming. Peer Learning Advisors are current students who will share with you their tips on how to manage your time, refine your study skills, or just look after yourself. Come along to Plan Your Semester to organise your semester well ahead and Think.Create.Innovate to discover the coolest and most innovative spaces on campus!

Make new friends at Uni with Speed Meet & Chat and Ni Hao Mate

One of the most exciting things about starting uni is meeting cool and interesting people! Come along to Speed Meet & Chat get a chance to meet heaps of people in this fast-paced session and Ni Hao Mate to learn about Chinese and Australian culture!

Check out our full program of events of the Welcome Week website.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Big [digital] Day Out

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HDRs – On Monday 29 October, join us for a day of expert knowledge sharing, discussions, and some inter-activity. Sessions will focus on the use of tools for productivity, organisation and research, and how we can use these things to create a helpful digital flow. The day will be run in 3 segments:

  • How to HDR: Wrangling your Digital Workflow
    Time: 1pm – 3pm
    To kick the day’s festivities off, this How to HDR session will focus on ways that you can control your digital workflow so that you can stay on top of it and have it serve you – not the other way around. Of course, there will be our famous pizza to conclude. We did mention festivities, didn’t we? It would be rude for us not to deliver.
  • How to Work with Research Data
    Time: 3pm – 4pm
    Not sure what tools to use to manage your research data? Not sure who to contact? Come along and meet with research data support staff from the Digital Curation and Data Team and the Research Data Consulting (Sydney Informatics Hub). Learn about data support services available across the University as well as platforms and tools to help you effectively manage your research data.
  • QuickBites: How to Avoid Digital Chaos
    Live streamed in ThinkSpace
    Time: 4:15pm – 4:45pm
    We’ll discuss the ability to manage data and evidence to formulate a critical argument, identifying evidence and secondary material that supports independent research projects, management and using large amounts of secondary material, and how to distinguish vital evidence from large amounts of primary sources.

To join us in Thinkspace for our Big [digital] Day Out click here to register.

If you’re at home that day and would like to register for the Quick Bites webinar from 4:15-4:45pm click here to register.

 

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Quick Bites: Webinar series

Man looking at documents on wall

The Library’s Quick Bites program – a series of short webinars targeted at postgrad researchers – is back for Semester 2.

Quick Bites are designed to make your research practices better, smarter, and faster. We’ll be covering topics such as using social media to increase engagement, publishing for impact, avoiding digital chaos, finding collaborators for your research and more…

Overcoming the challenges of higher degree research

Being an HDR student can be challenging. Join us at this half hour session, as we chat to a current PhD student about overcoming some of the unique challenges that Higher Degree Research students face.

Date: 7 September 2018

Time: 1:15-1:45pm

Now closed

 

Social media for research engagement

How do you get started in social media? How do you engage new audiences with your social media channels? Hear one researcher’s experience with social media, and how you can use social media to support engagement with your research.

Presenters: Dr Cameron Webb, Medical Entomologist & Pat Norman, Academic Liaison Librarian

Date: 14th September 2018

Time: 1:15-1:45pm

Now closed

 

Ensure your audience finds your paper

Join Academic Liaison Librarian Tom Goodfellow and Computational Evolutionary Biologist Simon Ho to find out how to increase the citation rates for your research through clear and effective authoring of titles, abstracts and keywords and improve the community impact of your research with the use of clear, accessible language.

Presenters: Simon Ho, Computational Evolutionary Biologist, & Tom Goodfellow, Academic Liaison Librarian

Date: 21 September 2018

Time: 1:15-1.45pm

Now closed

 

Strategic Publishing

Do you want to publish with impact? Learn about how to publish your articles strategically to maximise engagement with your audience. We’ll cover how to create a shortlist using useful tools, publishing in journals for maximum discoverability and more.

Presenters: Dana Slaven, University Library & Vindhya Hettige, Research Portfolio

Date: 28 September 2018

Time: 1:15-1:45pm

Now closed

 

Managing images in a manuscript or thesis

Not sure about how to find quality images for your thesis or attribute them? Join us to hear about managing digital images in your manuscript or thesis. By the end of this session you’ll know where to find information on creating a Figure List and attributing your images in line with your preferred citation style and will be able to find, manipulate and insert quality images into your manuscript.

Presenters: Celia Brown, Academic Liaison Librarian & Kayla Maloney, Data Analysis Officer

Date: 5 October 2018

Time: 1:15-2:45pm

Now closed

 

How to avoid digital chaos

Have you ever found yourself lost in (digital) paper? This session will discuss the best information management tips and how to avoid the chaos that comes with higher degree research.

We’ll discuss the ability to manage data and evidence to formulate a critical argument, identifying evidence and secondary material that supports independent research projects, managing and using large amounts of secondary material, and how to distinguish vital evidence from large amounts of primary sources.

Presenters: Associate Professor Nick Eckstein, Department of History, & Tess Aitken, Academic Liaison Librarian

Date: 8 October 2018

Time: 2:15 – 2:45pm

Now closed

 

Finding collaborators for your research

Why is research collaboration important? Join Academic Liaison Librarian Kamy Ooi, and HDR Coordinator Ben Breeds from the Sydney Business School, to hear about the tools you can use to identify potential collaborators for your work, including SciVal, InCites, ResearchGate and Twitter. We will also provide tips on how to manage your own research profile to promote yourself as a potential collaborator to others.

Presenters: Ben Breeds, Sydney Business School & Kamy Ooi, Academic Liaison Librarian

Date: 19 October 2018

Time: 1:15-1:45pm

Now closed

 

Text and Data Mining

Heard about Text and Data Mining (TDM) and wondering if it might be a good fit for your research? Find out what text and data mining is and how it can usefully be applied in a research context. Also learn about data sources for text and data mining projects and support, tools, and resources for learning more.

Presenters: Ryan Stoker, Research Data Officer and Gene Melzack, Digital Curation Officer

Date: 26 October 2018

Time: 1:15-1:45pm

Now closed