Finding Books

       THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

The Library Catalogue displays information about the books in all the Birmingham City University Campus libraries. It tells you which library they are at, how many copies are available and their loan types. Books which are on loan or which are not held at your campus library can be reserved or requested. Electronic books are also listed on the catalogue as are print and electronic journals.

READING LIST CATALOGUE

Find the recommended texts for your course or modules. The online Reading List Catalogue will allow you to view the reading lists for your modules on-line and will enable you to link from the recommended book directly to the library catalogue. It will also provide you with direct links to other electronic resources such as journals, web sites, and e-books. Not all modules have their reading lists online.

Use your module code, tutor's name or module title to search for your recommended reading. Click here to access the Reading List Catalogue. Click here for a guide to using the Reading List Catalogue.

SHELFMARK

The books in all the libraries are organised by subject and each has a shelfmark number. The Library catalogue will tell you the shelfmark number for your books.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

The Libraries also have a number of special collections so occasionally the shelfmark will be given as, for example, Official Publications. By clicking on 'Show details'  where the copies are listed on the catalogue, the exact shelf location can be found.

Other special collections such as Quick Reference are marked by a QK before the shelfmark.

Many Central Government (including the Department of Health) documents are no longer collected as a matter of course by Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources. These can be accessed via the relevant Government web pages or a search engine such as Google.  Click here for guidance in finding these.

REFERENCE COLLECTION

Both the Mary Seacole and Kenrick Libraries have reference texts available, including general as well as subject specific dictionaries and encyclopaedias. These are not available for loan.

RESERVATIONS

You can reserve a book if it is already out on loan, or at another campus library. Look the book up on the Library Catalogue, if all copies are on loan, click on Place Request then follow the instructions on how to reserve a book.

If the book is at another campus library, an Inter-site Loan request can be made.

If the book you require is not held at any of the libraries an Inter-Library Loan request should be made. For more information on this service please ask at the Kenrick Library Enquiry Desk on Level 2 or the Mary Seacole Library Enquiry Desk in the Reference area.

E-BOOKS

e-Books are digital versions of print books - available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week from any location in the world.

E-books can now be accessed in different ways :

1) via the library catalogue - as with print books there will be an entry on the catalogue.  
2) Also you can go to http://library.bcu.ac.uk/footerd.htm#MYILIBRARY where you can browse our complete collection of our books - which is continuing to grow!

Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources also make available via UCEEL book chapters requested by your tutor. These can be identified via the Library Catalogue or your course reading lists.
 

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Finding Journals

Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources provide you with access to nearly 300 health related journal titles in print and online as full-text electronic journals. The years covered vary so always check the Library Catalogue for titles and years available or the Health Subject Related Journals listing. The most effective method of accessing the content of the journals is to use an appropriate database. Some of the databases also provide links to the electronic full-text version of the journal.

If you are having trouble using any of our databases, make sure that you ask for help at your library’s Enquiry Desk.

Printed copies of journals are shelved in the Reference area of the Mary Seacole Library and on Level 2 in the Kenrick Library.

Using the Library Catalogue to find journal titles

The Catalogue lists the location of the journal, which years the Library holds, the last issues received, and provides a direct link to the full-text version if one is available. It does not list the content and should not be used as an alternative to a database for subject searching.

To perform a journal search using title:

1. Enter the title of the journal in the Title field.
2. Change the Collection field (using the drop-down menu) to Journals Catalogue.
3. Click on Search  

When the catalogue gives a result, to see where the title is located click on Show Library Holdings. To see if individual issues have been received, click on Show all issues.

To perform a journal search using subject:
(This should be used when trying to establish which journals the Library holds on a broad subject area. For journals such as the Nursing Times, which have a broad subject profile, only the broadest keywords are useful - Critical Care will not find the Nursing Times)

1. Enter the keyword(s) in the Keyword field. The keyword search will not find specific subjects but only broad subject areas such as Health Services.
2. Change the Collection field (using the drop-down menu) to Journals Catalogue
3. Click on Search

The Catalogue will then list all the journal titles which feature the keyword as primary content. To see where the title is located click on Show Library Holdings. To see if individual issues have been received, click on Show all issues.

PHOTOCOPYING AND PRINTING JOURNAL ARTICLES

You cannot borrow journals from Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources, but you can photocopy articles or print a copy from the electronic full-text version (if available). In both instances a copy (photocopied or printed) must be made in accordance with the relevant Copyright Acts and the terms of the Birmingham City University licence. For further information click here. This applies to printing copies off-campus as well.

PASSWORDS

Some of the full-text electronic journals require a password for use off-campus. For more information on these click here.

Inter-Library and Learning Resources

If your campus library does not hold the journal article that you need, you can request specific journal articles using the Inter-Library and Learning Resources. For more information on these please ask at Kenrick Library Enquiry Desk on Level 2 or the Mary Seacole Library Enquiry Desk in the Reference area. There is a small charge for this service.

Referencing Journal Articles

The Faculty of Health and the Library have produced guide to referencing. Click here to view the guide. There is also an online guide to referencing on Moodle entitled Study Success with Less Stress. Click here to access this module.

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Finding Journal Articles

Databases provide a means of searching large quantities of information in a systematic way. Different databases serve different purposes and may give differing perspectives on a subject.

For a list of Health databases to which Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources subscribes click here.

For a list of Law databases to which Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources subscribes click here.

For a list of all the databases to which Birmingham City University, Library and Learning Resources subscribes click here.
 

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       Finding Information on the web

The Internet contains many thousands of pages that are potentially of relevance to Health students. Many are provided by individuals or by commercial companies and the reliability of their content cannot be guaranteed. Here are a selected few that are representative, authoritative or just interesting. The last category contains pages that will help you evaluate the content of other pages. Like all material, you should always check the source before trusting its content. On the internet, as with all sources, it’s important to use your own judgement and be sure that you establish the credentials of any material you are considering, especially if it is in your coursework.
 

Subject Gateways and Portals

Subject portals offer lists of other websites often organised around a single subject area or user-group perspective. Some of these are sponsored by academic or governmental institutions signified by the domain .ac.uk (as in uclan.ac.uk ) or .gov.uk (as in doh.gov.uk). Only accredited institutions are allowed to register sites in these domains. Using domain searching as part of an internet search strategy can considerably improve the accuracy and efficiency of a search. It enables you to restrict a search to just, for example, the Department of Health. For more information on domain searching, click here.

NMAP
A guide to quality internet resources in nursing, midwifery and allied health professions. Part of the BIOME group of web sites, government sponsored and a leader in promoting quality information on the web. The site includes published evaluation guidelines.

NursingNet UK
A site with the mission to further the knowledge and understanding of nursing for the public and to provide a forum for information about nursing. NursingNet UK is a family run business that has been established to provide information services and training for nurses. The principal directors of NursingNet UK are qualified nurses.

BUBL
BUBL catalogue of selected UK internet resources. Subjects related Health Care are listed under 600 Technology and Social Care under 300 Social Sciences

Government Web Pages

National Electronic Library for Health
The National Electronic Library for Health. Most of the services are free, but the NeLH also gives NHS staff access to resources they can access with their NHS Athens Password. This is like the University Athens Password but is only available from the NeLH site or from your local NHS library.

Department of Health
The web site of the Department of Health. Provides links to official reports, publications and legislation.

National Health Service
This new NHS Gateway has been introduced to make finding health information on the Internet, quicker and easier. It will provide you with the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the NHS and general health issues, bringing together access to a wide range of health related websites through a simple to remember address - www.nhs.uk

Clinical Evidence
Clinical Evidence is freely available to NHS staff, patients and the public in England through the National electronic Library for Health. It provides a regularly updated guide to evidence about the effectiveness of care.

 

Professional Organisations

Nursing and Midwifery Council
The regulatory body governing Nursing and Midwifery. All NMC publications and those still current from the UKCC are available in full.

Health Professions Council
The regulatory body governing non-medical/nursing professions in healthcare including Speech and Language Therapists, Radiographers, Paramedics, Operating Department Practitioners and Physiotherapists.

General Social Care Council
The regulatory body for social care workers.



Guidance in using search engines effectively

Click here for guidance on using the domain search option in search engines such as Google or Search.com. This can save a lot of time and effort in finding material from organizations such as the Department of Health.

Referencing Web Pages and Documents

The Faculty of Health together with the Library have produced a referencing module on Moodle, "Study Success with Less Stress" and an accompanying PDF guide. Click here to access the module and view the PDF guide.