Forthcoming Distraction - last minute change

Factors beyond our control mean there's been a last minute change of date for this disruption.

THURSDAY 28TH AUGUST will be the noisy day in the library - particularly after 5.30pm

Forthcoming Distraction: Big Noise

I'm afraid that we're expecting a lot of noise disruption at some point in the week beginning August 25th 2008.

The builders tell us this should be the worst of the noise for the whole redevelopment project.

We don't know which days will be worst affected, but watch this space - we'll update this blog as soon as we know.

We know which day will be worst affected!

We apologise for this inconvenience.

SCOPUS now available

Support for research and teaching in the sciences and social sciences in Cambridge has received a major boost through a University Library subscription to Elsevier's Scopus database.

The Library's investment in Scopus represents one of the most significant enhancements to information provision in the sciences in the University for some years. During a trial earlier this year it scored very highly on content and usability with researchers and undergraduates alike, many of whom responded by requesting its continuation.

Developed in conjunction with researchers to provide an easily navigated single entry-point to the world's scientific information, Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database for the sciences and social sciences. Covering around 40% more titles than its rivals, it covers:

15,000 peer-reviewed journals from more than 4,000 international publishers, including coverage of:

• Over 1,200 Open Access journals


• 500 Conference Proceedings


• Over 600 Trade Publications


• Over 200 Book Series

33 million abstracts, of which:

• 16 million records include references going back to 1996


• 17 million pre-1996 records go back as far as 1869

Scopus also indexes 386 million scientific web pages, including 22 million patents from 5 patent offices. Web sources are searched via Scirus, and include author homepages, university sites and resources such as the preprint servers CogPrints and ArXiv.org.

Features include:

• Seamless links to full-text articles and other library resources
• Tools that give an at-a-glance overview of search results and refine them to the most relevant hits
• Alerts to keep users up-to-date on new articles matching your search query, or by favourite author

For access to Scopus go to http://www.scopus.com/.

Off-campus access using Raven passwords is expected to be available from Friday 22 August.

The database is updated daily. For more information on Scopus go to http://www.scopusinfo.com/

New sessions and a new calendar

New times and dates in August, September and October 2008 are available for Information Skills training sessions providing hands-on training in specific resources including:

• Cochrane Library
• PubMed
• Using NHS ATHENS to search for literature
• Library Introduction
• Finding e-Journals
• Literature searching for Junior Doctors
• Searching Web of Science

We're using Google calendars to list the sessions, so if you use iGoogle or Netvibes or pageflakes etc, feel free to add it to your page. (for example: http://www.netvibes.com/ilk21#training_diary_for_the_Medical_Library)

If the sessions do not suit you contact us to book an appointment at the Information Clinic - a session at a time that suits you, and tailored to your needs.

New eresources@cambridge website

Cambridge University Library has today officially launched eresources@cambridge http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources/.

The new site aims to provide library users with seamless access to a growing collection of subscribed electronic resources. It also has a redesigned help section, covering journal and database access for on and off campus users.

Users can also search for article citations and full text resources by using CrossSearch, a new federated searching service.

With CrossSearch, it is possible to simultaneously search over 300 key including CSA, Web of Science, Science Direct and major ejournal providers. In the advanced CrossSearch interface, multiple subject areas or specific resources can be searched at once. Users can order results with relevancy ranking and clustering options, then view citations and full text in the original native interface.

CrossSearch is available direct within the Cambridge domain(including the computers in the Medical Library's Wolfson Room. External (off campus) access is offered to University staff and students via their Raven username and password.

eresources@cambridge is the first step in a series of initiatives from the University Library aimed at promoting eresource use amongst all groups of Cambridge users.

It is available today at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/electronicresources

Good bye comfy seats!

Good bye comfortable chairs - for the duration of the library refurbishment, anyway.

If you are used to enjoying the comfortable chairs near the current journal racks, I'm afraid I have some bad news.

In order for us to redevelop the library offices to provide space for the seminar rooms we have planned, we have to move our mobile stacks (currently located in the library offices). They will be relocated on a temporary basis in the area beside the current journals.

From Friday 8th August we will be relocating the contents and the stacks themselves - this means noise and disruption!

Particularly noisy areas: Current journals, study carrolls beside the books.

We apologise for the inevitable disruption, and for the temporary loss of this seating area.

August Bank Holiday Monday

The Library will be open from 9.00am till 6.00pm on Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August 2008.