The final of a three-part series on the AU Library. See parts one and two.
The AU Library’s core service is to support “students in AU courses by collecting online, print, and audiovisual resources in subject areas taught at the university, and making these available to the AU community.” Additionally, the library’s staff provide assistance to students in areas such as developing effective research strategies and assistance with research.
Besides students, the library serves AU staff, faculty, tutors, as well as alumni. Information on services for AU students can be found by selecting Services from the horizontal navigation menu. In this article, we take a look at some of the services and resources for students on the AU Library’s newly updated website.
Library Catalogue
The library’s heart is the catalogue, known as AUCAT. You can search directly from the library’s homepage, or go to the Library Catalogue page for extended options. Dive right into a search or take the tutorial to develop the best search strategies?we looked at the tutorial more closely in last week’s article. An interesting link in the left-side menu of the library catalogue page is New Materials. Ninety-two books were added in September, plus 3374 e-books, and they’re listed for your browsing?and procrastination?pleasure. If you can’t find what You’re looking for in the catalogue, contact the library for assistance.
Find Resources
The Find Resources section on the AU Library website is a student’s prime source for journal articles, primary source materials, dissertations and theses, images, audio, and video. Since many university courses require research, students may spend a lot of time here.
You’ll reach the Find Resources section through the horizontal navigation menu. There are several types of resources available here including journal articles; books and media; image, audio and video; and open access resources. Under Other Resources you’ll find a wealth of resources, including atlases and maps, data and statistics, government documents, and theses and dissertations. You can also click on Resources by Subject or Title to browse resources by subject, title, or type.
Need help getting started? Use the Research Topic Form, available from the Services menu, to get help from an AU Reference Librarian
Get Help
The new AU Library website features an expanded Get Help section. Accessed from the horizontal navigation menu, students will find resources to help them “learn how to learn” as well as how to search for resources. In the Get Research Help section, you’ll find general information as well as specific research guides for such study areas as legal, psychology, and women’s studies, among others. The Citing & Referencing section includes links to resources for all major citation formats.
RefWorks
This resource allows students to organize and maintain bibliographical references and citations direct from the reference’s source. Provided by an external source, ProQuest, RefWorks requires a bit of an up-front time investment to set up and learn how to use effectively. To register for a RefWorks account, click on the link at the AU Library home page and follow the instructions?it only takes 2 minutes. Once You’re in your RefWorks account, click on Help, then Tutorial. Here you’ll find ProQuestRefWork’s Youtube channel with a series of video tutorials. Start with the “Learn to Use RefWorks in 20 Minutes” tutorial to get the basics. You can access the Youtube tutorials even if you haven’t yet set up a RefWorks account.
There are more services and resources on the AU Library site than can be summarized here. Browse around the website to find information on AUSpace, the Digital Reading Room, the new Discover search tool, and others.
In most areas of the AU Library site, you’ll find links to guides and tutorials to help you use the service effectively. As always, if you have any questions about the library, You’re welcome to contact them directly by e-mail at library@athabascau.ca or by phone at 1-800-788-9041, ext. 6254.
Barbara Lehtiniemi is a writer, photographer, and AU student. She lives on a windswept rural road in Eastern Ontario
