International Students
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Getting Started
Starting out at university in the UK will provoke many questions. In this section we aim to answer the main library questions you have.
Q. What does Library and Learning Services do?
A. There are three libraries at UEL based at Docklands, Stratford and Duncan House campuses, where you can study and find books and journals related to your course. Staff are there to help you find resources and assist you with enquiries. We can give you advice on the correct way to reference your work and advise you on the best databases to use for a specific assignment. We also have a large electronic collection including journals, books, and databases which staff can help you to search.
Q. When are the libraries open?
A. Our libraries are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during teaching time. During the vacation, we generally open between 9am and 9pm but check our web pages for more accurate times.
Q. How do I search for a book/journal?
A. Use our Library Search page to browse our resources, both in print and online. This is searchable from anywhere in the world so you can get started before you arrive! Once you have found the item you are looking for, make a note of the shelf number (for example, 658.022 SCA) as this will allow you to find it on the shelves in our libraries.
Q. How do I borrow a book?
A. All you need is your student card as this is also your library card and allows you to borrow up to 15 items from the library at any one time. We have self service machines to allow you take books without queuing up at the Service Desk and after staffed hours. To use these machines, you will need to set up a PIN number at a library help desk. Please ask a member of staff for more details.
Q. What are electronic resources?
A. Electronic resources are any book, journal or database which is available online. Whilst we have many thousands of print books and journals, the vast majority of our collection is now online. Our eBooks and eJournals are all found via the Library Search button on the Library home page. Also on the library homepage is a link to our databases page where you can choose to search through thousands of online articles with a few keywords or phrases. For more help on how to search databases, please see our Info Skills site.
Q. How do I view an online journal?
A. To view an online journal, simply open up Library Search and click on the A-Z journals button. Once this box opens, type in the name of the journal that you wish to search or the subject you are studying (for example, human resources or engineering). All the journals we have related to that search will appear, so choose the one most appropriate to your search and click on the title. This will take you through to a holdings information page, where you can choose a link that will open up the journal and let you view the issues we subscribe to and search through them.
Q. Who can help me with a subject-specific enquiry?
A. We have a team of dedicated subject librarians for each School at UEL. Please see the list on our subject support pages to see who can help with your subject.
Q. How do I stay in touch with the library?
A. You can view your library account at any time by signing in to our Library Search page with your UEL network username and password, where you can also reserve books. We have accounts with Facebook and Twitter as well, so you can stay up to date with any library developments and news.
Q. Who is the international student liaison for the library?
A. We have a dedicated member of staff to help you adjust to using our library and picking up information skills, Simone Okolo. Simone understands many of the issues you will be dealing with as she was once an international student herself. For help with your particular area of study, please see your subject librarian.
Q. Does anyone in the library speak my language?
A. We have some members of staff who are happy to converse in your home language:
- Simone Okolo (Docklands and Stratford Libraries) – Ibo
- Bhavna Bhagubava (Stratford Library) – Hindi and Gujarati
- Cedrick Nosa (All Libraries) – German and Edo
- Preeti Patel (Duncan House Library) – Gujarati, Hindi and Punjabi
- Robin Stinson (Docklands and Stratford Libraries) – German and French
- Anna Knox (Docklands and Stratford Libraries) – Italian
- Ella Mitchell (Docklands Library) – Welsh (basic)
- Win Pang (Duncan House Library) – Cantonese (basic)
- Gurdish Sandhu (Docklands Library) – Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu
- Adjoa Boateng (Docklands Library) – French
- Marina Burroughs (Docklands Library) – Romanian
- Jeanette Nsinga (Docklands Library) – French and Lingala (Congolese)
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