It’s National Libraries Week this week, so this post is looking at my favourite things about the Library. In addition, this is the first post of my third year, so I’ll be sharing a few thoughts on my approach to third year.
The first thing I like about the Library is the building itself. I regularly study alone in the quiet sections and occasionally use the group study areas, such as for my group project for my business elective last year.
The second thing I like about the library is its psychology subject guide, which I found using the ‘Subject guides and support’ section of the library’s website. It is a collection of databases of books and journal articles usable in psychology research, such as Sage Research Methods Online, PsycArticles and ScienceDirect. I have used these resources for every research project in my degree so far, and I anticipate I will be using them much more this year for my psychology research dissertation.
The final thing I like about the library is its collection of Ebooks, which I search through using the advanced search function on the Library home page. As you’ll see in some of my previous blog posts, I was a late convert to Ebooks, previously thinking that they were no substitute for the physical copy. However, since last term I have been using Ebooks and getting the hang of them, and I have to say now I think they’re great. What spurred me into using Ebooks instead of the physical copy which I could have borrowed from the library was the speed and ease at which I could borrow them. It meant I didn’t have to go in to the Library and search for them and worry about when it was due back; instead I could just download the Ebook within seconds. In addition, I will often only want a book for a particular chapter that relates to the work I’m currently doing, and so it’s more efficient to download the Ebook than loan the physical copy. Also, it has to be said, the copy and paste function of Ebooks is a godsend.
This is my final year of my degree, which counts for 60% of my degree mark and I’m doing an independently run research project. My approach to studies in this final year will be to take a deeper dive into the material and literature so as to gain a full understanding of the subject but also to be up-to-date with the latest findings in the area. Therefore, I think this year it will be more important to continually read journal articles in the area I’m choosing to research (addiction). In addition, I plan to do more reading around the subject. For example, I’m currently listening to the audiobook on the Audible app of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Dr Gabor Maté – a popular book on the psychology of addiction. Furthermore, I intend to stay more on top of the essential reading for my modules on the new Canvas site, doing the reading before each lecture, rather than after.