Monthly Archives: October 2013

New research students join the Graduate School

Inductoct13A four day induction from 14th-17th October saw the Graduate School welcome a further 25 research degree students to the University of Northampton. Over the four days the students, from a wide range of disciplines, were introduced to the resources and services offered by the Graduate School and other departments across the University. They had the opportunity to present their research to each other and were given a warm welcome by University Services, Research Degree Boards and existing research students alike.

Many of our new research students are working professionals and academics, or are studying part time. Induction aims to welcome all new students, helping them to feel part of the University and giving them the perfect grounding for the long research degree road ahead.

Institute of Health and Wellbeing mapping workshops

Submitted by Katie Jones, Manager for the Institute of Health & Wellbeing

The internal launch of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing was used as an opportunity to gauge interest in a number of research themes and identify others.  We now have six themes that we’d like to explore in more depth with colleagues from across the University.

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Interlibrary loans: online requests now available

Submitted by Georgina Dimmock, Head of Academic Liaison, LLS

Library and Learning Services has launched a new online interlibrary loan form, making it quicker and easier for you to apply for and receive Interlibrary Loans. Using the new form you can submit online requests for books and journal articles for your personal use. To use the form, just follow the Inter Library Loan link from the Library catalogue and login with your usual library account details (user name and four digit PIN).

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‘Hunting down permissions’: fair use, copyright and academic publishing

I was particularly intrigued by the Slate article Executors or Executioners? by Joseph Thomas, the frustrated would-be author of a Shel Siverstein biography, not only because Silverstein is currently among my daughter’s favourite authors but also for the discussion of the chilling effect that ‘playing it safe’ with copyright can have on fair use and scholarly publishing.

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Unpicking social enterprise: the great debate

Date: Wednesday 27th November

Time: 12:30 to 13:30 (refreshments will be served from 12:15pm but feel free to bring your own lunch)

Place: Park Library TPod

In the first of our relaunched series of ‘Lunchtime in the library’ events, LLS have invited two eminent speakers to share their perspectives on social enterprise.

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Workshops for Early Career Researchers

The University of Northampton Graduate School are running an ECR Development Programme for staff who are “early-career researchers*.  We kick off on October 24th with Professor Ian Livingstone’s ‘What it means  to be a researcher’. All workshops are free to attend and all include lunch.

* For the purposes of this programme, we define early-career researchers as those members of University staff who are post-docs, have just completed a PhD, contract researchers, research assistants or research fellows in the early stages of their career

Mapping the landscape of child health and wellbeing research and development

Submitted by Dr Sarah Neill

Mapping the landscape of child health and wellbeing research and development at the University of Northampton

If you are working in the field of child health and wellbeing research, development or knowledge transfer, you are invited to a meeting to map the landscape at the University of Northampton in this area.

Please click on this Doodle poll to enter your availability.

We will advertise the best date and time plus the location of the meeting in the week beginning 4th November.

For more information please contact Sarah Neill or Jane Callaghan.

Weekly help desk service for researchers from LLS

The dates for this term’s ‘help desk’ slots are now up on the university website.

These slots provide you with the opportunity to drop in with your questions for the LLS Research Support team (Miggie and Nick).  We’d love to chat with you about:

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’23 things’ for research

Dr Scott Turner has just drawn my attention to this latest iteration of the ’23 things’ programme: 23 things for research.

The original ’23 things’ programme was designed by Helene Blowers at the public library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County in North Carolina.  Its purpose was to introduce participants to new and emerging technologies.  The programme involved a series of 23 tasks or ‘things’, each related to the use of a new tool or service, and lasted nine weeks.  As they used the new tools, particpants were expected to maintain a reflective blog on their experiences (Wilkinson and Cragg, 2010, p.29).

This version, ’23 things for research’, is organised by the University of Oxford and aims to “expose you to a range of digital tools that could help you in your personal and professional development as a researcher, academic, student or in another role” (Bodleian Libraries, 2012). It is open to non-Oxford folk.

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School of the Arts Research Seminar Series for Autumn/Winter 2013

We are pleased to announce the School of the Arts Research Seminar Series for Autumn/Winter 2013.

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