04 December 2015

First Impressions Survey Results 2015

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out our quick survey regarding your first impressions of the LRCs.

Key points


86% of respondents rated the the LRC staff as Good

We were really happy to receive so many positive comments about how friendly and helpful the LRC staff have been.  We will continue to follow our aim of developing a helpful and supportive service for students.

64% of respondents rated the Computers as Good

We have shared your feedback with IT staff and we will continue to work with them to reduce and/or find solutions to the problems experienced.

65% of respondents rated the Books as Good

We will continue to liaise with curriculum staff to ensure key texts are available but we welcome your feedback too. So let us know if we have a gap - it might be that the librarian hasn't seen your reading list yet.

64% or respondents rated the Decor as Good

We will work with Facilities to ensure that we provide an environment that is comfortable and suitable for study and learning.


Look out for the posters in each LRC which address feedback specific to that site.

Top e-books in November

This month the top spots are once again taken by IT, Tourism and Business.
Beauty Therapy and Construction hold onto a spot and we have a new entry for Teaching.


Here's November's chart (by pages viewed):

2105   BTEC Level 3 National in IT
1607   BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
827     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 1 
761     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 2
760     BTEC Level 3 National Construction and the Built Environment
357     Exploring corporate strategy: text and cases
312     Construction science
262     Beauty Therapy. - 2nd ed.
262     Exploring strategy: text and cases 
149     Practical teaching

03 November 2015

Top ebooks in October

This month the top spots are once again taken by IT, Tourism and Business.
Beauty Therapy hold onto a spot and we have several new entries for Construction and one for Counselling.


Here's October's chart (by pages viewed):

1939   BTEC Level 3 National in IT
1894   Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 1 
1131   BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
956     BTEC Level 3 National Construction and the Built Environment
872     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 2
586     Qualitative research in counselling and psychotherapy
271     Beauty Therapy. - 2nd ed.
241     Construction science
223     BTEC National Travel and Tourism Book 2 
216     Barry's Introduction to Construction of Buildings

13 October 2015

Half term opening hours

The LRCs will be open over half term at the times given below.

Guildford College

Monday - Friday                  9.30 - 4.30 (closed 12.30 - 1.30)

Merrist Wood and Farnham

Closed all week

12 October 2015

Top ebooks in September

It's a new academic year and it's time to see who has taken the first top spot in our e-book chart

IT take the early top spot in this month's chart but we also have  entries for Beauty Therapy, Tourism and Business

Here's September's chart (by pages viewed):

1388   BTEC Level 3 National in IT
725     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 2 
273     BTEC Level 3 National Business Book 1
211     Travel & Tourism for BTEC Level 3 National Book 1
123     Beauty Therapy. - 2nd ed.
91       ProActive Food and Drink Service Level 2
90       International Business
83       Sports training principles
83       Applied principles of horticultural sciences 
74       BTEC National Beauty Therapy Sciences

24 June 2015

Summer opening hours - 2015

Opening times may be subject to change at short notice so please check with the relevant LRC before travelling.

Guildford College

Monday 6 - Tuesday 7 July                       CLOSED
Wednesday 8 - Thursday 9 July                9.00 - 5.00
Friday 10 July                                            9.00- 4.30

Monday 13 - Tuesday14 July                    CLOSED
Wednesday 15 - Wednesday 19 August   9.30 - 4.30 (closed 12.30 - 1.30)

Monday 24  - Friday 4 September            9.30 - 4.30 (closed 12.30 - 1.30)


Merrist Wood

Monday 7 - Tuesday 8 July              9.00 - 1.00
Tuesday 14 July                               9.00 - 1.00

15 July - 21 August                          CLOSED

24 August - 4 September                 8.30 - 5.00


The LRCs will be closed on the bank holiday, Monday 31 August.

15 May 2015

Half term opening hours

All three LRCs will be CLOSED for the bank holiday on Monday 25 May

Guildford College

Tuesday*- Friday         9.30 - 4.30

Closed for lunch 12.30 - 1.30 everyday

* Please be aware the National Rail Strike may affect opening on Tuesday 26 May.

Farnham College

Wednesday - Thursday      9.00 - 5.00

13 April 2015

Opening hours update

Guildford College LRC

The opening hours at Guildford will be extended on a Friday afternoon for the six weeks between Easter and the Spring Bank Holiday.  Our new Friday opening hours will be:

8.45am - 6.00pm

We hope you appreciate the extra time and we extend a big thank you to the LRC staff who volunteered to work the additional hours.

25 March 2015

New look Key Note coming soon

Key Note is re-launching in the next few days.
 
Here’s what you can see on the new service.
 
  • Redesigned reports with better graphics and formatting to show you trends more clearly.
  • Clearer signposting of links between companies and markets to speed up your research.
  • Improved List Builder so you can add filters when creating your contact lists.
  • Enhanced ‘Favourite’ tool so you can select companies and people as well as market reports.
  • Easier to use Benchmarking tool still with five full years of data.
  
They're just adding a few last minute touches and expect the new site to be live as soon.

Easter opening hours

The Easter holidays will soon be upon us and so, if you plan to visit us, here are the opening times of the LRCs.

All three LRCs will be closed on the bank holidays:

Good Friday (3 April)
Easter Monday (6 April)

Farnham College


Tuesday 7 April     9.00 - 5.00
Thursday 9 April    9.00 - 5.00


Guildford College


Monday 30 March - Wednesday 1 April         9.30 - 4.30 (closed 12.30 - 1.30)

Merrist Wood


Monday 30 March - Wednesday 1 April        9.00 - 1.00

Tuesday 7 - Wednesday 8 April                    9.00 - 1.00

Opening times may be subject to change at short notice so please check with the relevant LRC before travelling

20 March 2015

World Book Week 2015

Thanks to everyone who participated in World Book Week.  This was run across all three sites of the Guildford College Group and impact differed accordingly.

Merrist Wood

Merrist Wood had an imaginative display which focused on where a book could take your imagination.  Access to different places was demonstrated by the theme of foreign travel.  It was represented via a trunk covered in travel stickers, and on top of it was a globe, travel guides and holiday accessories such as a sun hat and sunglasses.   Hung in a washing-line style above the issue desk were pictures of people reading books in unlikely places!
However, the 'piece de la resistance' had to be the life-size cardboard cut-out of 'fit' Anton du Beck, presumably to fuel romantic fantasies!  Questions were asked on arrows to suggest where your story would take you...  
A big thank you to LRC Assistant, Jackie Smith, also an experienced party organiser.  The displays were much-appreciated by library visitors who all had their day brightened.

Farnham

Farnham generated a lot of enthusiasm for the 'Location, Location, Location' quiz where there were an impressive 47 entries.  A big thank you to site librarian, Ingrid Whatmore, who has established good links with the English teaching staff .

Guildford

Guildford did well with the micro-stories.  We had 20 entries and most were very good efforts demonstrating superb imaginative skills.  A big thank you to supported learning students and teachers for their enthusiasm.
Fifty words is challenging in terms of writing a story.   However, we let everyone have four free words 'On my way to...'.  Sadly anyone going over the 50 word limit was disqualified from winning.
We had some suggestions on the book wall, kicked off by staff.   Books of interest included the following fiction titles:
  • Eric Carle: The very hungry caterpillar
  • Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl
  • Esther Freud: Hideous Kinky
  • Mark Haddon: The curious incident of the dog in the night time
  • EL James: Fifty shades of grey (1 of 3) 
  • EL James: Fifty shades darker (2 of 3)
  •  EL James: Fifty shades freed (3 of 3)
  •  Henry James: Portrait of a lady
  •  Pittacus Lore: I am number four
  • Ford Madox Ford: The good soldier
  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the time of cholera
  • Anne McCaffrey: Dragonsong
  • O'Hearn: Pegasus series - eg. The flame of Olympus
  • Karl Ore Knausgaard: Death in the family
  • Arundhati Roy: The god of small things
  • Graeme Simsion: The rosie project
  • Kathleen Tessaro: The perfume collector
And non-fiction:
  • BS7671 wiring regulations
  • Dale Carnegie: How to win friends and influence people 
  • Stephen Covey: The seven habits of highly effective people

Participation in the quiz was disappointing, but our winner was a worthy entry.

Winners at Guilford:


Location, Location, Location quiz - Petva Ivanova

Micro-story Winner - Rupert Turner (50 words)

Micro-story Runner-up - Lewis Gerrad (45 words) Highly Commended

Micro-story Commended - Alexandra Ross (47 words)

Micro-story Commended - Louise Jordan (45 words)

There were some good entries which exceeded the word limit.  Two notable ones are from Francis Terry and Katarina Feoce.














 




03 March 2015

World book week activities - in detail

It is world book week at the LRC.  It is celebrated in schools, colleges and libraries right across the UK.  It is to celebrate the joy of books and the positive role they play in our lives.

Books help one relax and escape to a more appealing place in a busy but hum-drum life.  They raise literacy levels and help feed our imagination.  Also they help inspire new writers.

About world book day

World book days is an annual event organised by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) to promote reading, publishing and copyright. 

In the UK it is celebrated on the first Thursday in March.  World Book Day is on Thursday 5 March 2015.

Activities on offer at Guildford College

At Guildford College we have three activities on offer: a ‘book wall’, ‘a micro-story’ and a ‘location, location, location quiz’.  Please support your LRC by taking part.

Prizes are available for the best story and highest quiz score. 

Book Wall

Join in the spirit of World Book Week by adding the name of a book which you think will help or bring joy to others.

My favourite book is ‘Hideous Kinky’ by Esther Freud which is about an adventure within a different culture to the UK.  It is easy to read and inspired me to go to Marrakech in Morocco.  The story was made into a film starring Kate Winslet.

What is your favourite book?   What benefit did you reap from it?  Why would you recommend it to others?

Micro-story

A micro-story involves writing a short story of up to 50 words.  The theme is ‘on my way to…’ and the aim is to take your imagination on a journey.

Where do you fancy going?  Have you any holiday destinations in mind?  Or perhaps you are embarking on a nightmare rather than a dream?

50 words is not much so every word will need to have impact.  It will be a challenge for many people to stay concise.

Finally a micro-story is a good way for people with writing ambitions to start out.  It is wise to stick to a simple plot.

Location, location, location quiz

Location, location, location is the buzz word in terms of buying a house.  To hit the jackpot, you buy in the right place at the right time at the right price.

In terms of the quiz, it is about identifying the location of 10 library items in terms of place, time and shelf number.  You can look at all 10 items on display.

Ironically it is shelf location that is the easiest category as there are only two possible formats (book fiction or dvd film).  It is really simple to work out!

Place is straightforward too as you can usually just look at the item and work this out.  Time is more challenging, especially if other items are in a similar timescale. 

The ‘Speedy Gonzalez’ amongst you can take a guess, but the ‘Dot the I’s and cross the T’s’ type may wish to conduct some research on your smartphone.  Useful websites include Amazon, Wikipedia and Schmoop.

Quizzes are fun and help one to learn.  We hope all those interested in books will have a go.  You have nothing to lose as answers are all guessable, so you could even be right without knowing!

Rewards

The prize for the short story and the quiz is a £10 Amazon voucher.  All those taking part can get a £1 World Book Day token.  Please ask at the issue desk for this.

Finally it is not the winning but the taking part!  Just participating will make you learn something.

That said, winning is something you can put on your CV…Good luck!


25 February 2015

World Book Week 2015 - Background on reading and literacy

World Book Week
Guildford College LRC – 2-6 March 2015

World Book Week is a chance to celebrate reading.  Reading is one of our most popular hobbies and libraries are the UK’s most significant provider of the reading experience.

Join in our three activities to celebrate World Book Week:

·        Book wall: recommend a book of your choice
·        Micro story: write a 50-word story
·        Location, location, location quiz: relating to books

Get a £1 World Book Day voucher for taking part.   Win a £10 Amazon voucher for the best story or quiz result.


Upward mobility

Literacy and life chances are strongly linked.  Reading develops literacy skills and helps break the cycle of disadvantage.  The habit of reading for pleasure has more impact than parental income and status on a young person’s academic achievement.



Sign of a strong economy

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) monitors both the number and types of books published per country per year.  It is an important index of standard of living, and of a country’s self-awareness.

The UK is number three in the league tables, reflecting a high interest in education.  It is only overtaken by China and the USA.  It is followed by the Russian Federation, Germany and Spain.


Live Statistics

There are live statistics on titles published this year.  It literally changes as you look at it!


Spoilt for choice
According to Google 130 million books have been published in modern history.  No one can possibly read all of them.

Many of us will fall into our ‘comfort zone’ of finding a few favourite authors and sticking to them. 

To learn effectively, it is to read broadly, picking out authors from different countries and cultures.  Some amazing books have been published by authors who have lived in far-flung corners of the globe.  Examples include The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (India) and The Famished Road by Ben Okri (Nigeria).

Literary prizes and reviews point us to up-and-coming authors.


Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the UK.  Prize winners have come from all over the world.



It is announced every November and the 2014 winner was The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, an Australian author.

Many titles that have won, or been short-listed, have been made into films.  Examples include The English Patient, Schindler’s List and The Life of Pi.


Next Blog

This will give you details of the World Book Week activities we have at the LRC.  Please contribute and take this opportunity to showcase your literacy skills.

03 February 2015

Half term opening hours

All three LRCs will be CLOSED on Friday 13 February for the staff training day

Guildford College

Monday - Friday         9.30 - 4.30

Closed for lunch 12.30 - 1.30 everyday

Farnham College

Monday - Tuesday     9.00 - 5.00
Wednesday - Friday   Closed

Merrist Wood College

Monday          9.00 - 4.00
Tuesday         9.00 - 4.00
Wednesday   Closed
Thursday        9.00 - 4.00
Friday             9.00 - 4.00

Closed for lunch 12.30 - 1.30 everyday

20 January 2015

LRC First Impressions Survey 2014 Results

Farnham, Guildford, and Merrist Wood LRCs

Thank you to everyone who took park in our First Impressions Survey in November 2014.  All three LRCs were involved and we got some really great feedback.

Our Survey Said - Our Response

STAFF:

100% of students overall rate the LRC staff 'Good' or 'Satisfactory'

We aim to... continue to develop a helpful and supportive service for students.

COMPUTERS:

86% of students overall consider the computers to be 'Good' or 'Satisfactory'

13% overall said the computers 'Could Be Better'

We aim to... continue to work with IT staff to help reduce the problems experienced in the LRCs in the first term.

BOOKS:

82% of students overall consider the books to be 'Good' or 'Satisfactory'

We aim to... continue to liaise with tutors to ensure key texts are available, including e-books.

DECOR / ENVIRONMENT:

88% of students overall consider the LRC decor and environment to be 'Good' or 'Satisfactory'

11% of respondents overall said the decor 'Could Be Better'

We aim to... continue to improve the environment and general décor at all LRCs to ensure that we provide an environment that is comfortable and suitable for study and learning.