New Study Skills section at Leamington LRC

All of the Study Skills books have been shelved together in a new section of the library and can be found at the following class numbers:

Study skills: 001.42

Writing essays and assignments: 001.43

Data collection & questionnaire design: 001.433

Exam technique: 001.5

We hope that you will find this new section useful. If you need any help to find the books you need, please ask any member of the LRC staff!

posted by Sophie

Journals for arboriculturalists!

The LRC has a range of journals covering different aspects of arboriculture.  They can be found on the shelves and the carousel behind Student Services. 

• Arboriculture Journal – International Journal of Urban Forestry
• Arboricultural Association Newsletter (www.trees.org.uk)- published four times a year
• Broadleaf – magazine of  The Woodland Trust – published twice a year
• Essential Arb
• Forest Life – by the Forestry Commission
• Forestry Journal – published monthly
• Quarterly Journal of Forestry – official publication of the Royal Forestry Society – published four times a year
• Tree News – published by the Tree Council (www.treecouncil.org.uk) – published twice a year
• Woodland Heritage Journal – published yearly

We also receive regular information from “The Tree Advice Trust” who provide an Arboricultural advisory and information service covering:

• Arboricultural Practice notes
• Tree Damage Alerts
• Assistance with Arboricultural reading

There are some copies of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry (Scientific Journal of the International Society of Arboriculture) from 2001 to 2007.

So as the nights draw in and the days get colder, pop into the LRC at Moreton Morrell and settle down with some interesting reading.

Posted by Cathy

Extinction: Where Will It Stop?

The 2009 edition of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species was released yesterday, and the news wasn’t good: out of 47,677 assessed species, 17,291 (36 percent) are threatened with extinction.

These include 21% of all known mammals, 30% of amphibians, 70% of plants and 35% of invertebrates. The breakdown of the endangered species’ status on the new IUCN list is as follows:

• Extinct: 809
• Extinct in the Wild: 66
• Critically Endangered: 3,325 (of these, 257 species are listed as “possibly extinct”)
• Endangered: 4,891
• Vulnerable (to extinction): 9,075
• Near Threatened: 3,650

Last year’s list assessed 44,838 species; information on more than 2,800 additional species has been added in 2009. This includes more than 1,300 previously unassessed dragonflies and damselflies, of which the IUCN recently completed a major new study.

Amphibians seem to be facing the greatest threat, with 1,895 of 6,285 assessed species in danger of extinction. One amphibian species, the Kihansi Spray Toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis), has been moved from the IUCN’s critically endangered list and is considered extinct in the wild. This toad was only found in the Kihamsi Falls area of Tanzania and its population has crashed from a high of about 17,000 in recent years. Conservationists suggest that this is as a result of a dam being constructed upstream from the toad’s habitat, which resulted in a 90% reduction in the flow of water.

“These results are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Craig Hilton-Taylor, manager of the IUCN Red List Unit, in a prepared statement. “There are many more millions [of species] out there which could be under serious threat.”

For further information, visit www.iucn.org

posted by Kathy & Sophie

Books for Sale

Come and check out the variety of second hand books we have for sale in the LRC at the Moreton Morrell site – these cover a host of subjects including Accounting, Agriculture, Animals, Business, Construction, Crops, Engineering, Horses, Horticulture, Marketing – the list goes on. 

We also have a large number of fiction books for sale too – all starting from as little as twenty pence!!! 

Grab a bargain.  See for yourself – opposite the Horticultural section on the ground floor!

Posted by Claire

 

New Codes of Practice on Equine Diseases for 2010

Each year, the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) updates and publishes Codes of Practice on:

Venereally transmitted bacterial diseases caused by the contagious equine metritis organism CEMO, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA); Equine herpesvirus (EHV); Equine coital exanthema (ECE); Equine infectious anaemia (EIA); Guidelines on Strangles.

Any of the above diseases can have serious consequences for horse and pony breeding. They can compromise welfare, disrupt breeding activity, cause economic loss to mare and stallion owners and are costly to deal with.

The Codes of Practice set out minimum recommendations for the prevention of these diseases and for their control, should they occur, during horse or pony breeding activities. The recommendations apply to all breeds of horse and pony, and to both natural mating and AI.

 Copies are available FREE from MM LRC, whilst stocks last. 

Download your own copy from http://www.hblb.org.uk/sndFile.php?fileID=58

posted by Steph

Book Swap

Engineering and motor vehicle e-books at the LRCs

The LRC now has 11 engineering and motor vehicle e-books that can be accessed via the library catalogue on the LRC Intranet pages or through the following the link: http://webopac.warkscol.ac.uk/vs/List.csp?SearchT1=engineering&Index1=Keywords&Database=1&BoolOp2=AND&SearchT2=motor+vehicle&Index2=Keywords&BoolOp3=AND&SearchT3=&Index3=Keywords&Year1=&Year2=&PublicationType=EBOOK&Price1=0&Price2=99999&Profile=Default&NumberToRetrieve=50&OpacLanguage=eng&SearchMethod=Find_3&SearchTerm1=engineering&SearchTerm2=motor+vehicle&SearchTerm3=&PreviousList=Start&PageType=Start&EncodedRequest=*09*2C1*2E*D6o*A3p*83QZ*A8*1C*9D*90j&WebPageNr=1&WebAction=NewSearch&StartValue=1&RowRepeat=2&MyChannelCount=

Here is a selection of the titles available:

Light and Heavy Vehicle Technology

 By M. J. Nunney

4th edition

 

 

ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook

 By David Hoyle

 6th edition

 

 

 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations : inspection, testing and certification

 By Brian Scadden

 6th edition

 

 

 Power Generation Handbook

 By Philip Kiameh

 

 

 

posted by Sophie

Wind Farms : do you have a problem with wind?

Government legislation requires that by 2010 10% of electricity supply must come from renewable sources. Wind power is currently the most cost effective alternative energy and produces no greenhouse gas emissions or waste products. There are a number of websites outlining the facts and myths about wind energy and the impact wind farms have on the environment, countryside and wildlife.

 We are all too well aware of the need for alternative sources of energy, however, how would we feel if they impacted on our own backyard?

Currently there is a proposal to erect up to 6 wind turbines on farmland close to the villages of Knightcote, Gaydon, Northend and Bishops Itchington (http://www.starboldwindfarm.co.uk/).

With the very real prospect of windfarms being built in our local area, is it time we found out about the facts and myths of wind energy for ourselves and ask ourselves: are wind farms good or bad for the environment; is beauty is in the eye of the beholder; or are they just a blot on the landscape?

posted by Lucy

Are you hungry for nutritional info.?

New 2009

If you are studying horse nutrition at an introductory level, then this is the ideal book for you. It covers the current syllabuses set out by equine science and management courses, and is particularly suitable for those who lack background knowledge in science.  

 

 

4th edn., 2008

 This book has been revised to reflect the current understanding of nutritional and dietary requirements. It includes new information examining the role of nutrition in common chronic diseases, as well as end-of-chapter exercises & key point summaries. A CD-ROM with PowerPoint presentations for each chapter covers self-assessment tests, clinical problems, a virtual laboratory, and a program for nutrient analysis and meal evaluation. The author uses concise, authoritative language to emphasize and describe the underlying biochemistry that is essential to an understanding of nutrient function. With clear and simple diagrams, the text explores the physiological need for food and describes the metabolic pathways, their integration and control, and the biochemical basis of their nutritional and physiological importance. 

The first and only nutrition book written with the special needs of your performance dog in mind. An excellent resource for determining what food is best for your dog to enhance working ability, also a great reference when special nutritional situations arise. It will help you discover why different types of performance dogs have different nutritional requirements;  how to make your dog a top winner with simple nutritional recommendations;  the benefit of certain nutrients and how they promote peak performance;  & how to find nutritional solutions to performance problems.  

posted by Pippa

Huge selection of ebooks now available through ebrary!

Along with all the books on the shelves in the LRCs across Warwickshire College’s six sites, members of the college can now access a massive selection of electronic ebooks through ebrary on their computers! Access the ebrary site via the LRC’s intranet page by clicking on the ‘Digital library’ link followed by the ‘Ebrary Collection’ link, or visit http://site.ebrary.com/lib/warkscoll/home.action

Listed below is sample of the ebrary functions that enable users to get the most out of their library resources:

• Search by choosing simple or advanced (by keyword, full-text, publisher, or author).
• Instantly open documents in QuickView by clicking on a book jacket or title. No downloads or installations are required.
• Navigate using the table of contents, which shows search results at the chapter level. You may also navigate to every occurrence of your search term in a document, flip through pages, or go to specific page numbers.
• Use ebrary InfoTools™ to expand your research to other library resources and information on the web. Many InfoTools features can be activated by selecting words of interest in a document.
• Copy and print with automatic citations. Use Preferences on the InfoTools menu to choose from four citation styles. ebrary citations include a URL back to the source.
• Highlight text with or without notes and post multiple notes to a page. They are automatically stored on your personal bookshelf.
• Create a personal bookshelf to automatically save an archive of your highlights and notes as you conduct research. Unless you create a bookshelf and sign in before annotating any documents, your annotations will not be saved.

posted by Sophie

New Health & Safety books website

From 1 September 2009….

The Health & Safety Executive has made the content of approx. 230 of their priced publications freely available through their HSE Books website. These mainly include HSE’s ‘HSG’ and ‘L’ series of publications.

The content of these priced publications are now freely available in PDF format. Printed hard copies can also be purchased through the new website. The option to view a PDF is shown under the paragraph headed ‘Downloads’ on the relevant page for each publication within the new site.

HSE has from the outset, made some 50 or so of the most popular titles freely available in ‘printer friendly’ format. The remaining titles will be converted to this format by 31 March 2010.

Posted by Steph

What LRC staff can do for you….!

View from upstairs

Welcome to College life in the countryside here at Moreton Morrell.  Getting to the shops may be a bit of an issue, but take a closer look at some of  the things you can access from the Learning Resource Centre right on your doorstep.

We know this is a busy time with lots to take in with inductions, masses of paperwork and form filling. Once you have enrolled & ‘found your feet’ come along to the LRC and meet the friendly staff who are all keen to support you with your studies.

Find out how to log-in to the PCs & check your student email. Come & browse our catalogue ‘Aquabrowser’ & learn how to reserve & renew your books online, even from home. Grab the latest films on DVD before someone else does.

Whether you prefer to find your information on the Web, or curl up in the corner with a good book – we have something for everyone!  We are looking forward to getting to know you!

Posted by Steph

Welcome to the LRC Blog!

A big “Welcome!” to all new students and ”Welcome Back!” to the rest of you! Here’s hoping you had a nice break, and the transition back into ’study mode’ isn’t too hard on the brain!

For those of you that are new to the LRC blog, this is a place where our staff post all kinds of information for your interest and reading pleasure, covering a wide scope of interests, topics and resources relevant to college courses.

Why not drop us a line and let us know what you want to hear more about. This is YOUR blog, YOUR LRC and we want to hear from YOU!

Wishing you all the best in the new academic year and the coming term!

posted by Sophie

HEART OF ENGLAND IN BLOOM @ PERSHORE

An award ceremony was held at Pershore Abbey on Wednesday 3^rd September for winners of the Heart of England in Bloom competition.    Pershore town gained a Gold award in the small town category.  Activities identified within the portfolio were undertaken by staff and students at Pershore College.  Our own Alan Gregg is Chairman of Pershore In Bloom and  Alan would like to thank all those that have supported the development of this year’s entry.

If you are interested in Pershore in Bloom’s work, why not have a look at their website: www.pershoreinbloom.com

Posted by Alison

 

PERSHORE COLLEGE AT MALVERN AUTUMN SHOW

Pershore College will be exhibiting at Malvern Three Counties Autumn Show on 26th and 27th September.  The stand will offer produce sales and careers advice.  For general information on the show go to:

http://www.threecounties.co.uk/malvernautumn/index.html

Posted by Alison