Library News and Updates

Dates for our popular webinars are now live for September to December.   Click onto here to check topics and dates. Webinars: Library and Academic skills

There are a variety of topics and timings so check out the timetable for details. 

New this year 

• Transition to higher levels webinars
• Reflective practice

And after a successful pilot we are running our early morning sessions again for the 'Assignment Journey' webinars

If you cannot make the dates for a specific topic, check in the blue banners if we have a pre-recording of the key points from that webinar. 

Details of how to join the session will be sent to you by email at the time of booking and a reminder one hour beforehand.

Here is what some students had to say after attending a webinar: 

• "Thank you very much for today! It's been very reassuring and helpful"
  
  
• "Thank you. I am feeling a bit more confident after being out of the academic loop for a while!"
  
  
• "The redraft has just given me a lightbulb moment as to where I'm going wrong with my own academic writing!"

09 September 2026

Advanced Searching in Ebsco Eresources

On Onesearch you will find a new feature called Research Assistant linked from the top menu.

This new feature, powered by AI,  allows you to ask a question, in your own words, to find 5 key documents from sources on Onesearch (including books and articles) to help you start your topic research.  A link will take you into further potential sources. Make sure you check that the AI summary matches the full content of the source suggested. 

We see this new tool as a way to take initial steps into your searching journey. 

For a more detailed approach do look at our Quick guide to Advanced searching in OneSearch or Advanced Searching in Ebsco Eresources

NB At this present time the Research Assistant does not allow you to make follow up questions on your initial instruction. 

Any queries email skills@cumbria.ac.uk 

10 September 2026 

Refworks will shortly be renamed Endnote Fusion. This change is due to take place on 6th October.  Functionality will stay the same and all individual folders and settings will remain in place.  Once it goes live we will update our guides and videos. Email skills@cumbria.ac.uk with any queries 

Have a question for the Library?  Be in touch with the library staff using our Ask a Librarian Chat Service. It's available online, 24/7! 

You can use Ask a Librarian to ask any questions you might have about library services, e.g. loans, returns and renewals, as well as things like referencing, accessing journal articles and much more! 

To give you an idea we’ve picked some examples of questions we have answered via the Ask a Librarian service: 

• Can I reserve a book? 

• Can I request a book from a different library if it is not available at UoC? 

• Can I suggest a book for the library to acquire? 

• How do I get a replacement student card? 

• I have found a journal I would like to use, how can I tell if it is peer reviewed if it does not state that it is in the text? 

• How can I access additional reading material on books that are not online? 

• Can I return a book to the library by post? 

• Can you help with conducting a search for dissertation articles? 

• How do I make an appointment with the academic skills team? 

Use the form on the link above or look for the orange 'Ask a Librarian' tabs on Onesearch

1st September 2026

Did you know our libraries provide a variety of study rooms and spaces for you to make use of when you need to work on assignments.  You can either book or drop in to find one suitable for your needs. We offer everything from group study to quite spaces to focus. Find out more about what is available and book study rooms from our study spaces page. 

30 August 2026

Are you a distance learner? Did you know that you can have library books posted to your home address?

The postal loan scheme costs £30 per year and payment can be made through the online store. This will allow you to select 'home delivery' when you place a book request on OneSearch.

Your books will be sent to the home address that you have registered at the university, and you can return them via our prepaid collect+ service, or at any of our campus libraries. There is no further charge for this after the initial fee.

Click here for full details, or contact us with any questions by email library@cumbria.ac.uk or use the Ask a Librarian chat service.

09 September 2026.

We know students use the free reference generator called MyBib.com to create their reference lists. 

However we see a lot of errors in these reference lists when students ask Skills@Cumbria for assignment support. This can be because they have selected the wrong Harvard version.

When using MyBib.com make sure you select the format for 'Cite Them Right 13th edition - Harvard (no "et al.")

We also have plenty of referencing support on our Referencing page for you to check out too.

Any queries or to ask for a reference list check email skills@cumbria.ac.uk 

09 September 2026