Distance Learners

Services for Distance/Flexible learners

As a student with QM, you have access to the resources of the University’s Library service, including the Library’s extensive selection of online resources (licences permitting).
The Library web pages are used to organise and manage a range of relevant electronic materials as well as provide information about the Library and its services.

Information about some of the electronic resources and services that are available to you follows.

Library catalogue
The current library online catalogue is available from the Library web pages or by direct link at:

Library Catalogue

The library catalogue lists all the books, journals, audio-visual items and online resources held, or subscribed to, by the QMU LRC. Depending on where you live you may not have easy access to the Library’s print collections, but as the library catalogue contains information on electronic resources – books, journals, web sites and bibliographic databases - it is a useful tool to finding relevant subject resources. To be able to access all the relevant information you must logon with your network username and password.

If you do use the library to borrow books, you can renew them yourself via the catalogue, or by telephone (see the Contacts page for information).

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Electronic Journals
QM students have access to over 16,000 electronic journals. These can be accessed from the E-Journals web pages on the Library web site:

• E-journals A to Z - listing of all electronic journals available to QM students and staff. The list is searchable by journal title or by subject.

Many titles require the use of your institutional username and password for access to the full text content of the journals off-campus, a few require specific usernames and passwords and some titles are only available on campus. All information regarding fulltext availability, or password requirements, is available either via the A to Z list on the web pages.

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Electronic databases
Students who are matriculated on distance-learning programmes also have access to the various full-text and bibliographic databases to which QM subscribes. These resources are essential to finding relevant journal articles by subject or keyword etc. All of these resources are available from the Library web pages:

• Databases- an alphabetic list of all the databases available to QM students
• Subject Resources - lists of useful databases for subject areas

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Electronic books
The Library provides access to over 40,000 electronic books. Most are available via a service called ebrary, although we aslo have e-books in MyiLibrary, Dawsoner and Credo Reference. All individual electronic book titles are catalogued and are available through through the library catalogue. Further information on e-books is available on the e-books page

Ebrary can be searched as a database in itself and it is available from the Databases page on the Library web site or directly at:

ebrary - http://site.ebrary.com/lib/qmuc

Note: to be able to read the full-text of books supplied via ebrary you will need to download the ‘ebrary reader’. For more information contact LRCHelp.

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Information searching skills
The Library is developing training materials in order to enable students to navigate the growing range of information available in print and in electronic format. To help you to use the Library’s electronic resources, guides are available for downloading and printing from the Library web site. For guides to using individual bibliographic and full-text databases click on the ‘information button’ near to each database title on the Databases or Subject Resources pages.

Click on the information button to get more information about an electronic resource and to access Library guides to the resource.

If you require assistance with using and searching any of the Library’s resources please contact your Liaison Librarian (see Contacts List for details). The Liaison Librarians also run a series of workshops in various aspects of information handling skills throughout the academic session. To find out what is available and when, and to book your place, see the Workshop timetable in the study skills section

The Liaison Librarians have also developed a series of generic information handling skills resources which can be used independently. The tutorials have been developed as ‘narrated presentations’ and they can be accessed from the Study and Information Skills section of the library web site.

• About information skills - For information about Information Skills - what they are and why you need them.

Interactive Tutorials

• Using Library Resources - access to interactive tutorials, developed by the QM Library Liaison Team, on using different Library resources.
• Using the Internet - externally produced tutorials on searching the Internet

  Referencing and Referencing Software

  • Referencing - a guide to the QM Harvard referencing scheme - Cite and Write - as well as linto to other schemes.
  • Referencing software - information about Referencing software available at QM.

Workshop Timetable
To find out what workshops are available and to book a place at a workshop go to the Workshop Timetable page.

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Navigating the Library web site
To help you find your way around the Library web site the Liaison Team have developed an interactive tutorial that explains the various sections of the site. To access the tutorial go to the Using Library Resources page.

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Shibboleth
As part of the Library’s subscriptions, and licence agreements, to electronic resources, QM is required to ensure that only QM students and staff have access to the resources. Inforamtoin on how to access these resources is at Access info .

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Using other libraries
It may be possible for you to use libraries – academic and/or public libraries - in the area where you live. See the Library Web pages 'Using other Libraries' for more information about accessing libraries both inside and outside of the Edinburgh area. Many academic libraries, throughout the UK, are now part of an access scheme called ‘UK Libraries Plus’ which enables students to use academic libraries other than their own.

• Using other libraries - information about using libraries.
• Finding locations - links to union catalogues.
• Libraries in Edinburgh - links to information about academic and public libraries in Edinburgh and links to their catalogues.
• Libraries outwith Edinburgh - links to information about academic and public libraries outside of Edinburgh and links to their catalogues.

If you are unsure about access to any library, please contact your Liaison Librarian, or email the Library Enquiry Service, or ask in the Library for details.

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UK Libraries Plus Scheme
UK Libraries Plus is a co-operative venture between higher education libraries. It enables part-time, distance and placement students living in the UK to borrow material from other libraries. For a full list of participating institutions and details of how to join, including the registration forms, go to the UK Libraries Plus Scheme section of the Libraries outwith Edinburgh page on the Library web site.

If you are registered with the library at QM you can apply for access to up to three libraries under the scheme. You must be in good standing with the library i.e. you should have no debts and should not have infringed the library regulations.

To apply:

1. Print off a registration form from the UK Libraries Plus web site. If you have trouble printing the form contact the Library and we will send one out to you.
2. Complete the top section of the form with your details then,
3. Fill out the details of at least one University Library that you would like to use. You may join up to three libraries using the scheme.
   For an up-to-date list of the libraries that are part of the scheme go to the UK Libraries Plus web site.
4. Return the completed form to QM Library (see Contacts page for address details).

When we receive you application form we will update your library record with the details. Part of the form will then be filed at QM Library and the other section(s) will be authorised and returned to you.

Take the authorised form to the library you wish to join, with your matriculation card, and a passport photograph. Each library will then register you and issue you with appropriate cards for access.

Important points to note about using libraries under the UK Libraries Plus Scheme:

• Each library will apply restrictions on what you can and cannot borrow e.g. you may not be able to borrow short loan items. Ask at each library what the restrictions are.
• Borrowing allowances will vary between libraries. Again ask at each library that you join how many items you are allowed to borrow.
• Access to computer facilities and electronic resources is not normally allowed at the host library.
• Help with finding materials is not normally provided. If you need special help you should telephone the library in advance for advice or to book an appointment if necessary.

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Interlibrary Loan Service for Distance Learners
If you are unable to locate a journal article in your local area (see section on Using Other Libraries) then the Library can supply photocopies of journal articles not held in QM libraries via our InterLibrary Loan (ILL) Service (for articles that are available at QM see the section ‘Photocopy Service for Distance Learners’). Journal articles may be delivered to you by post or electronically in the form of an email attachment sent to your QM email address.

To comply with current copyright law each article request must be made on a QM ILL Request form, with the copyright declaration fully completed and personally signed, confirming that the copy will be used for private study or research. ILL forms are available from both campus libraries and can be sent out on request. Alternatively the form can be printed out see below.

• InterLibrary Loans – information about the InternLibrary Loans Service.
• InterLibrary Loans Service for distance learners – information about ILLs for distance learning students particularly.
• InterLibrary Loan Request Form – and electronic copy of the ILL form that can be printed off. If you have trouble printing the form contact Library Enquiries with your details and forms can be posted out to you. Note that each request must be made on a separate form.

Completed forms should be sent to your tutor for authorisation first (under-graduate students only) and should then be forwarded to the LRC. Please send to the LRC (address details on the Contacts page) marked for the attention of the Interlibrary Loans.

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Photocopy Service for Distance Learners
The Library offers a photocopy service for Distance Learning students for material that is held by the Library. For more information about accessing materials not held at QM see the sections ‘Using other Libraries’ and ‘Interlibrary Loan Service for distance Learners’.

We can provide you with one article from a journal issue or one chapter of a book provided that either does not constitute more than 5% of the whole item.

Each photocopy, journal article or book chapter, costs £3.00.

To apply:

1. Print out, and fill in, the Photocopy Request form.
   Note that you need to fill out a form for each photocopy request.
2. Sign the form on the reverse.
3. Post the form(s) to us with a cheque, or money order, in Sterling made out to “Queen Margaret University” - at a cost of £3.00 per request (i.e. for each journal article or book chapter).

Please send to Corstorphine Campus Library (address details on the Contacts pages) marked for the attention of the Interlibrary Loans.

Please note that we must have your signature for legal reasons, so we are unable to accept electronic submissions.

Your photocopies will then be posted out to you.

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QM Email Address

You should have received an email address on matriculating at QM. This is the preferred method of communicating with you but, for security reasons, we can only use your QM email address. This can be accessed from anywhere in the world, via the world wide web. Instructions and contact details for Information Services are available at the QM Web Email Page.

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